Nerd Alert: When Sports Advertising Works

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob reveal why advertising during major sporting events often backfires. Clutter and distraction crush ad effectiveness before and during events. The sweet spot? Right after, when buzz lingers but noise clears.

Topics covered:   

• [01:00] "Going for Gold: Investigating the (Non)sense of Increased Advertising Around Major Sport Events"
• [01:40] Does ramping up ad spend during events actually work?
• [03:00] How researchers measured advertising effectiveness around events
• [04:00] Short-term sales impact drops over 50% during events
• [05:00] The only way to break through: dominate share of voice
• [06:00] What does "after the event" advertising actually mean? 

 





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Resources: 
Gijsenberg, M. J. (2014). Going for gold: Investigating the (non)sense of increased advertising around major sports events. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 31(1), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2013.09 
 

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