Dive Brief:
- Sportswear e-commerce retailer Fanatics will debut its first national ad campaign during the ESPY Awards on ESPN Wednesday.
- The ad campaign features three home videos from football fans showcasing their love for their favorite NFL team (and, in the case of a cute young boy, his knowledge of team logos), all branded with the tagline "Love never loses."
- The retailer is encouraging fans to submit user-generated videos that could be used in additional ads that will air in September.
Dive Insight:
While Fanatics runs Fanatics.com, FansEdge and the e-commerce operations for all major professional sports leagues in the country, the retailer has struggled to position itself as a top-of-mind brand with sports fans.
Fanatics CMO Chris Orton told the Wall Street Journal that this campaign was devised to do just that by creating an emotional bond with football fans. Orton declined to tell the Journal the specific cost of the push, only saying that it was a "multi-million" dollar campaign.
“Consumers have historically viewed us very tactically,” Orton told the Journal. “What we’ve been lacking is inspiration and celebration of how great it is to be a fan. We’ve always been in the background from a consumer’s expectation and experience.”
The use of user-generated content is a smart ploy, as it could help Fanatics position itself as one of the fans by reminding them how great it is to be part of a team, even if it's by cheering them on. Advertisers have been experimenting with this type of content marketing on social media in the last few years, engaging with Instagram celebrities and consumers alike to create brand advocates that are able to influence consumers more than brands often can.
"Gone are the days of million-dollar ad investments and one-directional marketing messages," Kim Celestre, senior director of product marketing at Jive Software, told Marketing Dive in December. "In 2016, user generated content will become more than just a buzzword, with organizations from large enterprises to ‘mom and pop’ small businesses seeking more effective and efficient ways to activate 'brand advocates.'"
