Weekly Newsletter 10/11
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INNOVATION IN ACTION
Happy (TacO)ctober To Baseball Fans⚾️🌮
Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs are fully underway and one of our favorite promotions is happening in a few weeks. Starting in 2007, Taco Bell and MLB partnered together during the World Series for a creative promotion: if a player successfully steals a base during the World Series, fans get to “steal a taco.” This is a brilliant marketing strategy that both enables baseball fans to be rewarded for watching and converts MLB fans to Taco Bell consumers. This encourages people who may not be fans of baseball to pay attention, even if only to redeem their points for free tacos.
So how successful is this partnership exactly? When we analyze the number of fans who spend at Taco Bell by month, October clearly takes the crown. Taco Bell is no stranger to sports partnerships, having deals with the National Basketball Association, College Football, MLB, and more. The data brings about an interesting question: where else can Taco Bell find valuable partnerships and execute effective promotions? We’ve identified two communities in particular where Taco Bell could pursue growth by combining these sponsorships and promotions: gaming and golf.
*Our data comes from a random panel of 10 million credit & debit card holders in the United States. Transactions portrayed here are from 1/1/2020 through 9/9/2022.
Earlier this year, Taco Bell India and Microsoft partnered together to give Taco Bell consumers a chance to win the Xbox Series S console and gaming passes. This partnership was specifically with cricketer Hardik Pandya as the face of the digital campaign to align global brands with a familiar face. Taco Bell also saw an opportunity with golf fans through a strategic move in 2018. By partnering with trick-shot sensation turned pro, Wesley Bryan, Taco Bell creatively placed themselves in front of a younger golf audience.
These examples across different markets are strategically similar to each other. They showcase Taco Bell’s willingness to explore non-intuitive channels to appeal to and acquire new customers through sports fandom and targeted celebrity recognition. While we see partnerships as a way to increase brand awareness, we believe leveraging these partnerships through promotions like the “Steal A Base, Steal A Taco," will help Taco Bell resonate with and understand their customers even further. By differentiating their strategy and demographics, Taco Bell can pinpoint which products & promotions work better with different sports fans, especially when the promotions are tied directly to specific events.
Companies that understand their customers’ habits are more likely to grow and evolve over the years. Taco Bell, through connecting with baseball, gaming, and other sports fans, is proving their understanding of the Fluid Fan. To learn more about the data behind the power of fan intelligence insights visit sportsilab.com.
HOT NEWS IN SPORT
A Week Of Beginnings: NHL Kicks Off and MLB & NWSL Playoffs Start
NHL
The NHL kicks off their regular season tonight - Oct 11, 2022 - with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the New York Rangers at 7:30 p.m. ET. Following that game, the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings will take the ice at 10 p.m. ET. While this is the start of the regular season in the US, the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks played on October 7th in Prague as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series. The reigning Stanley Cup Winners, the Colorado Avalanche, are kicking off their season tomorrow night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Capitals will also start their regular season tomorrow, hosting the Boston Bruins at 7pm ET.
MLB
Wednesday October 12th will also mark the second part of the postseason for the MLB. The Mets, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Rays were eliminated over the weekend in the Wild Card Series. The top two teams in the American League and the National League both received byes for the first round of playoffs, so their journeys to the World Series Start now. Tomorrow's matchups are Braves vs. Phillies, Astros vs. Mariners, Yankees vs. Guardians, and Dodgers vs. Padres.
NWSL
In their first ever NWSL Playoffs appearance, the Houston Dash will play the Kansas City Current at PNC Stadium for the first quarterfinal match this Sunday at 5 p.m ET. Following that, the San Diego Wave will play the Chicago Red Stars at 10 p.m. ET. The number one seeded OL Reign and number two seeded Portland Thorns have both earned byes, and will not play until the semifinals the following weekend. The NWSL Championship will be held at Audi Field in Washington D.C. on October 29th at 8 p.m. ET. Mark your calendars...
Sports Innovation Lab Events
Sports Innovation Lab's Women's Sports Highlights
Our Director of Product, Molly Tissenbaum, was recently featured in Zoomph's latest report "WNBA Pops In The Postseason." In this report, Zoomph analyzes the data behind the immense social media performance and fan engagement that was driven by the WNBA playoffs. Check out what Molly, the data, and several other experts have to say on this high-growth market by downloading the report here.
Additionally, our COO and Head of Advisory, Kerry Bradley, attended the USA vs. England matchup at Wembley Stadium this past Friday. The incredible turnout at this game, which brought in nearly 80k people, further proves our company's extensive research on women's sports and the massive market opportunity they hold. This match ended the USA's 13-game winning streak, with England coming out victorious in a 1-2 win.
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!