Navigating Fan Engagement in the Age of Covid-19: Challenges and Innovations

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the world to shut down almost all outdoor activities leaving multiple industries all across the world facing unseen challenges. It has affected all verses and the sports industry has especially taken a huge hit: fans can’t enjoy a live match anymore since all the tournaments, matches, and even the Olympics have been cancelled for this year with only speculations as to whether it will be postponed even further. People associated with the sports ecosystem are figuring out ways to re-establish sport events somehow, however it’s next to impossible at least for now. Many questions are ahead of us, for example: Owners, broadcasters, and advertising agencies are trying to figure out how to manage fan engagement? Or how to fulfill fan expectations through different channels without calling them out in the stadiums?

We are unlikely to see any improvements with the current circumstances for quite some time which is troublesome since the sports industry has already suffered tremendous loss in revenue and retaining fan engagement will be a big challenge. A sigh of relief came just in time when top flight football recouped in the German Bundesliga. However, this can only occur after taking major precautions such as requiring matches to be held behind closed curtains leaving fans heartbroken.

Business-standard.com interviewed Jose Antonio, the head of Marketing for Spain's football association, on how empty stadiums affect the mindset of players and clubs as well as how fans in stadia affect a game of football? He noted that “Players are quite vocal; they like to play in front of fans. Fans are their lifeline. You cannot understand football without the fans — in terms of business or the game. The relationship between the fans and the game is so intense that when you’re a big fan and you go to a big match, you’re not only going to the stadium to witness the match, you’re going to the stadium to be part of the match to support the team. Fans are there in a healthy way, to intimidate opponents and support their team. The fan is an integral part of the game.”

Adapting to the New Normal: Strategies for Retaining Fan Engagement

Innovative methods are being taken into account in order to keep fans engaged. The NBA agreed to a multilayer, multifaceted deal with Microsoft allowing fans to enjoy NBA tournaments digitally. The National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams, set to move this summer into the new $5bn SoFi Stadium. These measures are A few examples of how fan expectations are being fulfilled without risking their health and life. However, the bigger question remains in pace: how do we solve this problem on a larger scale while keeping in consideration fan sentiments? It is imperative to hear how and what fans feel about all the changes. Capturing fan feedback is one of the most effective ways to resolve these issues without much effort. Sports agencies must consider feedback provided by fans in real time in order to improvise and improve their ways. They may be doing everything right and still end up overlooking most important factors that may effect fan sentiments.

Interacting with fans on a personal level by accepting their feedback will remain the best strategy of all times to deal with a situation similar to current one. Collecting feedback is collecting reliable data that is a surplus for building strategies and DT is enabling sports industries across the globe to gather information, engage with Fan sentiments in a simple and actionable manner. In addition, DropThought is providing you with data to review the powerful insights and reports. A recent Bain & Co study shows that companies that track their NPS (Net Promoter Score) “grow more than twice the rate as compared to their competitors.” The key is to create an actionable insight by understanding the “why” behind the ratings. You can track your NPS and help improve it over time. By using Dropthought Fan Experience Solutions you can:

1. Identify and track critical factors that drive fan satisfaction.

2. Increase Fan engagement

3. Use Fan's Feedback to realign strategies and priorities

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