Sports marketing is all about meeting the consumer where there is a “passion point”. It is here that you will find the consumer leaning forward to listen, your marketing has a tail wind not a headwind and your campaigns have the potential to be social and engaging rather than static and one way.

Austin goes on to describe how sports marketing has evolved from generating awareness through reinforcing performance into the creation of movements within which individuals engage and contribute. Gillette has been an innovator all through this evolution and Austin uses P&G’s experience with the Olympics to illustrate how Gillette has influenced the parent company’s approach to sports marketing and created a movement around the “Thank you, Mum” concept. He concludes by giving us insights into the future direction for sports marketing.