ALLOW ME TO RE-INTRODUCE MYSELF
Changes to the focus of Vivrant and what to expect
Hello. It’s been a while since I last published any writing as life and earning a living got in the way. My last post was in August about the NBA’s European expansion and since that piece I’ve actually been fortunate to work on an NBA project to engage fans in Europe, as well as work across Coca-Cola and Powerade’s Premier League partnerships, Wilson Tennis, Montirex and some insights work around this year’s FIFA Men’s World Cup and next year’s Women’s World Cup.
I’ve spent time working with Havas Play, Fuse, Out of Nothing and more recently Ear to the Ground and the type of work I’ve been doing has led me to rethink how I view Vivrant as a space to write and what to write about.
Rather than brands and cultural relevance which saw me writing about sports, as well as how people create cultural relevance for brands, I’m now refocusing to just write about sports and in particular the signals, shifts and trends shaping how sport is experienced, played and impacts society. I’ll also be writing about the creative work and activations that wins with fans and the people behind them. I hope you’ll stick around. You’ll also notice this part of Vivrant is now powered by Substack so if you’re on there, let’s connect and chat sports.
Here’s a little more on what’s to come at Vivrant…
In a fragmented world of culture and interests, sport is arguably the last monoculture.
It’s the one thing that can unite people around a common goal and moment in time, no matter their background or beliefs. Whether it’s thousands singing in unison at a football stadium, or a whole Sunday planned around NFL football - the rituals, routines and emotions are shared.
It’s no surprise more brands are looking at sport to invest their marketing budgets as it offers the opportunity to reach large amounts of people over multiple opportunities across the sporting calendar.
The days of treating sport as an addition to core brand marketing plans or a nice to have has moved on as sport touches so many aspects of culture. But the days of treating all fans the same, or thinking some logos on sponsor boards or shirts will cut it and win fans over are long gone. The brands that understand the nuances, complexities and even contradictions within fandom, as well as the wider sports landscape will succeed in sport.
Fandom is vast and varied, where there is no longer one type of football or basketball fan out there, to use two sports as examples. Fandom now comes with multiple layers with closeness and intensity depending on a person’s relationship with any one sport or team.
The athletes themselves are not just sticking to sports anymore, as they build their own brands, platforms and businesses while also standing for what they believe in. The player empowerment era is in full effect.
While sports growth accelerates through more global commercial opportunities where power and influence is shifting between leagues, investors and countries, the bedrock of the game in communities, grassroots and society has never been more important, or fragile.
How a sports marketer navigates the ever evolving landscape shapes the effectiveness of any campaign, sponsorship or athlete partnership.
I’ve been working across sports marketing in various roles agency and brand side and now as an independent for over a decade across sponsorship, product and kit launches, brand platforms and campaigns. This includes working with brands such as adidas, New Balance, Reebok, Nike, JD Sports, Wilson Tennis, Puma Golf and sports sponsorships for Mobil 1 (motorsports) Lloyds (British Cycling), Asahi (football, baseball & rugby), Chivas Regal (Manchester United), Powerade (EPL) and Coca-Cola (EPL).
I believe the best work entertains and engages sports fans when it’s genuinely meaningful and brings them value.
To get there takes multiple forces all coming together: creativity, conviction, bravery and belief but it starts from understanding the subtle nuances, going beyond the margins and digging deeper to understanding how sport is experienced, played and impacts society.
Here’s where Vivrant comes into play. I love working in sports and feel lucky to do so with my favourite part of the job being where I’m bringing people valuable insight, research and intel that helps shape their sports marketing. There will be an insights and strategy offering to follow, but today I’m relaunching Vivrant on substack as the place for sports intel and inspiration.
Each week as a subscriber you’ll get regular updates on the latest signals, trends and forces I’m spotting at a micro-level and what they mean for the bigger sports picture across the following clusters.
Sports Fandom, Culture & Experience
How people watch, follow, express, access and emotionally connect with sport across fan behaviour, culture, media, retail and live experiences.
Sports Growth, Power & Society
How sport grows, who shapes it, and how it impacts communities, politics, participation, public value and wider society.
Athlete Empowerment, Performance & Innovation
How athletes, teams and talent systems are being shaped by performance demands, technology, workload, wellbeing and empowerment.
I’ll also be highlighting the best of the sports creative and campaigns that are cutting through and speaking to the people behind them, to help inspire your own sports marketing.
It will be quite football heavy to start because of the World Cup, but you can expect a variety of sports to be covered and I’ll be publishing 3 times a week across the following areas:
Tuesday: Sports Marketing Perspective / Analysis / Interview / A rotating weekly deep-dive feature that will offer perspective or analysis of what some of the signals and trends I’m spotting mean to the bigger picture of sports. Other weeks we’ll be speaking to and handing over the space to sports marketers working across the wide breadth of sports marketing.
Wednesday: What’s shaping sports? This is a weekly insights led digest that is summarising the signals and trends I’m tracking across key themes within the broader clusters outlined above.
Friday: Sports Creative Showcase This is a weekly showcase of the work that’s catching the eyes and winning with sports fans whether it’s a new brand campaign, activation, launch or social post and all in between.
Welcome along.
Forza Vivrant!!