{"id":3667,"date":"2023-07-02T22:24:21","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T22:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/marketing\/how-the-world-surf-league-sells-sponsorships-and-advertising-with-no-stadiums-and-an-unpredictable-broadcast-schedule\/"},"modified":"2023-07-02T22:24:22","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T22:24:22","slug":"how-the-world-surf-league-sells-sponsorships-and-advertising-with-no-stadiums-and-an-unpredictable-broadcast-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=3667","title":{"rendered":"How the World Surf League sells sponsorships and advertising with no stadiums and an unpredictable broadcast schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

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How do brands sponsor a league that has no local teams, stadiums, or a robust US linear broadcast schedule? If you ask the World Surf League (WSL), it\u2019s easier than it might sound.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe are small, so we can be really innovative,\u201d WSL CMO Sarah Swanson told Marketing Brew. \u201cWe are our own league, and we do control every aspect of it, so we can be really flexible, we can be really nimble, we can be really creative in a way that one of the largest sports definitely can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Surfing hasn\u2019t quite broken into the mainstream in the US the way it has in countries like Brazil and Australia, Swanson said, but the WSL has nonetheless landed some major brand partners like Apple, Yeti, Billabong, Rip Curl, and Red Bull. In the coming years, the sport could stand to find further popularity as a result of its recent inclusion in the Olympics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Marketing with the WSL is in some ways like marketing with other sports leagues, with options that include different tiers of sponsorships, athlete partnerships, and various forms of ad inventory. But there are some peculiarities, like the sport\u2019s lack of stadium real estate and somewhat unpredictable schedules, which could mean rougher waters for some brands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sponsorships swell<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Sponsorships make up the predominant revenue stream for the WSL, CRO Cherie Cohen told Marketing Brew, but the league also makes money from selling athlete memberships, tickets, merchandise, media rights, and other licensing deals. The WSL currently has close to 130 sponsors that include traditional surf brands and tourism boards around the world, since surfing and tourism often go hand in hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In addition to sponsorships, the WSL also sells traditional ad formats. WSL content, like full tournaments, highlights, and recaps, is mainly available on the league\u2019s website and app, according to Swanson, and the league sells video and display ads that run against that content, Cohen said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Some WSL programming is available via distributors like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, Swanson said, and distribution agreements let the league sell over-the-top inventory, Cohen said. It also streams live on YouTube, Facebook Watch, and TikTok, according to Swanson. The league has a first-look deal with YouTube, and the WSL sells pre-roll ads (and, soon, mid-roll) against content on its channel, Cohen said. Plus, the WSL has an ad-supported podcast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the league\u2019s digital video presence is considerable, it\u2019s harder to watch on broadcast TV. If you\u2019re in Brazil or Australia, you can catch surfing on linear TV more easily than in the US, but generally speaking, \u201csurfing is not particularly programmable,\u201d Swanson said. Tournaments usually take place over about a 10-day timeframe, with the actual surfing happening over the course of around four days, though the exact days are at the mercy of Mother Nature. That setup means it can be \u201cincredibly challenging\u201d for linear partners, Swanson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re a digital-first product because of the nature of the sport, and the linear piece tends to be more of our partners globally showing more of the highlights and recaps,\u201d Swanson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The sport\u2019s broad digital distribution helps the league make up for its relative lack of a linear footprint, and lets it offer geotargeting to \u201cmake sure our advertisers are getting what they need in the US,\u201d Swanson said. Last year\u2019s Championship Tour reached 46 million viewers across platforms, Cohen said, and the average event on the tour reaches about 10 million people\u2014half through streaming and half through linear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Shore thing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Because the WSL produces its own broadcasts, the league has full control over when and where sponsors appear, Swanson said. Oftentimes, that\u2019s through digital integrations, like brands appearing on the clock that counts down the heats, graphics that show surfing stats, and other on-screen moments similar to other sports, Cohen explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While there are no surfing stadiums, the WSL does install structures and signage on beaches where events take place when possible, Swanson said, and brands can also appear there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Some prime surfing spots, like Tahiti, don\u2019t have any beach space to spare, but most, like Brazil and LA, have plenty of room for brands to join in on the competition with real-life installations. As an example: The annual US Open of Surfing, which takes place in Huntington Beach, California, typically attracts 500,000 fans over nine days, according to Cohen, and brands can do giveaways or sell merch, according to Swanson. The league also offers pouring rights to its alcohol partners just like traditional stadiums do, Swanson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For title sponsors, Swanson said there\u2019s the added marketing value of the brand awareness boost that can come with being attached to the name of a major surfing event that\u2019s promoted year-round, like the Rip Curl WSL Finals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As surfing continues to grow in popularity, more US advertisers might find the sport to be a new way to reach a broad audience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere is a lifestyle and an aspirational sense of brand around surfing that I think is incredibly appealing to people of all ages, all genders,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cWith the Olympics\u2014we are only going into our second time of being in the Olympics\u2014the awareness in the US is growing very quickly and really dramatically, particularly as we go through this next summer\u2019s Olympics and then moving into LA28. I think the trajectory for us is really strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How do brands sponsor a league that has no local teams, stadiums, or a robust US linear broadcast schedule? If you ask the World Surf League (WSL), it\u2019s easier than it might sound. \u201cWe are small, so we can be really innovative,\u201d WSL CMO Sarah Swanson told Marketing Brew. \u201cWe are our own league, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-marketing"},"yoast_head":"\nHow the World Surf League sells sponsorships and advertising with no stadiums and an unpredictable broadcast schedule | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do brands sponsor a league that has no local teams, stadiums, or a robust US linear broadcast schedule? 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