[Infographic] Messenger Apps Are the Future of Sports Marketing

Sports marketing has always been interesting to watch due to the massive reach sports have and how rabid the fans can be. Messenger applications are still in the early days of establishing their business models, but it seems like sports marketing could be one of the earliest ways they will monetize these applications.

Think about it this way: people are always talking about sports. When you get to work on a Monday, you will recap what happened in the game on the weekend. And for most people, sports are the second-most used topic in small talk after they’ve exhausted discussing the weather. This saturation effect extends to what people chat about using messenger applications.

Now, Twitter was thought to have the dominant position in event-based markets due to the way the app had built itself around the idea of using hashtags to aggregate all the discussion on a certain topic. But it seems like Facebook isn’t letting Twitter have the final word. Rather than making it so the information and advertising is easily attainable to those who are looking for it, they are actually pushing this content into conversations when it is deemed relevant.

Group chats that are centered around a big game or event might experience small game-related inputs from advertisers and content marketers. If you are already discussing the topic and the input seems relevant, this feels like a value add. The effect is quite the opposite of having an advertisement foisted on you while you’re surfing the web. As long as it feels like a value add and isn’t impeding on your ability to enjoy the game, you will be fine with it. Especially if it means freebies, discounts and other deals.

The other option is to have marketers upsell users on sports-related goods or experiences. How great would it be to say you were interested in going to the game the next time that team was in town, and then have a chatbot offer you a deal on that specific game. That is maximum convenience!

Some might see this as an Orwellian fantasy where the computers are interfacing with you more than your friends are and you are constantly being sold to, but that discounts the concept of freewill. You can choose to buy or not buy something, but it is nice to always have the option. It really depends on how the bots are designed to interface with you and how creepy it feels. Like anything, there is a balance between salesy and useless, and that will be the developer’s job to determine.

Conclusion

No matter what, the functionality that messenger applications offer is unmatched. Not only can you have the game scores constantly streaming to your messenger app, but you can also have giant group chats to discuss the game. Facebook Messenger allows up to 150 participants in a group chat and WhatsApp permits up to 256 users. This means you can have giant discussions about your sports teams and gain valuable insights. Heck, maybe you’ll even find out about an unused ticket that you can get for free!

Below is an infographic with all the information you need about the top 5 messenger apps. Enjoy!