Brands lean into consumer passion points to find growth

Rather than grouping audiences by generation, brands are increasingly looking to connect with consumers via their most cherished passions, from sport to music and entertainment, a new survey finds. It can also influence both brand and business performance metrics.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - February 24, 2024, Thousands of concertgoers arrive for the second of four Taylor Swift The Eras Tour concerts at ACCOR Stadium in Sydney, : Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Brands that use marketing to connect with communities via their shared passions can give businesses a “massive advantage” in certain categories, according to consumer research from creative advertising agency M&C Saatchi Sport & ­Entertainment.

Companies that seize the opportunity to capitalise on consumer passion points may also see its influence on their brand and balance sheet, the company’s annual Passion Pulse research has found.

The report drew on responses from 5000 Australians, and found that brands that engage audiences around passion points can lift a range of business and marketing metrics. These include driving “active consideration” of whether to purchase from a brand, purchase intention, shopping basket size and net promoter scores – a commonly used measurement of customer loyalty.

M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment strategy director Luke Haynes explained demand from businesses was strong and widespread: “Every client we speak to is obsessed with salience – being present and front of mind with people in the real world.”

Luke Haynes is strategy director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment

Mr Haynes said that passion points are powerful marketing tools, because they “are the things that add colour to your life, the things we actually care about, and the things that actually stick in the mind”.

Last year, major sporting events became cultural movements in their own right, fuelled by passionate fans. The year was punctuated by the record-breaking success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which helped both global and local brands ride the wave of mass engagement. And 2024 promises similarly seismic momentum that brands are already latching onto, including the Super Bowl (and its advertising spots worth a reported $7m), which just weeks ago became the most watched TV program in ­history.

The Olympics and Paralympics are next up, which will kick off in Paris in July, with luxury multinational LVMH leading the charge as the Games major sponsor.

Audiences are also still in the throes of celebrating the global phenomenon of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which just drew record crowds in Melbourne. Swift, the woman and the “brand”, illustrates the potential power of uniting multiple generations of audiences, which she does through story­telling and the universally binding art form that is music.

“2024 will set a new precedent for bigger-than-ever cultural events and moments across the sport and entertainment landscape that bring people together and offer significant commercial gains for brands,” Mr Haynes said.

However, brands can also embed themselves in other corners of culture.

The survey found that niche and “retro” sports – such as darts and lacrosse – are regaining popularity, particularly among younger audiences, while the fans’ ­commitment to traditional sports is declining.

Having found local growth plateauing, major American and European sporting events such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, and the Premier League are now turning their ­attention to engage with more international audiences, which are tuning in to the sports in greater numbers.

“Wholesome” passions including film, books and music could represent growth channels for brands, as well as gaming – which is “under-capitalised” by marketers, Mr Haynes said.

“It’s worth more than the film and music industries combined. The one-dimensional view on gaming holds a lot of marketers back. In the same way that you don’t ‘sponsor sport’ you don’t ‘sponsor gaming’. You would look at your audience, look at what games they play, how they connect, and how they express their passion for those games, and that will look very different from one to the next.

“The ‘teenage boy in a dark basement’ stereotype is so tired. The fact is, the median age of a gamer is about 35, it’s highly social, it’s female-friendly, it’s massively nuanced, but gamers are waiting to be ‘seen’ by the corporate world and will be welcoming to most brands.”

As the fragmentation of media channels also continues, consumers’ attention is increasingly split.

This trend is becoming especially pronounced in sports, as TV broadcast rights are also fragmenting, making it more costly for ­consumers who need access to a broader range of paid-for channels to watch different sports.

Mr Haynes said it’s “existential reckoning” facing the sports industry in particular.

“There’s a lag between how audiences consume and how marketers buy media.

“Linear TV will still deliver massive reach, and rightly retains the bulk of investment, but there’s opportunity to think about how brands build a plan around different connection points – which could be podcasts, creators, previews, reviews, fantasy sports and even wagering,” Mr Haynes said.