Weekly News 11/8
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Growing Your Fan Base Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
On Sunday, over 50,000 runners lined up at the starting blocks for the New York City Marathon, bringing the marathon back to full capacity for the first time since 2019. The race attracts runners from all over the world and has grown tremendously since its founding in 1970 when there were only 127 registrants.
When we analyze the spending behavior of the running community, we see some distinct differences between the cadence of first purchases.
There are common patterns of seasonality, but the seasons themselves vary. First-time runners typically join the community around December, likely following suit with holiday shopping and new year resolutions.
*Our data comes from a random panel of 10 million credit & debit card holders in the United States. Transactions portrayed here are from 1/1/2017 through 11/4/2022.
In other fan communities, “new fans” show up at the start of their respective seasons. For example, new baseball fans show up first around April and May of each year -- with a small additional bump likely connected to holiday merchandise shopping. American football fans often show two peaks more evenly, happening in September and then again in December. This second peak for new football fans is more pronounced than the second one for baseball. Why? Well, in December, football is still in season, so the possibilities of football-related purchases expands to splurging on other types of gifts to include tickets and concessions -- and non-gifts for those bandwagon fans jumping into a playoff team’s community.
For all of these communities, the question all properties face is, “How to acquire new fans more consistently throughout the year?” Analyzing the channels where these communities watch, the brands from which they purchase, and the leagues they have affinities for can all help unlock fan acquisition strategies that encourage 365 days a year fandom. After all, revenue growth is a marathon…not a sprint.
If you're ready to create breakthrough fan experiences and connect with the Fluid Fan through technology, visit our website sportsilab.com or email info@sportsilab.com!