To many, commercials are annoying. With the rise of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming-providers, consumers' tolerance for commercials has dipped dramatically. We are inundated with advertisements through many platforms, and it is only getting more intense as content shifts to the digital space. Live sports programming is still attractive for advertisers because the amount of eyeballs on these games. Properties including Facebook Watch and Amazon Video are changing how we consume sports, along with documentaries and programming that now have far less commercials. (or so it seems) There is one space where advertisements seem to stick regardless of this change in advertising, and that's broadcast, specifically television. Fans still tune into games even if it is on a mobile device, and some of the same commercials on skinny bundles seem to appear, just more frequently. Ultimately, it gets back to advertising changing from what it used to be into something fresh, inspiring and telling a story.
Media companies with channels including ESPN and TNT will continue to have an immense amount of control and power on the advertisers that they work with on media placement and pricing. As previously noted, live sports is one type of programming that still draws a lot of eyeballs, meaning advertising can still be effective with mass audiences when done right. While typical commercials between games exists as a norm, advertisers will soon be forced to find ways to create native content that might appear as a five-minute spot in the beginning, middle or end of a show. This technique might be harder to accomplish because games run longer than traditional television shows that might run for 30 minutes, but the idea behind creating content that almost runs like a show itself might be the new norm for commercials. Advertisements are everywhere from transit and digital outdoor signage, our phones and social media and sponsored posts. That said, the types of advertising we have experienced has also changed and illustrate a seismic shift that is soon to happen. Sports brands, leagues and properties need to be aware of this shift and continue using social media as a destination spot versus starting point when creating traditional TV and radio spots. Bleacher Report does a good job of this, as its commercials are fit to drive people to use its main app and follow them on social media. Sure, it helps that Turner owns TNT and Bleacher Report, but the point still stands. The content Bleacher Report creates is less about buying or consuming sports and more about experiencing sports in a new way. Their commercial with Steve Nash talking about his love for soccer is simple, and drives people to check out Bleacher Report Football. Even if someone did not look this information up, they could potentially still recall it in a clutter of ads. Bleacher Report was not doing anything out of the ordinary with this strategy, but instead used a well-known athlete to tell its story and tied it to a product. Sports is typically experienced-based, but even with its tangible products leagues can tie it into a story and create a narrative that resonates. ​Complex is another brand I can think of that highlighted its football series pretty well. While I have not watched it yet, the storytelling of this high school football team's season is one that sticks with me. I have even added it to my list of shows to watch as well. While it is much easier to digest a show for consumption than a material product that you have seen repeatedly, the mere fact that commercials are turning more into stories, especially for sports brands and related lifestyle properties, highlight this shift in advertising and how companies are developing advertisements. Selling Coca-Cola in 1980 might have been easier to do with linear advertising platforms, but now there is much more competition for attention, leading me to believe that advertising must now be interactive and use consumers' connectivity to social media as a way to drive engagement.