Sports and music may converge as both turn to fan-centric approaches
Many would say sports and music both fall into the same market genre: the entertainment industry. That’s fair, even though both industries can be very different.
But lately, it seems that the similarities have been pulling them to each other. And it’s all because of one thing: the industry’s obsession with the idea of superfans.
As I wrote in “Did K-pop play a role in the entertainment market’s transition to a fan-centric industry?”, lately “many industries are betting on the superfans, community-building, and fan engagement strategies as a way to stay profitable and build brand loyalty in the long-run.” That’s true for the sports industry as well.
Sports and music are not that different after all
When it comes to fandom, sports, and music draws emotional connections that can be compared in many ways.
Allow me to feature this fantastic graphic by media studies researcher Nicole Santero:
The sports industry and the music industry are both turning to fan-centric approaches
As I wrote in this LinkedIn article:
(…) the convergence of the music and sports industry towards a superfan centricity as a revenue strategy” is “not a new trend in none of these industries (Philip Kotler’s “The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace” is more than 15 years old; and in music, the ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶i̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ monetization of fans’ emotional bond with their idols dates back to Beatlemania). The difference is that now the focus is on the hyperpersonalization of the fan/supporter experience, and on strategies to strengthen the bond with the artist/team, especially since it is increasingly difficult to monetize consumption.
Sports need content and entertainment strategies
In 2006, the “godfather of marketing”, Philip Kotler, wrote a book together with Irving Rein and Ben Shields about the sports industry’s reinvention in pursuit of new fans
Sports have long been understood as entertainment. The pursuit of new ways to attract and engage fans/team supporters is one of the top priorities of sports marketing.
While fan engagement has always been crucial to the music industry as well, it’s increasingly important “as traditional business models in the media & entertainment industries decay, and even new technologies such as streaming have facilitated access to content and cultural assets to a point that makes it hard to monetize them whatsoever”.
Now more than ever, the sports and the music industry share the same need for fans that are loyal to their idols/team’s brands and are willing to spend money on their passions.
This post is part of an ongoing research on fandom, marketing & IP and was published merely for future reference.
I plan to continue paying attention to the similarities between the sports and the music industry from a marketing/fandom perspective, and hopefully dissect my findinds across different posts, like I’ve done in “We can no longer escape the K-pop & football intersection — so what can come out of it?”.
I’m an attorney, writer, researcher, and a coolhunter/consultant working on the intersection of creative, Intellectual Property (IP) Law, and communication services.
If you’re interested in the impact of fandom culture on the music industry and especially in business & Intellectual Property strategies, please consider checking out my work:
▪ Interview for the podcast Stroke of Genius by IPO Education Foundation — Episode “The BTS Effect”: https://lnkd.in/dEhXAmDm;
▪ “Branding as a Tool for Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: BTS and ARMY as a Case Study”, published in Vol. 1 of Rhizomatic Revolution Review | The R³ Journal: https://lnkd.in/dJHJdHy9;
▪ “How the boy band BTS is using IP to build its
legacy”, published in World Intellectual Property Organization — WIPO Magazine, Issue 1/2022: https://lnkd.in/dgSrmFxG;
▪“K-pop fandom & their Intellectual Property expertise”, published on KPOP ETF website: https://lnkd.in/dD7BhQYy;
▪This Medium blog! And also my LinkedIn page.
If you’re interested in my consultancy and writing services, I can be reached through 3Três Consultoria e Criação (Consulting & Creative).
