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Google exec: Mobile forces right blend of actionable sports content

NEW YORK ? A Google executive at the 2015 Mobile Marketing Association Forum New York said Turner Sports? narrowly targeted, relevant outreach to fans during the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament is a model for marketers to emulate in the mobile moments that matter. 

In the session, ?The New Road to Fandom: Consumption Trends and Advertising Strategies in the World of Sports,? the executive cited Turner Sports? leveraging of mobile to provide a March Madness Live application, an app promo on Google Search and an app promo in-app to connect with highly engaged fans. The presentation pointed to how the mobile mind-shift has accelerated the need for more personal marketing and the demise of a one-size-fits-all marketing philosophy.

?The old strategies simply aren?t going to work anymore,? said Jason Bigler, product management director for Google, Mountain View, CA. ?Especially [since] these smaller devices the consumer use are a lot more versatile.

?We have to rethink how consumers experience these brands in the context they are in,? he said. ?It?s a very personal medium. And consumers are less tolerant of advertising on mobile than on desktop.?

Mobile moments
With mobile raising expectations that any desire can be gratified immediately, marketers need to apply approaches that show awareness of the fan?s day-long engagement with sports-related content, the conference was told.

In a typical day, a fan might wake up check the day?s game schedule at 9 a.m. By 12:30, he or she is having lunch and checking news about his or her favorite players and teams. Around 4 p.m. the activity might be watching video sports highlights. At 7 p.m., the fan is tuning in to watch a game and by halftime at 8 p.m. is checking statistics on players and the latest news.

Jason Bigler at MMA Forum New York.

Given this behavior trend, marketers need to figure out when is the right time to try to engage the sports fan and what is the best way to deliver on his or her needs in that moment.

Turner Sports? excellence in reaching sports fans in light of key consumer behavior patterns has been in evidence during the March Madness tournament.

First, a campaign aimed at getting people to download the March Madness app, available on Google Play. Then it encouraged participation in Selection Sunday during which people needed to build their brackets within three days before the tournament?s tip-off.

That outreach led to a consumer migration to TV.

?People wanted to watch the games from wherever they are but tend to watch bigger games on TV,? Mr. Bigler said.

Increasing formats
As the TV migration began, messaging changed, using bigger formats. Consumption continued via streaming mobile devices.

A typical sports fan's behavior pattern.

?Turner thought about consumer journey, both in terms of habits but also how they wanted to drive them,? Mr. Bigler said. ?The important thing is they spent so much time understanding that journey, they got a marketing strategy that made sense both for their business and for the consumer journey as well. ?

The Turner outreach pointed to how sports fans love more than live games ? they consume clips, highlights, historical moments and other content alongside the games. They are not just inactively watching.

?Mobile will force us to find the right blend of content that leads to an action,? Mr. Bigley said. ?Consumers don?t care anymore. On a mobile device if they can get a faster answer from another app or a Web site, that?s where they are going to go,? he said.

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York