While third-party targeting no longer has one foot in the grave, advertisers comfortable with using a 20-year-old technology available to everyone in the market as their primary method of accurately targeting potential customers should take a long, hard look in the mirror. In the age of AI, insights, ever-increasing addressability and attribution – those savouring the crumbs of cookies stand to miss out on the feast of alternative targeting and measurement available.
While the world of digital media and cookie alternatives is advancing faster than most can keep up, two of the foundations of advertising are still as relevant as ever. Campaigns that prioritise contextually relevant advertising to engaged audiences are proving their value and, with two in three people in the UK claiming they are sports fans, the opportunity to engage fans across the sporting landscape is huge.
As well as access to engaged fans in sporting environments, brands that can tap into these properties through sponsorship are uniquely positioned to take even better advantage of alternative targeting through contracted rights, IP-access and the global reach of rights holders.
IP-Inclusivity and Contextual Relevance
Most ads are remarkably forgettable. Exclusive access to the IP offered by premium rights holders to sponsors can change this.
System1 and Fuse’s The Sports Dividend research explains that among sports fans, brand ads that feature sports in the creative are more likely to contribute to long-term brand health, drive short-term sales performance and viewers are more likely to feel emotions like happiness more strongly.
With creative that achieves stronger results and makes consumers feel happier, contextual alignment is the next step. Research shows that ads get twice as much attention when placed in top rated / the most relevant contexts.
This means when compared to a standard ad in a standard context, IP-inclusive ads in relevant contextual environments can be twice as effective at long term brand building among relevant sport loving audiences. For example, an ad starring Tom Daley aligned with Olympics content or one with Virgil van Dijk aligned to football news will double its effectiveness compared to ads without IP in irrelevant contexts.
While leaning on contextual placements in an age of data and tracking might seem counterintuitive, for sponsors who have IP-access, content amplified with a media partner, or with AI-powered contextual targeting, produces results that are clear.
All of this is done without using any audience targeting at all. Imagine what could be achieved when privacy compliant first-party audiences are overlayed.
Privacy compliant first-party data sharing
Gone are the days when sponsors are content with simply placing a logo on a shirt or LED board and calling it a day. As well as the key role that sponsorship plays in shifting brand metrics, the ability to identify current or potential customers and serve them IP-inclusive, contextually relevant creative can improve performance further.
The most accurate way to do this is using a data clean room, a tool used to match datasets from different parties in a secure and privacy compliant way. Using a data clean room, first-party data from the rights holder can be overlayed with first or second-party data from the sponsor, meaning brands can securely identify current or potential customers who are already engaged with a rights holder and therefore are more likely to engage with branded sponsorship content.
While many rights holders are still in the early stages of developing a project that requires significant investment and a mature data strategy, Manchester City is showing it is not just ahead on the pitch, but also when it comes to driving value for its sponsors.
Following the launch of the Nissan Ariya, Nissan released its ‘Be More Pep’ campaign, encouraging people to follow in the steps of City’s iconic manager, from fashion to haircuts and ultimately, to the electric Nissan he’s seen driving around Manchester.
Using a data clean room, Manchester City’s first-party data segments were matched with second-party signals, creating an audience of “Man City fans who are environmentally conscious and interested in electric vehicles”. The segment was then tested against the “Ad Platform ‘EV Intender’ Audience” with the matched dataset resulting in significantly higher engagement for Nissan, recording 52% higher VCR and 43% longer average watch time.
While engagement metrics in a nondescript ad buying platform are not necessarily an indicator of bottom-line success, they do suggest that this relatively new strategy in the sponsorship industry has massive potential.
The next challenge for the world of sponsorship will be to reach data sharing standards expected by the rest of the industry. These are twofold – on the one hand, rights holders need to highlight the value their data can bring to sponsors, building clear audience segments and data sharing projects that sponsors can confidently buy into and activate. On the other, sponsors need to ensure their internal data-strategy includes an acknowledgement of the possibility of activating the sponsors’ data.
As these products evolve, there will be more pressure on rights holders to define and identify signals more accurately. This will help sponsors use their rights for more middle and lower-funnel tactics, highlighting sponsorship as a truly through-the-line channel able to drive more than just impressions and 30 second equivalents.
The case for better metrics
Across digital media, the success of sponsorship properties has largely sat with vanity media metrics like impressions, engagement or clicks, often driving to irrelevant landing pages too focused on the sponsor and not linked to the sponsorship. But, with opportunities to analyse more signals than ever with AI, using legacy digital metrics like impressions or viewability cannot show the real value of sponsorship.
Playground xyz’s Attention Time is a human-led, AI scaled metric measuring the length of time that an ad is looked at – it is 7.5x more important in determining awareness, and 5.9x more important in determining recall than viewability. While clicks can be sparse and conversions even more so, Attention Time is proving to be one of the most reliable metrics that we have to measure the effectiveness of sponsorship ads.
While Playground xyz is only one example of an ever-growing list of companies measuring attention and similar metrics (all with varying methodologies), exploring and testing new metrics is going to be vital in accurately optimising properties over the course of a campaign, season or cycle.
While the sunset of the third-party cookie is further away than ever, privacy savvy consumers and increasingly unreliable targeting suggest that reliance on this outdated technology is leading to less efficient advertising and losses for brands.
However, brands that have invested in sponsorship are increasingly finding value goes beyond impressions and time on screen. Access to IP inclusive assets, when served in relevant contexts, can result in significant boosts to long- and short-term brand metrics, and access to first-party rights holder data can then further help to reach efficiencies in campaigns. When complemented by more advanced performance metrics, the strength of alternative targeting solutions speak for themselves.
All without the crumb of a cookie in sight.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
My journey into sponsorship began in an extraordinary setting — the Sahara Desert — where I worked on the Festival au Désert near Timbuktu, a music festival centred around the Tuareg tribe. My role there was to secure sponsorship for the music production, and then heading onsite to film the festival. I then went onto work in big PR events, working on projects like Vodafone Lifesavers and HSBC Startup Stars, which further deepened my exposure to sponsorship.
At just 26, I joined Vodafone’s global sponsorship team, working on partnerships with Ferrari, Manchester United, and later McLaren F1 and UEFA Champions League. It was an incredible experience, activating across 100 markets and working with one of the world’s biggest brands.
From there, I moved to RBS, expecting a major sponsorship role — only to arrive during the financial crisis! It was a rollercoaster moment, but also the most informative 18 months of my career. In times of crisis, like the financial crash or COVID, you learn a lot on how to navigate through disruption. It was challenging but exciting.
Finally, in 2010, David Pinnington, the founder of Fuse, gave me a call and said that he had set up a sports division and asked if I fancied a challenge. I said yes — and here I am now!
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Disruptive doesn’t always have to equal groundbreaking. A successful business leader is one that can authentically leverage untapped opportunities to do better and be better. For example, we always think global — how can we make a difference and disrupt the sports marketing industry in other regions? We are currently expanding our international remit to countries where there is huge potential for brands to capitalise on the growing sport sponsorship market. Having just launched in Spain, India and Brazil, we have our sights set on new offices across the globe.
As a business we are also developing more sophisticated measurement tools to help brands and rights holders understand the true effectiveness and value of sport sponsorship. Over the last couple of years, we have worked closely with creative effectiveness agency System1 to coin a new term that we call the ‘Sport Dividend.’ This is best described as a rigorous set of principles that can help brands unlock growth amongst both sport and broad audiences. If done properly, sport sponsorship can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best advertising.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Every single human being makes mistakes — they’re inevitable. But they really allow for opportunities for growth and learning. I believe that when you make a mistake, you have got to acknowledge it and own it and then move forward from it as quickly as possible. The quicker you can learn from it and adapt, the more resilient you become.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
It’s no secret that the most successful individuals have had support along the way — I strongly believe in the value of mentors and the guidance they provide.
One of my first mentors was David Pinnington, who was an incredible boss and friend. As a female within this industry, he instilled in me this steadfast belief that I could do anything I set my mind to. His total confidence in my abilities was so refreshing and his positive attitude and ability to see the best in any situation made you feel like you could conquer the world. When people tell me I can’t do something, I channel my inner ‘David Pinnington’ and the belief that you can achieve anything.
Philippa Brown was someone I also saw as a mentor and had a significant influence on my career. She helped shift my mindset from being a director of sponsorship to thinking like a true business woman and leader. Philippa taught me that it’s not just about sports; it’s about business. She encouraged me to develop the gravitas and strategic mindset that are essential for women in leadership roles.
Finally, my brother has been an incredibly important figure throughout my life. His entrepreneurial spirit and pragmatic approach have always helped me navigate challenges. He taught me how to approach complex issues by breaking them down and simplifying them which has changed the way I view and solve problems.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
The phrase often goes: “be disruptive or be disrupted.” But, despite this mantra, disruption can still carry a negative connotation, particularly it if evokes feelings of chaos and uncertainty, alienates people, or fails to address an essential industry challenge.
Innovation is often a word used alongside disruption. But while innovation makes mere improvements to a product or service, disruption fundamentally changes how an industry operates. And it isn’t just about a quirky piece of creative that is plastered loud and proud online to generate a short-lived buzz, disruption can be quiet. It sits at the heart of culture and makes a difference over the long-term.
The female sports landscape has seen some disruption already from brands, sports clubs and media. For example, the WNBA agreed a ground-breaking $2.2 billion broadcast deal over 11 years with NBC, Disney and Amazon which is worth more than three times its previous cycle. Barclays has recently made history in the UK with their record investment in women’s domestic football. The investment gives a greater platform to the sport with an inevitable knock-on effect on fandom.
But the female sports market is still ripe for disruption — in terms of how it’s marketed, sponsored, invested in and broadcast, but also in terms of its overarching narrative — moving beyond the parity story into creative storytelling.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Throughout my career, I was always told the cricket expression, ‘Play everything with a straight bat’. I’ve always found this to be so powerful and implement this within my personal and professional life. It means to approach things with honesty and decency. People always appreciate transparency and authenticity, and I’ve found it builds long-lasting trust with my clients and team.
Another piece of advice I’ve received is to always trust your intuition. Our gut instinct is an incredibly powerful tool. In my experience, 9 times out of 10, that inner voice is right. Listening to it has consistently guided me to make better, more confident decisions. It’s about trusting that you have the insight and capability to navigate challenges and seize opportunities with that true belief in yourself.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Fuse is driving global expansion rapidly, with numerous new markets set to open in the coming years. This growth represents an incredible opportunity for us to and deepen our impact across the globe and really stay ahead of the curve within our industry. With the launch of our new global proposition, ‘Culturally Connected, Seriously Effective’, we’re committed to making it a driving force to ensure our clients feel more connected to culture than ever and further enhancing our capabilities to ensure we generate effective results for our clients. Alongside this, Fuse Ignite will be launched, which will be our future-facing, modern consultancy for rightsholders, with transparency at the heart of it — ensuring clarity and trust in every step of the process.
On a personal note, I’m also working on an exciting project focused on women’s health — a cause that is incredibly important to me. So, watch this space!
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
It’s no secret that female leaders still face bias in the workplace, among a myriad of other stereotypes — from leadership style to women’s health. Starting with a career in finance and then becoming one of few female CEOs in the sports marketing industry, tackling some of these has been a real challenge for me.
One of the oldest and most persistent gender stereotypes is that women are too emotional. They are perceived as less fit to make disruptive decisions because these are more likely to be irrational and emotion driven. When compared to men, female leaders are said to be less comfortable in asserting their authority, rebelling or inciting long-term change.
But he who shouts the loudest shouldn’t just be heard. Disruption isn’t about being bossy and bold, it’s about being smart. It’s about being collaborative with your team and the industry in which you sit in. And because women are socialised to put others’ needs before their own, they are more likely to be thinking strategically with emotional awareness — two key ingredients for successful disruption.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
One book that resonated with me is Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership by Nancy Koehn.
I feel like as a leader, I’ve dealt with a period of turbulence — from Covid to the geopolitical issues in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. In today’s world, leadership requires you to constantly adapt, not only within the business world but also on a broader, macro-geographical scale. While the leaders in the book may come from a different time, there’s learnings in there that are still so relevant today; how to show up for your people, manage crises, and communicate with clarity and integrity.
As we move forward, yes, we ourselves as leaders should be disruptive, but we will face disruption constantly, and so this book made me think about how we need to adapt our leadership approaches to stay agile and resilient in the face of constant change.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
As a female leader, one core thing for me is ensuring equal pay for women across all sectors. The gender pay gap is a systemic issue that continues to go on and I truly believe it’s essential that we tackle it comprehensively — not just at the senior leadership level, but across all roles. Women should feel values for their contributions and unfortunately, this is an issue that often gets de-prioritised, particularly by government bodies but this needs more focus and requires serious conversations about how to close the gender pay gap once and for all.
I also feel that women’s health often gets sidelined, and I would like to raise awareness about our health issues and its impact, not just later in life, but at every stage of it. By having these conversations and driving real change, we can empower women to take charge of their health, feel supported in their careers, and ensure equality across all areas of life.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Just one word — ‘Onwards.’
This was David Pinnington’s response to any news — whether good or bad. This approach is deep-rooted within our heritage and our ethos and has shaped our values. It taught me to always look forward and embrace what was ahead with positivity. Resilience in the face of adversity.
This is at the heart of our agency and is key to achieving continued growth and success.
Sports marketing continues to play a diverse and increasingly important role in the marketing mix for brands. And for many reasons. It serves as a launchpad for brands seeking to enter new markets by capitalising on major events across the globe that command mass audiences. It’s a signal of a brand’s stature and prominence re-enforcing trust and credibility and a way for brands across all industries to build loyalty because they are involved in the very events that drive passion and reunite and connect us.
From an advertising perspective, media fragmentation is causing more and more brands to look at sport as one of the last remaining platforms to connect with audiences en masse. People instinctively know sport is important but now it is indisputable – just look at the impact of the most recent Euros on the UK advertising market – a 9 per cent growth in TV ad spend in Q2 2024, the strongest quarter for TV in over two years.
Globally, investment will continue to grow as history shows the sector is extremely resilient to challenging economic headwinds. Beyond the overall growth story, we’ll see other trends emerging in sports marketing in 2025, some of which mirror wider advertising and business trajectories.
The retail media boom is reshaping how sports marketers connect with fans, offering dynamic opportunities for brand activation. By blending e-commerce and fan engagement, retail media provides a direct path to consumers, creating moments where shopping meets sports.
Brands that integrate commerce strategies into sponsorships or athlete partnerships will stay ahead, driving ROI while building deeper audience connections. As retail media scales globally, sports marketing professionals must explore creative ways to tie sales and storytelling together.
This trend isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the future of sports-related consumer engagement, providing brands with both measurable results and meaningful fan relationships.
In 2025, digital ad spend will shape the sports marketing landscape, demanding that brands adopt cutting-edge strategies to engage fans. With AI-driven insights, dynamic ad placements, and cross-channel personalisation, sports marketers can unlock new levels of engagement. Social platforms and programmatic advertising are no longer optional but critical, as fans increasingly consume sports content digitally.
Brands must pivot towards data-driven storytelling, aligning ad spend with fan behaviour and expectations. Staying relevant in this space requires innovation and speed, offering immersive ad experiences that resonate with evolving audiences. In sports marketing, digital is not just part of the strategy – it is the strategy.
One of the biggest advantages of digital is the ability to measure the ROI of campaigns with precision. Metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and time spent engaging with content provide clear insights into what works. This enables sports marketers to optimise campaigns in real time, ensuring maximum impact.
Brands can now track the journey from fan interaction to purchase, creating a seamless loop that drives both engagement and revenue.
Artificial intelligence is moving from test-and-learn pilots to real-world deployment, transforming how sports brands engage fans in 2025. AI-driven tools enable hyper-personalised fan experiences, from curated content to predictive merchandising, but with great power comes ethical responsibility.
Sports marketers must balance innovation with transparency, ensuring fan data is used responsibly. Whether through chatbots, real-time analytics, or automated ad targeting, AI’s potential is immense, but so are its risks. As this technology matures, ethical frameworks will determine success. Brands that embrace AI strategically while respecting consumer trust will redefine the future of fan and brand activation in sports marketing.
As India is set to become the third biggest global economy, growing faster than any other emerging market, we expect to see brands from the region taking key positions within global sports platforms.
China is already ahead of the game having become active in sports marketing for a number of years, but last year’s Euros demonstrated how they are providing strong competition for limited spaces across major sport platforms. For example, five out of 13 of Euro 2024’s official global sponsors were from China, including key sectors like electric vehicles (BYD), which took many established manufacturers by surprise, and e-commerce (Ali Express). Alibaba also joined the Olympic Partner programme in 2017 and recently extended its partnership through to 2028.
Women’s sport has seen unprecedented growth, yet brands must now go beyond words and significantly invest in this space. From grassroots initiatives to professional leagues, untapped potential for sponsorship, storytelling, and merchandise lies ahead.
As audiences grow and media coverage expands, the call for authentic support is louder than ever. Token gestures won’t cut it—brands must integrate women’s sport into broader strategies and commit to long-term partnerships. While women’s football has seen significant media attention and commitment from brands including record investment from Barclays in particular, other sports are yet to benefit. 2025 is the year to act, with early adopters set to benefit from heightened visibility, audience loyalty, and meaningful social impact. Women’s sport isn’t a side project; it’s a movement.
When Bet365 announced its sponsorship of pan-European soccer’s UEFA Champions League for the 2024-27 cycle, was it a surprise? Not really. The sports betting sector is dominating the global sporting scene, with recent research revealing 26 out of 100 competitions around the world are sponsored by companies in the industry.
Sponsorship of England’s top soccer clubs by betting companies has grown over 1,000% in two decades, with at least 42 different betting companies sponsoring English Premier League teams over the years. And still, nearly half of clubs in the league have front-of-shirt sponsorships from gambling brands, despite a very public ban on those deals coming into effect in 2026-27.
While many other industries are pivoting their business and partnership strategies away from sectors like betting, soccer is still scoring big. With a need to drive bottom-line revenue and rights holders looking to sell increased commercial inventory resulting from new competition formats and additional matches, it’s hard to ignore the millions in revenue these companies generate every year.
But as regulatory changes loom, it is time for brands and rights holders to “hedge their bets” when it comes to how and with whom they do business, as they pave the way for a new era of football sponsorship.
What’s changing in sport sponsorship
Change is already underway, having impacted the esports/gaming field, where digital and online safety regulations are coming to the fore. There is a greater emphasis on and regulations around targeting younger people. For example, if more than 70% of an audience is under 18, betting brands can’t use social media influencers or footballers as ambassadors.
And, most significantly for the EPL, there is the forthcoming voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsors from the 2026-27 season.
Not surprisingly, rights holders are pushing to maximize revenue ahead of major changes to gambling regulations in the UK and across Europe. And why wouldn’t they?
Major football tournaments attract huge global audiences which means significant global brand exposure and media value – a reason why Bet365 has signed as the global partner for the UEFA Champions League and Betano for the UEFA Europa League, and this summer’s Euros.
While the front-of-shirt sponsorship ban for Premier League clubs is a definite blow, there are still many lucrative options on the table. Betting brands are rushing to sign deals now to capitalize on the opportunity in the last couple of seasons of being a front-of-shirt sponsor.
However, the ban only applies to front-of-shirt sponsorships so other premium sponsorships such as sleeve and training wear will still be available. This is a good time to lock in a sleeve or other primary partnership packages before they start to rise in price as betting brands look to spend their sponsorship budgets on alternative assets once the ban comes into place. It’s also worth noting that the ban only applies to the Premier League clubs, not those in the second-tier Championship, which is still home to teams with loyal fanbases and a storied history.
How the industry is responding to change: The role of tech and data
It’s not just IRL shirts and merchandise where gambling brands and rights holders are responding to change. Increasingly, the role of tech will ensure that rights holders can maximize their assets while still staying on the right side of regulations. There will be more pitch-side virtual advertising to address pan-European or global betting regulations.
Currently, Bet365 perimeter boards still appear on TV in the UK, even when the match is being played in a market where gambling advertising is banned. This tech advancement is benefiting other sponsors too who are looking to geo-target the promotion of distinct products or services in specific markets.
Rights holders who continue to invest in better targeting capabilities to ensure they are compliant with regulations can be sure of their assets selling.
Tapping into other advertising inventory
With greater regulation and scrutiny of the industry, we will see a continuing increase in spending for other advertising inventory around football.
Where the promotion of a betting brand is prohibited, surrogate brands and advertising will continue to flourish. These can either retarget fans with betting messages in line with regulation, such as Bet365scores in Italy, or Entain Foundation when BWIN was the official sponsor of the UEFA Europa League can be used to reinforce brand messages without explicitly saying ‘buy me’ or ‘bet now.’
Likely as a result of regulatory changes, there is still significant investment being put behind responsible gambling messaging, with the likes of Sky Bet using playoff inventory to promote grassroots activation and responsible gambling.
For rights holders concerned about the sponsorship tap being turned off around betting, there are emerging and growing new categories to plug any gaps in their sponsorship portfolio.
One of those sectors is crypto, with the likes of Kraken sponsoring Spurs among others, and fan token platform Socios signing a $20 million deal with Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi to be their brand ambassador and offering token holders matchday tickets and merchandise. Deals, such as that with Messi, open up new opportunities with older talent and are becoming more prevalent in the legends’ space.
There will also be a continuing upsurge of interest in brands from the Middle East (Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup) and China as we saw with the 2024 Euros where five of the 13 global sponsors were Chinese companies.
So, while brands and rights holders need to get match fit for regulatory changes, they can be confident that for any gaps in their sponsorship line-up, there is a squad of super subs on the bench warming up and ready to score lucrative and imaginative deals.
Artificial intelligence was the undisputed star of this year’s CES, the world’s most powerful tech event. It was the thread connecting thousands of innovative products on display with the insights shared during the five-day speaker sessions. From sport and fitness gadgets that adapt to your body to AI’s transformative role in sports broadcasting, the event showcased how AI is reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace.
From participating on stage, to networking among the experts, here are my key takeaways on the impact of tech and AI on the future of sport.
Personalization leads the way in sport and fitness tech
On the CES show floor, the standout theme was personalization. It is no longer sufficient for devices to merely track data; they must now transform that data into actionable insights. Whether it’s a smartwatch urging you to push harder or a golf club correcting your swing, sport and fitness technology is increasingly intelligent. So, the question looms: Are personal trainers and instructors becoming obsolete?
Two CES 2025 Innovation Award honoree winners encapsulated this shift toward personalization. Touted as the world’s first AI-powered intelligent golf club, G-Grip does more than track your swing — it analyses it in detail. By measuring speed, angle, and grip pressure, the club delivers instant feedback through an intuitive app. This includes video overlays and tips to refine your technique, making it ideal for golfers of all skill levels.
Meanwhile, combining a 3D body-scanning device with AI, Bodydot creates a digital musculoskeletal avatar of its user. This enables hyper-personalized workout routines and progress visualization, helping users achieve their fitness goals more effectively.
Other notable innovations included:
Additionally, the rise of at-home health testing solutions was evident, offering AI-powered insights into metrics like blood glucose, stress levels, and fertility.
The AI revolution in sports broadcasting and fan experience
While the exhibition floor offered glimpses into AI’s practical applications, the speaker sessions explored its transformative potential across the sports industry. AI is reshaping how games are produced, consumed, and monetized, with profound implications for fans, brands and broadcasters.
AI has become a cornerstone of sports broadcasting, from augmenting live coverage to personalizing viewer experiences. We saw this manifest in several ways. Prime Video and ESPN+ use AI for real-time player stats, prediction overlays and custom content libraries. It can also be used for reviving the broadcasting archives. AI tools upscale historic footage, breathing new life into old content and creating fresh monetization opportunities. And then there are the significant production efficiencies — by automating mundane tasks, AI frees creative teams to focus on crafting compelling narratives for fans.
And for the gambling companies — an adjacent sector to the sports business — AI-driven systems enable real-time, in-play bets, heightening engagement for gamblers as games unfold, introducing previously impossible levels of interaction.
AI is revolutionizing sports infrastructure. Stadiums now employ AI for crowd management, facial recognition at entry points, and queue monitoring. Dynamic ticket pricing optimizes attendance while improving fan satisfaction while on-site experiences are increasingly interactive, with AI offering personalized content and services to attendees.
For fans, AI promises a more immersive and personalized sports experience. As sports is an increasingly global industry, its role in breaking language barriers is critical. AI localization tools make content accessible in multiple languages, broadening global appeal. Meanwhile, customized content means fans can tailor their viewing preferences, whether it’s following a specific player or team. AI is democratizing sports consumption, allowing broadcasters to cater to diverse audiences and ensure reach and inclusion.
New horizons for brands and athletes
Digital personas are changing the landscape of fan interaction. Hyper-realistic avatars and deepfake technology allow athletes to engage with fans across traditional and digital platforms, including the metaverse.
However, the integration of AI raises ethical and legal questions around intellectual property. For instance, who owns the likeness or voice of an athlete when AI generates their digital persona? Brands must tread carefully to avoid misrepresentation or misalignment.
Looking ahead
Despite its transformative potential showcased at CES in Las Vegas, AI adoption in sports remains slow. According to the PWC Sports Survey 2024, 59% of global sports executives lack a formal AI strategy. This hesitation underscores the need for education and collaboration to harness AI responsibly.
Agencies should partner with sports lawyers to address concerns around IP rights and ethical use, empowering brands and athletes to innovate confidently and ensure that AI solutions enhance the fan experience without devolving into gimmicks.
CES is less a map and more a compass, pointing to trends that will define the future. This year, the signal was clear: AI is no longer an emerging technology — it is a fundamental force shaping the next generation of innovation in sports and gaming.
Advertising Week: Beyond the Buzz: What Needs to Change in the Industry by Next International Women’s Day
Conway states, ‘There are many areas the industry could improve between this IWD and the next, however, a change in work-life balance expectations is an area that would make the working week easier for women both in and out of the office.
Women often face societal expectations to prioritise family and caregiving duties, which can clash with the demanding nature of some roles in agencies, especially client-facing roles. The lack of flexible working hours or remote work options can make these industries seem less accessible to women.
By offering flexible work arrangements, such as shared maternity/paternity leave, return to work support and creating a culture where work-life balance is valued, handling the pressures of personal and professional life is in the hands of women. Ensuring that career progression is not hindered by caregiving responsibilities.’
Creativepool: Talking Heads: Overcoming the hurdles preventing creative women from making it into the boardroom #IWD2025
Conway states, ‘Balancing high-pressure roles with family responsibilities remains a challenge, particularly for women. This makes flexible working, shared parental leave and a genuine commitment to work-life balance essential.
Networking is another barrier. While men have long leveraged their networks, women don’t always do the same. Mentorship programs like WACL, Bloom, and Omniwomen and Allies help bridge this gap, connecting women with invaluable support and opportunities.
Unconscious bias still holds women back, particularly in male-dominated industries like sports marketing and finance. Even AI adoption reflects this, with men leading the charge – embedding gender bias into its very fabric. To break these cycles, we need more representation, more voices at the table, allyship from male colleagues to support change, and a relentless push to challenge outdated norms.’
Creative Brief: Supporting women through the messy middle of their careers
‘The industry has made strides in recent years in terms of career opportunities and progression for women. However, the “messy middle” of a woman’s career is an area often overlooked. It’s at this point where work pressures and personal responsibilities collide and where too many women step back or drop out altogether. Which not only hinders career progression but the industry as a whole suffers from a loss of talent.
As women often face societal expectations to prioritise family and caregiving duties, businesses need to be transparent and vocal on simple solutions that will support and encourage women to stay in the industry and not feel that personal and professional responsibilities have to be at odds with each other. These include flexible working, shared maternity/paternity leave and clear return to work support. Mentorship and sponsorship are just as important. Women need both other women and men in their corner—not just to offer advice, but to actively champion them for future opportunities. Networks like Omniwomen and Allies help women connect, share experiences, and push each other forward.
Continuing to demonstrate pathways to the boardroom by offering women to take on commercial, revenue-driving roles is also key. Ambition is fueled by achievable targets and demonstrating the potential to thrive, lean and progress will be crucial to retaining women in the industry.’
Sport & Entertainment partnerships that are changing the game in advertising.
The world of advertising is constantly shifting, and right now, the most exciting campaigns are coming from the most unexpected places — particularly from the world of sport, culture and entertainment. It’s no longer just about placing a logo here or there; it’s about genuine, purpose-driven collaborations that tap into something deeper, something more aligned with both a brand’s values and the energy of the sport or cultural phenomenon they’re partnering with.
In the last 18 months, we’ve seen some truly game-changing partnerships that have reshaped how brands are engaging with audiences on a global scale through sport and entertainment. Here are a few standout campaigns that prove how much more is possible when brands get it right.
PepsiCo & The NFL – ‘This Is the Pepsi’
For my first ad, I had to pick Pepsi’s ‘This Is the Pepsi’ campaign. Why? It showcases Pepsi’s long-standing relationship with the NFL hitting a new level – bringing together the electric worlds of Beyoncé and NFL stars. The ad wasn’t just about football — it was about culture.
The Super Bowl isn’t just a sporting event, it’s a global spectacle. And Pepsi used that moment not just to market a product, but to create a conversation. By blending sports and entertainment, Pepsi didn’t just capture an audience, they engaged a culture. It’s proof that sponsorship can be so much more when it aligns with both sport and the broader cultural zeitgeist.
Puma & Usain Bolt – ‘Faster Than Sound’
Puma’s partnership with Usain Bolt has been a match made in advertising heaven. The ‘Faster Than Sound’ campaign wasn’t just about speed; it was a statement.
Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, perfectly embodied Puma’s brand message of performance and precision. Bolt’s global legacy helped Puma speak to an audience far beyond the world of athletics, tapping into the wider cultural conversation around speed, excellence, and determination. This collaboration is a brilliant example of how aligning with the right cultural icon can elevate a brand to truly global impact.
Adidas & FC Barcelona – ‘Impossible Is Nothing’
It’s not just about individual icons. Adidas and FC Barcelona’s partnership shows the value of powerful messaging. Limits are meant to be broken. That’s the keystone of this campaign, and by partnering with one of the world’s most iconic football clubs, Adidas could tap into a global fanbase and shout from the rooftops about ambition, unity, and overcoming obstacles.
It’s great because it’s more than just aligning with a team. For Adidas, it was about creating a movement that spoke to anyone who believes that nothing is impossible.
Visa & The Women’s World Cup – ‘One of Us’ World Cup 2023
The growth in women’s sports has also championed in an era of powerful advertising. Visa’s campaign for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup wasn’t just an advertisement — it was a statement. With ‘One of Us,’ Visa celebrated female athletes who have fought for equality in sport, putting their strength, resilience, and dedication centre stage.
It’s made my list because it’s meant to inspire, and in my eyes it does. It gives a platform to discuss issues in global sport, empowering women and helping them take their rightful place on the global stage. Visa’s support of the Women’s World Cup wasn’t just about visibility; it was about driving change, pushing for more recognition and more opportunities for women..
Adidas & The FIFA World Cup – ‘The World Is Ours’ 2023
And finally, a campaign that brings it all together! Adidas has once again shown how to perfectly marry global sport with meaningful brand messaging. The ‘The World Is Ours’ campaign for the 2024 FIFA Women’s World Cup not only tapped into the energy and global reach of football but reinforced Adidas’ commitment to gender equality.
The campaign was as much about football as it was about the world-changing power of sport — showcasing women’s football as more than just a growing trend but as a force to be reckoned with. Adidas took a bold step in making sure the tournament didn’t just feel global — it felt inclusive and empowering.
These partnerships are more than just ad campaigns — they’re cultural touchstones. They represent the power of aligning a brand with not just sport, but the culture that surrounds it. When brands collaborate with the right cultural figures, sports teams or global events, they don’t just amplify their message — they create movements that shift the way we think about advertising. It’s not just about products any more; it’s about values, impact and connection.
Danielle Barwick, Group Director of Fuse, states, ‘WRWC 2025 is well-positioned for success. The increasing competitiveness of teams, growth in audiences and rising performance standards have made women’s rugby more commercially attractive. With record-breaking attendance in 2022 and an expanded 16-team format, the tournament has a strong foundation.
Major brands like Mastercard, DHL, and Capgemini already support World Rugby, and further investment from industries beyond sport – such as finance, tech and FMCG – could boost the tournament’s commercial impact. However, for sponsorship to be truly effective, brands must allocate significant activation budgets to create high-impact, bespoke campaigns. While rugby’s venue distribution across the UK may present challenges for large-scale activations, creative approaches can overcome this.
Broadcast deals and media rights will also be crucial. Prime-time coverage, consistent programming and high production values will enhance sponsor visibility and ensure strong ROI. Additionally, the rise in player and team endorsements will drive personal brand equity, further elevating the sport. The ultimate test will be whether investment remains strong post-tournament.’
Louise states, ‘Formula 1 has long been synonymous with premium audiences, backed by luxury, automotive, and B2B brands, like Rolex and Mercedes. Traditionally, its fanbase skewed older and male, but since 2017, under Liberty Media’s ownership, the sport has undergone a cultural shift. F1 is now using entertainment to engage new audiences, such as the F175 car launch at The O2, blending motorsport with music and comedy, and June’s Brad Pitt-led F1 movie.
Netflix’s Drive to Survive has also been a game-changer, fuelling a cultural renaissance that has opened F1 up to a whole new audience. But the sport’s digital-first approach, giving drivers more direct fan access through social media and gaming, has been just as transformative.
There’s also been a clear effort to boost female representation, from engineers and presenters to the F1 Academy. And with around 40% of F1’s fanbase now women, we’re seeing the likes of LVMH’s landmark 10-year deal and Charlotte Tilbury’s sponsorship of the F1 Academy cementing sport as the ultimate runway for luxury and beauty brands.
But it’s not just luxury labels. Mainstream consumer brands—KitKat, Lego, McDonald’s and Hot Wheels—are all getting involved, recognising F1’s power to drive engagement with the next-gen fan. Does this mean F1 is losing its premium sheen? Far from it. Instead, it’s evolving to remain relevant, seamlessly aligning itself with the cultural shifts shaping modern fandom.’
“On social media, the shape of the tennis court from the main TV angles does not lend itself neatly to short form 1080 x 1920 reels or stories, and the stars, as a rule, haven’t wholeheartedly bought into the medium,” said James Tollington, Group Director of global sports marketing agency, Fuse.
“For these reasons, the ATP’s announcement with Overtime would seem to make sense – particularly if it produces socially native content that matches the quality of some its biggest content successes.”
“The WTA will no doubt be watching the output closely, and the ATP will be doing the same with the WTA’s rebrand. The design is perhaps not as game-changing in the Gen Z space as the Overtime deal for the moment, but it will have been created with Gen Z in mind and will look to build on some promising 2024 numbers that saw the WTA’s social following increase by 25%,” said Tollington.
