How often do you, as a viewer, notice brand endorsements while watching any sort of sports game? Maybe seeing those logos influenced your decision on what to purchase? Or perhaps they simply kept a brand top of mind and when you had to make a purchase decision you chose that with which you were familiar.
It’s no secret that the business of sports are fueled by advertising. So it makes sense that Global performance management company Nielsen has now acquired Repucom who is active in sports measurement, evaluation and intelligence and hopes to expand the sports research marketing portion of their business. Repucom already has over 1,700 clients around the globe that use their technology to “understand and evolve their assets in sports”.
Excited to announce that we have officially acquired @Repucom https://t.co/lyt6uT9rha
— Nielsen (@Nielsen) June 22, 2016
The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it was reported by one sports marketing publication to have been valued around $100 million.
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For those of you that don’t know Nielsen and what exactly it is they do, the company takes the time to study what consumers watch and buy to then give businesses insight as to how they should go about advertising their product or service.
Repucom does basically the same thing but for companies that wish to endorse their businesses in the sports and entertainment industries. With the acquisition, Nielsen now has access to Repucom’s sports research consulting service and brand awareness tracking product called Sport24. Sport24 is capable of taking in millions of hours of game footage and interviews all while automatically searching through the content for brand logos and images. This technology can now expand in what it can be used for, such as services like retail tracking which is studied through Nielsen Catalina Solutions.
“Sports is a galvanizing force that unites consumers, brands and advertisers, and the sports marketing economy continues to grow each year. Our acquisition of Repucom creates tremendous momentum for Nielsen. This combination of data and measurement capabilities strengthens our clients’ position in the market, increases campaign effectiveness and connects their brands with passionate sports fans,” said Howard Appelbaum, Nielsen’s Entertainment President.
One example of brands traking strides in sports endorsements is the recent plan the NBA has finalized to let brands sponsor team jerseys. Back in May, the Philadelphia 76ers had become the first team to sign a jersey sponsor. The sponsor, StubHub, will be allowed to have a 2½-by-2½-inch logo on the jerseys starting in the 2017-2018 season.
Nielsen has already been providing insight to numerous sports teams, leagues and brands, but with the help of Repucom, they will be able to match sponsorship data with the buyer intent and purchase data in hopes to provide their clients with new answers on how to make better business decisions.