SportVot’s Shubhangi Gupta unveils winning strategies for sports marketing

In conversation with Adgully, Shubhangi Gupta, Co-founder of SportVot, delves into the dynamic world of sports marketing in India. Gupta sheds light on the changing landscape, the challenges and opportunities SportVot anticipates, its unique value proposition, and the impact of COVID-19. She also discusses SportVot’s strategies for engaging with local audiences and promoting grassroots sports, the role of data analytics and technology, emerging trends in sports marketing, and how SportVot stays at the forefront of digital strategies and technological advancements.

How do you see the landscape of sports marketing in India evolving in the coming years, and what opportunities and challenges do you anticipate for SportVot within this context?

The sports marketing landscape over the last few years has gone through a massive transformation, adapting to the emergence of digital media to coping with the pandemic when no sports events were scheduled across the globe. But, now as we move forward and evolve, I think that the future of sports marketing in India is diversification of target audiences. The popularity for certain sports at a certain level has always been high, and while it continues to do so, other sports are developing at an equal pace. A lot of niche sports have found their target audience and that has brought together a community of sports enthusiasts. The franchise-based league tournaments across sports have gained massive following making the niche sports an unexplored market for sports marketeers.

Additionally, the influx of monetary resources at the highest level of sport because of the digitisation and commercialisation of sports properties has immensely inspired the local, grassroots level community, thus presenting themselves as an exciting approach for marketeers to create an impact.
The key challenges with regard to this, however, are two-fold. One predominantly being inculcating professionalism and attention to detail attitude across the ecosystem and the second one being helping brands understand the nuances that lie at the grassroots sports ecosystem and help them invest in the right sports properties at the right time.

The sports marketing industry is highly competitive. What sets SportVot apart from its competitors, and what is your unique value proposition for clients and partners?

The sports marketing industry is definitely very competitive, but still the majority efforts of brands and marketers these days have been putting extra efforts towards approaching their target group in innovative ways without getting lost in the pack. That is exactly what SportVot offers. SportVot has a huge presence in the grassroots sports ecosystem and has an in-built community of its own. Additionally, our experience of working in the domestic sports circuit has provided us with immense knowledge and know-how of every aspect that affects the brand investment, thus, making us the perfect medium for brands to connect with their target group leveraging our expertise and experience.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the sports marketing industry, and what measures has SportVot taken to adapt to these unprecedented circumstances?

The COVID-19 has definitely had a huge impact on sports marketing. The approach of marketers towards long term investments in sports, according to me, has taken a hit. Having said that, there are brands who have or slowly in the process of adapting a more impactful approach towards it. The brand’s approach towards sports marketing or marketing in general has slightly changed, though, the quantitative parameters of return on investment are still considered and rightfully so, marketers have also started considering the impact of investing in sports from a larger narrative point of view.

Today, the marketers are not just investing in sports for instant returns, but are looking at it as an arena to build a brand image and brand presence within the minds of the people. Understanding these minute altercations, we at SportVot have been approaching brands with specific narratives and impact driven marketing and investment options that can help them achieve the desired results.

SportVot focuses on local sports marketing. Could you provide insights into the strategies and partnerships that have been most successful in engaging with local audiences and promoting grassroots sports?

It is crucial to recognise that the grassroots sports ecosystem is substantial and, at the same time, tightly interconnected. To make a meaningful impact, it is essential to understand their challenges and align their needs with the brands’ marketing objectives. A prime example of this approach is SportVot’s partnership with Nexus Day Surgery Centre. Nexus Day Surgery Centre is a world-class medical facility located in Mumbai. They aimed to connect with the broader sports community in Maharashtra and establish a presence in the minds of athletes.

To achieve this, SportVot assisted them in becoming the official healthcare partner for the 2023-24 season for four of Maharashtra’s national-level women athletes in Kabaddi and Football. This partnership was announced on International Women’s Day in 2023, generating excitement within the community and showcasing the brand’s commitment to promoting women’s participation in sports.

Furthermore, SportVot executed various digital campaigns and offered discounted medical services to athletes from Maharashtra. This strategic approach allowed Nexus Day Surgery Centre to engage with the closely-knit Kabaddi and football community, solidify its presence, align with the community’s values, particularly women's empowerment, and create a lasting impact on people’s perceptions.

Brand partnerships are a key component of SportVot’s strategy. How does SportVot identify and approach potential brand collaborators, and what criteria do you use to assess the suitability of these partnerships?

We have currently tied up with a few media agencies who are helping us in our initiative to create an impact in domestic sports. We reach out to brands directly or via agencies with the proposition of coming together and developing the ecosystem. We try to connect with brands who have the brand proposition of making a difference for sports or for grassroots sports or someone who wants to create brand reach down to the lower tier levels of the country.

What role does data analytics and technology play in SportVot’s approach to sports marketing, and how do you use data to enhance your campaigns and engagements with audiences and brands?

Today, data has become everything, no matter which industry you are a part of. Data analytics and technology definitely help us a lot in creating marketing campaigns and achieving the desired results. The very first step of finalising the sports properties or sports talent ready to be offered for investment comes via analysing the data, from viewership to engagement or in terms of talent, understanding the performance growth of individual athletes and understanding their potential.

As an industry leader, what trends or emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the future of sports marketing in India, and how is SportVot preparing for these changes?

The biggest trend or emerging technology that has already become the talk of the town with respect to sports marketing is the involvement of AI in creating personalised campaigns and experiences for the ultimate customer. From AI chat bots to custom celebrity interactions powered by AI, sports marketers are massively adapting to smart technologies to create an impact on the masses. For SportVot, personalised content generation from fan engagement perspective is something that we have been majorly focusing on with a long term vision of bringing in smart technology solutions gradually into the local sports ecosystem.

SportVot has a strong focus on digital presence. How do you envision the digital landscape evolving for sports marketing, and how is SportVot staying ahead of the curve in terms of technological advancements and digital strategies?

The digital presence for any platform has undoubtedly become a deciding factor for marketers to look at before investing. Our vision at SportVot has been to keep the player first, give a boost to the journey of emerging athletes and help brands become a part of it and cement its position within the community. Understanding the changing landscape and demand for sports content, we are ensuring that we stay ahead of the curve by developing technologies that can help us easily adapt to the changing demands of the viewer base. For example, understanding the sudden rise in the demand for short format sports content in real-time, SportVot has developed a technology that auto-generates player and match highlights without any delay, thus getting more and more people hooked onto the sport and eventually helping brands get that extra visibility.