Virtual Ads Create a New Dimension for Sports Sponsorships (Literally)

Mike Murphy

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Instant Sponsor

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4 min read

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Aug 23, 2018

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The signage in professional sports arenas/stadiums hasn’t evolved much over time…like other aspects of sport. But with the emergence of technology, signage opportunities have entered a whole new dimension.

Virtual advertisements in sports stadiums are starting to become more common. Open - and blank - spaces near the field of play make for excellent digital signage opportunities, but no one was able to capitalize on them until now. The NHL, NBA, NFL, and professional soccer have become early adopters of this technology, which will likely become common by the end of this decade.

The NHL has successfully experimented with this by virtually inserting sponsors on the glass above the physical boards in NHL stadiums. The boards that contain signage are usually brands that are more local to the region the team plays in.

National and international brands won’t spend time or money on hitting a certain region when their goal is to build global brand awareness. What digital signage opportunities provide is a way for these larger brands to purchase signage in a stadium during games that are nationally televised ? sometimes globally televised with the streaming services provided by social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon.

“We’ve had a very positive response,” said Peter Luukko , president of Philadelphia Flyers owner Comcast-Spectacor. “The dashers [the physical signs on the rink boards]are a season-long commitment, or in some cases, even longer. This gives you an opportunity to sell by game, or by period. It’s just an extra flexibility that we can offer advertisers.”

“We fully expect this to be part of our national television rights holders’ future,” added David Proper, the NHL’s executive vice-president of media distribution and strategy.

During the Eagles vs. Steelers 2018 NFL preseason game, an advertisement for Geico Insurance appeared under the on-field graphic which lets the fans know what down it is and how many yards are left before the team reaches another first down.

A couple places where the NFL could place additional advertisements are the part of the sideline where the players and coaches are not supposed to stand. And in the netting on a field goal or extra-point attempt.

The NBA has placed these digital ads under the basket on the out-of-bounds side of the baseline. These advertisements appear to be part of the floorboards but it becomes obvious that they are computer generated when a player steps into that area.

Recently, Borussia Dortmund announced that they will use virtual signage in their 17 home matches this coming Bundesliga season. Advertising seen on the pitchside LED boards will show a different sponsor based on where the game is being broadcasted.

The deal is licensed by Lagardere Sports and will cover the next two seasons.

“It is important for us to constantly develop our platform for our partners and to embrace innovations, which make sense for and fit to Borussia Dortmund,” said Carsten Cramer, Dortmund’s managing director of sales and marketing. “Especially with regard to the internationalization of our club, virtual advertising offers enormous possibilities as it enables our regional partners individual ways to appear around BVB’s matches.”

How Your Brand Can Participate…

Virtual signage plays perfectly into Instant Sponsor’s business model of short-term sponsorship acquisitions. These virtual ads can be changed per game and can be updated at different times in a game or match.

On Instant Sponsor’s blockchain-powered platform , brands and rights holders will be able to communicate and transact in real time. This could allow for a brand to literally buy virtual signage for an important game or match after it has already started. Effectively betting on a horse after the race has started ? in other words: giving you the best chance of a high return on investment.

Virtual ads in conjunction with Instant Sponsor’s platform will allow brands to gage markets and strategically determine where and when they spend their marketing dollars (or cryptocurrency).

“You look back at old hockey games now, and you see only a couple signs [on the boards] It’s like, wow, there was no advertising. I think 20, 30 years from now ? maybe even sooner ? and you’ll be amazed that it was just these static signs along the boards.” ? Rob Tuchman president of Skylight Group

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