I've been watching a lot of sports docos lately (Drive to Survive, Beckham, Welcome to Wrexham, etc) and it seems insane to me that less than a year out from the Olympics, Australian broadcasters/sporting bodies aren't capitalising on this format to promote their athletes/sports and build hype before Paris 2024. If the Drive to Survive-ification of sport has taught us anything it's that good storytelling and character development is GOLD, so why aren't we copy/pasting this format ahead of one of the biggest sporting events in the world? Sure, content filmed during the tournament is good, but building these profiles ahead of the games feels like a no-brainer. It doesn't necessarily have to be a full-scale Netflix-sized production, even a well-produced (see: hire me to do it for you) social series would do the job. There's no reason why shotput or table tennis couldn't be the next niche sport that Australians fall in love with, but you can't wait until the Olympics to try to build an audience who cares. With 9Now broadcasting 40 (FORTY!!!) channels for Paris 2024, imagine the ROI you could get if you've already published the binge-worthy content everyone will flock to when they inevitably discover the niche Aussie athlete they're obsessed with. #olympics #paris2024 #sportcontent #sport #sportsmarketing #producer #socialmedia
Taz Zammit
10mo
You are giving out free game here!! Cmon 9NOW, hire her! I want to watch that 20 part social series hehe. p.s. I watched a great SXSW talk you would have loved! It was called Mapping the DNA of the Modern Fan and it had FIFA and AFL marketing teams on the panel. An interesting discussion unfolded around 'what is considered sports content these days', considering most people spend 3 hours per week on non-game content. Things like fan edits, docuseries, highlight reels, memes, interviews, etc. We need more content out there on these athletes, they all have stories to tell!
Vi Truong
10mo
100% on everything you’ve touched on here! Also A+ for the George pic selection 😂 x
Callum Senior
10mo
Very good point!
Kevin Munro
10mo
Seems like such low hanging fruit when you think about it … why won’t they take the fruit? It’s right there!
Edwin Smith
10mo
Couldn't agree more. One of my fave topics at SXSW last week was about Drive to Survive, and a bunch of other sporting docos the same company has made since, and the impact that's hard on viewing numbers and popularity. Make it happennnnnn (I'll do the social strat)
Beau Ushay
10mo
This is a good idea. We all suddenly become armchair experts in the most niche of sports when the Olympics rolls around.. Why not tap into this a bit earlier? Love it.
Lewis Laing
10mo
Australian Olympic Committee anything in the pipeline?
Senior Communications Officer | Fan Engagement Expert
10moOh my god, I have SO MANY thoughts about this! What I think it boils down to is that there's still a stigma around athletes being viewed as personality-first celebrities. We saw it in a quote from Danny Ric just the other day where he said he didn't want to be seen as an "entertainer", and I see it every time I explain my research area (celebrity and fandom studies) to someone and use sports as an example and get told "but that's not the same thing, athletes are different". Spoiler alert: no, they're not, and by staying afraid of this form of marketing and engagement, organisations are leaving millions of fans on the table. Fans don't connect with sport for the sport, they connect with the *people*, and even if this story telling doesn't see an immediate dollar value ROI, it's building the kind of deep connection that lasts a literal lifetime. I gave a presentation at SXSW last week where I discussed the differences between customers, fans, and fandom, and its these distinctions that are being missed by organisations. Like you say, yeah, you'll get people tuning into the Olympics because it's on, but that's not how you engage and build something people care about.