The new ABX Sports Impact Index™ was introduced at the recent ANA Masters of Marketing Conference. The single-score Index, with 14 individual KPIs, empowers marketers to create and measure the impact of sports-related ads quickly and accurately. Among the insights shared by Gary Getto, president of ABX, the impact of women in sports advertising can generate up to 70% lift in creative effectiveness, especially among fans of women’s sports.
ABX developed the new Sports Impact Index through extensive research on sports-related ads vs. all “other” types of ads. The ad creative – not just for TV, but for all media types – came from the ABX ever-growing database of half-a-million+ evaluated ads. Meaningful insights on effective sports-related ads were seen across demographics, ethnicities, social sensitivities and geographies. And, they have been consistent when measured in 19 countries. In addition, the new index gauges the success of creative in sports sponsorship materials, product integration and placement, and gaming.
Research Discoveries
When sports-themes and/or sports celebrities are properly incorporated into ads, creative effectiveness improves. But how one does this is the key. (See Best Practices below).
- The Impact of Sports-Related Themes / Celebrities
As shown below, of six ABX “KPIs that Count,” the sports-themed ads scored 15% higher in Reputation, and 10% higher in Purchase Intent, over non-sports ads.
- The Impact of Women in Sports-Related Ads (WIS) vs Other Ads
The new sports index was used to see how the presence of women in both types of ads scored for three major brands. Below we see that virtually all KPIs are higher in the “WIS” ads, with Reputation and the Gender Equality Measure (GEM®) scoring highest. (Note: The GEM score for Brand C “Other Ads” is below 100).
- The Impact of Women in Sports-Related Ads – A Close-up
The charts below clearly illustrate the power of sports-related advertising with the inclusion of women. High scores for female gender equality, as well as those for men and children, contribute to both reputation and purchase KPIs.
Sports Advertising – Best Practices
While the data suggests that incorporating sports themes and sports celebrities can generate improved ROI for your brand, simply putting an athlete in an ad is not a guarantee of success. A set of Best Practices for sports-related advertising is available from ABX.
Reaching Sports Fans
Creative with higher impact is Step One. Reaching the sports fans you need to generate a higher sales lift is Step Two. The ABX Sports Impact Index measures both and provides insights to maximize your return. Viewers of women’s sports generate an especially significant lift.
In Summary
The new ABX Sports Impact Index™ is now available to help marketers evaluate their sports-related creative quickly, iterate as needed, and optimize for sports fans. The Index is a single overall ad effectiveness measure and is provided with additional scores for 14 KPIs. The Index is consistent across all demographics, ethnicities, cultures and geographic areas, and yields insights available nowhere else.
For more information, click on either link: Contact us or ABX Sports Impact Index