ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING
The Vikings grew a loyal fanbase over decades of football tradition passed between generations. But as consumer behavior changed rapidly with the evolution of social media, the team knew it would need to adapt new strategies to attract the next generation of fans.
Here is how we developed and launched a new growth strategy for the team, appealing to new fans with social content, entertainment and influencer partnerships, and a focus on Vikings players as human beings.
BRAND STRATEGY
Entering the 2022 season, the Vikings showed a lot of signs of brand health: six straight sell-out seasons, an engaged and active audience, and strong fan sentiment scores from our biggest consumers.
But below the surface, two key indicators pointed to a need to consider the next generation of fans: the Club ranked in the bottom third in fanbase growth rate amongst NFL teams, and bottom quartile in teenage fanbase.
Analyzing known fan personas and target audiences, we identified a social-focused, female fan persona, and the broader category of 12-18 year olds as our target growth audiences for the season.
I pitched and founded a new department within the organization to best reach these growth audiences where they are. The Entertainment Marketing department launched with a focus on fan growth though world-class entertainment, with three specific tactics:
Create brand awareness at the top of the funnel through Influencer partnerships
Drive brand interest through Lifestyle content
Convert brand evangelists through an unparalleled gameday entertainment experience
INFLUENCERS
To reach strategic growth audiences, the Vikings sought to amplify and increase influential voices talking about our team and home game experience.
For the first time, we implemented a formal influencer and entertainer program and a dedicated suite on gameday. The program was designed to provide incredible experience to high-profile guests, with no formal ask in return.
Over the first full season of the program, our efforts resulted in 71 new celebrity and influencer relationships, 200+ organic social posts for our brand, and an expanded brand audience of 115 million within targeted growth audiences.
LIFESTYLE CONTENT
To reach targeted growth audiences where they are, we refocused content efforts on social video content that highlighted the personalities of our biggest brand ambassadors - our players and celebrity fans.
Player content focused on who the players are as people - we made content about the food they like, the people they love, the clothes they wear, what is funny about them, and more.
We collaborated with entertainers to nurture authentic relationships with the team and share our brand with new strategic audiences.
Through one season, this shifted focus utilized existing internal resources to garner over 42 million views and nearly 5 million likes.
GAME ENTERTAINMENT
To appeal to our socially-motivated target demographics, we prioritized high-profile musical performances to add to an award-winning gameday production.
Brand research indicated our two target growth demographics disproportionately prioritized the entertainment surrounding the peripheries of the game itself. Focusing on pregame and halftime musical performances with known talent allowed us to create new value for growth demographics, without sacrificing the football-related content critical to existing fans.
We targeted artists that appealed to each of our target demographics, and worked to build the perception of Vikings home games as an all-encompassing entertainment experience - not just a football game.
RESULTS
In 2022, the Vikings set Club records in Game Entertainment.
The Vikings set Club record scores for all 10 sub-attributes of Game Entertainment, as rated by NFL game attendees in each market. Additionally, each of of the 10 Game Entertainment sub-attributes ranked in the top quartile in the NFL, leading the Vikings to the 2nd best Game Entertainment rating in the NFL.
Our new celebrity influencer program focused on strategic partners who spoke to our strategic growth targets, meaningfully placing our brand in front of 115 million potential fans.
And a new focus on Helmets-Off, Lifestyle content provided a new, strategic conversion mechanism for fans experiencing the brand for the first time, leading to a 25% increase in annual growth rate.