Brian Florko

Soccer fandom is evolving at an incredible pace. Understanding the fan or consumer is complex….. There are a million ways to measure fandom so we (@forsoccer) took a crack at creating some of our own fan profiles that better represent modern fandom. Download the United States of Soccer report on Forsoccer.com #soccermedia #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #soccermarketing #sportsmarketing #grassrootssoccer

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🤯 AI is finally making the dream possible - targeting audiences by emotional state vs. demographics 🤯 Top Golf's emotional targeting strategy has yielded impressive results by using Cognitiv's AI to predict when consumers are most likely to be receptive to Topgolf's messaging, considering factors like weather, time of day, and day of the week: 47% increase in click-through rates 33% reduction in cost per acquisition 25% decrease in cost per click https://lnkd.in/gNm2k9ii

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Video is data. Video is content. Video drives player development. Video leads to more winning. Video preserves memories. Video is shaping the future across various domains, but it all starts with the ability to consistently capture meaningful, multi-angle footage at scale. #SportsTech

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Counting down 2024’s Top 10 Sports Sponsored Content - Part 1️⃣ 🎤 #10: Pittsburgh Penguins x DICK'S Sporting Goods This post convinced me that with the right execution, in-venue activations can thrive on social media as sponsored content. Results: 2.4M impressions, 113K engagements, 4.7% rate. 😴 #9: Philadelphia Eagles x Sleep Number Corporation In the sleep and fitness categories, many teams settle for a basic post about a player’s workout/recovery routine, the Eagles flipped the script, creating content that held fans’ attention and seamlessly delivered brand messaging. Results: 838K YouTube views Stay tuned and follow along for the rest of the top 10. #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #sponsorship

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This MLB season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a powerhouse 🚀 in the value they're driving for their partners. Assets of theirs currently claim the top 9 spots. But here’s one interesting fact for the 10th place asset in baseball: When we factor in earned media—exposure from other teams, the league, and media outlets—the New York Yankees' Outfield wall signage for State Farm jumps from 10th to 5th overall. Earned exposure accounts for nearly half of all the exposure generated by this outfield sign. Earned media exposure generally reaches a more national audience than exposure driven from owned sources alone. Understanding this split quantitatively can help brands and properties optimize their strategy and asset mix to best fit the needs of each partnership as some brands are specifically looking for national audience while others are more focused on assets that will drive local exposure in specific markets! Below is an example where the Yankee's sign is picked up from an earned source in a post from an MLB league account. I used our Benchmarking tool at Blinkfire here to quickly research all this information for this post!

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On the business side of the house, we got our report card from MLB and it was a good one. Thanks to Sports Business Journal's (SBJ) Mike Mazzeo for spotlighting it. We pride ourselves on our "Braves Way" of service, which prioritizes a warm welcome, anticipating needs, and a fond farewell. Congrats to 2024 SBJ Game Changer Hannah Basinger and her team for tirelessly and joyfully making this essential part of our culture meaningful and memorable for our fans. It's fantastic to see these efforts recognized with a number 1 ranking in the league. And kudos to Scott Cunningham, Scott Brooks, Geoffrey Schmidt and their teams for getting STRAIGHT A's (ranked #1) in EVERY single category of Entertainment (kid's activities, pre game content, scoreboard, music, and games) as well as the overall Entertainment evaluation. Remarkable. Another stat cited in the SBJ article is the continued growth of our African-American and Latino audiences (17% and 12% YOY). A myriad of factors have led to this growth including; impactful community work, (Danielle Bedasse and team) youth baseball and softball programming/support, (Greg McMichael and team), creation of culturally relevant programs and business community outreach (Eugene Brooks), growth of social channels and targeted media strategies (Ana Paula Sanchez Mejorada Girault and Jori McMurtrey Palmer) and leading with our players (Franco García). So what does all this mean for our business and marketing/sales efforts? Brand health is a business driver. Fan Experience is the second most cited reason for intent to purchase tickets, behind only team performance (which is uncontrollable). The higher NPS (net promoter score) we generate, the higher the propensity to re-purchase. Our campaign of "We are Braves Country" is designed to build community, commonality, and a sense of a shared identity. In all facets of its deployment, the campaign reinforces aspects of "Southerness" (friendly, welcoming, genteel) that are embodied in our Fan Experience/Game presentation. "We are Braves Country" also provides a platform to embody our role, reach and need to market/sell to Atlanta, Metro-Atlanta, and the six states that make up our marketing territory. Expanding the fanbase is a business imperative and core marketing goal. Like everything we do here, "what gets measured gets managed." We use third party market research firms like YouGov to benchmark and chart growth in key segments. While topline growth is certainly important, we are more interested in quantifying the impact of that growth to our business. Those efforts (thank you Justin Watkins) make for better business cases and fuel future investment in audience growth efforts. Proud of our team.

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Tune in Monday night Dec. 9 to see The National Football League (NFL) showcase State-of-the-Art Technology: The #Simpsons Funday Football. 'The Simpsons Funday Football' streams live Dec. 9 on #Disney+, ESPN+ a real-time animated Monday Night Football game for Bengals-Cowboys This Features Every Play of Bengals-Cowboys Game Each Bengals and Cowboys player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player for the special primetime matchup. Through state-of-the-art tracking technology enabled by NFL's Next Gen Stats, Sony's Beyond Sports, combined with #Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations' optical tracking, fans enjoying The Simpsons Funday Football will see every snap, run, pass, score and more from the real-life Bengals and Cowboys matchup at AT&T Stadium as it happens. Sony's Beyond Sports makes it possible to combine two data sources, analyze, validate, enhance, translate to a 3D environment and stream to a desired platform in real-time and Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations' optical tracking creates dynamic player and character movement including detailed limb movement and mannerisms. For more info click here: https://lnkd.in/eh_g3E3P

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Cultural moments matter. They build lasting, emotional bonds with audiences. So how can brands turn these fan-first moments into lasting connections that drive loyalty? A new Penske Media Corporation study shows how marketers can effectively capitalize on pop culture experiences to build a sense of community, essential for deepening engagement. Read the full details here: https://lnkd.in/gDGBv95P

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New DDSN MLB Article by Tyler Welch: Here is Part II with the National League selections for the most deserving MLB players for the 2024 All-Star Game along with runners-up, at every position. #MLB #Baseball #Sports #SportsJournalism

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The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has shared key rule changes for the upcoming year, with several focusing on uniforms and apparel regulations across different sports. Here are some highlights for team dealers, coaches, and sports retailers: 🔹 Little League Baseball & Softball: *Catchers’ gear gets tech-savvy with approved one-way communication devices for pitch calls. *Uniform guidelines emphasize contrast—pitchers' undershirts can't match the ball's color in softball, and pitchers in baseball can wear solid neoprene sleeves (no white or gray). *Jewelry rules are relaxed, permitting players to wear it unless medically unsafe. *Helmet stickers are allowed as long as they remain appropriate and non-excessive. 🔹 Dixie Softball: *Faceguards are required on pressurized helmets, ensuring both safety and compliance. 🔹 USA Lacrosse: *By 2027, jerseys must feature numbers that clearly contrast with the jersey's body color for better visibility. 🔹 General Trend: Across sports, there’s an emphasis on player safety, clarity, and individuality, allowing for modernizations like tech in helmets and more flexible rules for personal expression (e.g., jewelry and decals). Uniform updates like these can impact how teams prepare for the season. Whether you're a coach, player, or supplier, staying ahead of these changes is essential! 💬 What do you think of these updates? Share your thoughts below!

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This social-first concourse activation from the Indiana Pacers is so smart! Before Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, fans had a shot at winning an autographed jersey by successfully tossing a hanger onto a rack. Check out "hanger toss" on TikTok to see how popular this trick shot has become. Why it works: → Fans who've seen it on social media are likely eager to give it a go themselves. → With its proven track record, it's bound to perform well online. It did great for the Pacers! → The video racked up 1.6M views, 76.9K engagements, and a 4.7% overall engagement rate across five channels. → TikTok (704.2K) and Facebook (612K) led the pack in views, while TikTok (51.5K) and Instagram (13.4K) led in engagement. You should definitely consider this concourse activation, especially for a brand partnership, and not just because of its social media appeal. → In person, it's an accessible skill for anyone of any age to try, and the setup is budget-friendly. → You can keep branding straightforward too. Think about a custom clothing rack or floor stickers with the partner's logo, which would be showcased in the social posts. This is a fantastic opportunity for clothing brands or department stores (think Target, Walmart, etc.), especially around moments like back-to-school season. #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #sponsorship

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Is your school considering a digital Scoreboard? We can assist with designing, specifying, developing a revenue - generating strategy to more than cover the investment. Reach out to Bethany Leonard at [email protected] to learn more. #schoolsports #schoolmarketing #digitalscoreboard #buildingyourbrand #buildingcommunities

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Sports teams and soft drink companies have forged enduring and profitable partnerships over the years, but I've always believed these deals could be even more beneficial for both parties. Historically, partnership potential has been constrained by limited resources on both sides. Teams typically lack sufficient personnel to develop sustainable channel promotions, while global brands like Coca-Cola often don't invest the time and budget to create unique promotions in each individual club market. I believe team-branded loyalty points could help overcome these constraints by establishing a uniform affinity currency capable of supporting DTC promotions and B2B deals. 1. Channel promotions: if a portion of Coca-Cola's club spending were allocated to Club Points, then Coke could use team points as both an activation and sales tool. Coke could pass through team points to its retail partners, enabling them to reward fans who visit stores and purchase Coca-Cola products. This approach should help Coca-Cola increase case and syrup sales while securing more retail displays. 2. Fan Engagement: Coca-Cola could offer Club Points to fans for participating in sweepstakes, online promotions, or sampling events. This would help Coca-Cola gather valuable fan data and address one of its biggest challenges: knowing its end users. 3. Per cap pending: At ballparks, fans could use accrued Club Points to purchase more Coca-Cola products or earn additional points by buying Coca-Cola during games. Beyond sports, the overlap between team corporate partners and Coca-Cola's retail network is fascinating. As a team sponsorship seller, I'd be excited to use a Club Points program to engage existing partners and pitch new ones, using points as a compelling hook. With points serving as a common currency, clubs can forge partnerships with myriad brands. And club partners could even establish bespoke points-exchange rates to conduct deals directly with each other within the team ecosystem. Branded points can even enhance Coca-Cola's MLB (league) partnership in concert with club-level deals. The possibilities for expanding team/soft drink partnerships are endless, which isn't always advantageous since teams and partners often lack the time to pursue all opportunities. But that's where Minty Sports comes in. We provide the software, services, and strategy needed to bring loyalty commerce programs and partnerships to life. The Minty Sports system could create a currency for MLB that allows each team to have its own distinct, branded points that interchangeable with league points. League / team data could also be shareable. Our cloud-based financial software mints, distributes, and manages points-based transactions, accessible at venues, stores, online, and via cellular networks. cc JohnWallStreet, Matt Gardner Eric Stisser Neil Viserto Mike Morris Hunter Lochmann James Van Stone Anuk Karunaratne Chris Lencheski Bret McCormick

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Do really know the rules of baseball? Baseball Rules in Black and White App has helped thousands learn and retain the rules of baseball. We are the only rule resource that covers 4 rule sets. See the difference in Black and White. https://lnkd.in/g_6N6GN #entrepreneur #doyoureallyknowtherulesofbaseball

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