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There are plenty of sports on the TV and streaming schedules, but could there be a better way for advertisers to play this game?
WPP Media believes so. The media-buying outlet, part of British ad giant WPP and once known as GroupM, is launching a new sports practice it says will harness better sets of data to help clients place their advertising dollars with increased confidence.
Many advertisers have longstanding ties to certain sports events, but the amount of money being spent on professional and collegiate sports is soaring, says Martin Bilch, an executive director at WPP Media, and head of U.S. sports investments and partnerships, during a recent interview. “The truths is we need to be able to say to the client, ‘Hey, let’s take a step back and look at data, understand who the fan is, understand who the league delivers and the platforms they have access to that can really drive business.” Bilch will lead the new offering.
WPP Media Sports, the new practice, will not only offer strategy and investment services, but also analytics; activation of sponsorships and partnerships; and content production tied to influencers. WPP Media Sports will use GumGum, a company that specializes in delivering digital ads in relevant environments, and Relo Metrics, which measures and tracks the value of sponsor logos and brand mentions across live TV broadcasts, streaming, social media, and other venues.
WPP Media launches a dedicated sports practice at the start of a heady year, one that will contain a Winter Olympics and a World Cup tournament, along with the usual NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL seasons. WPP Media has kept its eye on how sports has developed in a new era. In 2024, the company created a dedicated marketplace for women’s sports, starting in the industry’s “upfront” market. Clients including adidas, Ally, Coinbase, Discover, Google, Mars, Nationwide, Unilever and NBCUniversal’s Universal Pictures said at the time that they were interested.
The company is also seeking to redefine its business after several tough years marked by client losses and executive turnover. WPP Media Sports will vie with such entities as Publicis Media and the sports media operations of Omnicom Group, which recently acquired its rival, Interpublic Group .Advertisers have always relied on sports broadcasts to reach large audiences, but more of them are doing so in the streaming era. When traditional dramas and comedies are viewed increasingly at times of a consumer’s own choosing, sports remains one of the few programming formats that draws broad crowds together all at once — meaning a sponsor can reach more potential customers in a single moment.
In recent months, top sports events have sold out earlier and with greater speed than in the past — including the Super Bowl. NBCUniversal sold the bulk of its commercial inventory tied to next month’s telecast of Super Bowl LX months ahead of schedule.
The heightened demand for sports has boosted prices for all games and matches. ” That means there’s more realization that it’s more expensive to make a mistake,” says Bilch. “You can no longer just throw a piece of grass up in the arena and hope it flies in the right direction,” he says. “You have to have data and make the proper decisions as part of it.”
English (US) ·