Mario Leo: Sportsbiz, digital, the need of New Year resolution
Sports digital media is full of loud voices with little to say. Mario Leo is the opposite. The founder and CEO of Result Sports is one of Europe's leading experts on social media strategy and metrics. He also has firm views on ways the sports industry should try to monetise existing audiences and look to engage new ones. Mario and I have shared an hour on this podcast for the last four New Years. But the effect of the pandemic makes this conversation very different - some things will be changed forever, some will never come back and some will be accelerated. We discuss why 2021 is a crucial year for the future of sports business.
TOPICS
Trends of 2020 - "clubs have 'thought beyond the norm' and I don't think it will go back"
The 'two extremes' from Covid - the need for fans to support them v the need for money from sponsors
What activities created by the Covid crisis will persist after the virus is beaten
Getting by giving - the authenticity of the Marcus Rashford story
The way clubs talk to their fans - the problem of 'closing the reality gap'
The psychological move of sports social media after Covid-19 hit
The movement of the social media platforms over the last year - why Mario got it wrong on Instagram and TikTok is "an ocean of content"
Facebook's problems, its legal issues and the effects on sports clubs
The political dimension to curbing the social media platforms
The problem with fake social media advertising metrics. The lack of transparency
The one country trying to license valid social media metrics
How Mario has investigated the problem
The problem of the Nielsen approach and CPM as an estimate
Why a European Super League will happen and World Cups will be staged every two years
The importance of CSR and being fan-centric
The risk of clubs going all-out for promotion
The assumption that fans will come back automatically
Rich Luker's '2% solution'
Marketers letting go of big numbers of engagement and concentrating on real numbers
Mario's tips for running club accounts in 2021