The Marketing Architects Podcast Summary

Episode: How to Capitalize on Live Sports Season
Date: October 7, 2025
Hosts: Elena Jasper (Head of Marketing), Angela Voss (CEO), Rob DeMars (Chief Product Architect, Misfits and Machines)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into one of the biggest opportunities for marketers today: live sports. With the U.S. entering what many call a "golden era" of live sports—with upcoming mega-events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and the ongoing popularity of national leagues—the team explores how brands can make the most of this moment. The hosts examine the challenges and new strategies for buying, measuring, and creatively capitalizing on live sports, with a sharp focus on TV but also covering sponsorships and activations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Live Sports Remain a Prime Marketing Channel

• Cultural Impact: Live sports are major cultural events, uniting massive, diverse audiences and offering ripe opportunities for brands to connect meaningfully ([00:29]).
• New Opportunities: Advances in AR, VR, and participatory experiences (e.g., Michelob Ultra’s fan zones at Copa America) reveal brands’ push for deeper fan engagement ([01:39]).

2. Evolving TV Landscape for Sports Advertising

• Market Fragmentation:
  • Past (2000): Easier; dominated by major networks, one Nielsen currency, straightforward cost-per-point math ([02:17]).
  • Present: Rights split across linear and streaming, more than 15-20 distribution partners, exclusive deals on platforms like Amazon, Peacock, and Netflix complicate buying ([02:17], [05:03]).
• Practical Impact: As Angela Voss notes, “The job isn’t just buy the game anymore. It’s like this portfolio approach… It’s much, much more complex than it has ever been” ([02:17]).

3. Measurement: From Simple Panels to Nuanced Analytics

• Old vs. New: Reliable panel data (Nielsen) gave way to hybrid log-level systems, deduplication needs, and multi-currency confusion ([03:51], [05:55]).
• Call for Rigor: Angela Voss stresses, “If we’re saying yes [to tentpole buys] just because we want to see ourselves next to Doritos and Coors Light, that’s not the rigor that marketers should have these days either” ([06:55]).
• New Metrics Required: True incrementality—reaching new people or driving measurable sales/lifts—should guide decisions ([04:11], [07:13]).

4. Economics of Live Sports vs. Other Reach

• Cost vs. Value:
  • Live sports is expensive but can offer unique prestige and high visibility ([07:13]).
  • Incremental reach and co-viewing effect often justify the premium, but only if properly measured and planned ([09:51]).
• Household Frequency Concerns:
  • Repeatedly targeting the same viewers/households can diminish efficiency ([11:22]).
  • “Co-viewing makes sports both cheaper per person but also sort of riskier per household,” says Angela ([09:51]).

5. Creative Approaches: Making the Most of the Cultural Moment

• Sponsorships & Activations:
  • Traditional 30-second TV campaigns typically outperform sponsorship packages in cost-effectiveness and reach ([13:42]).
  • But memorable activations (e.g., State Farm’s personalized bobbleheads at the Minnesota State Fair) can create buzz and deepen connections, especially at a local level ([15:25]).
  • “A 30-second TV spot buys controllable, scalable person-level reach at lower, knowable costs. … Sponsorships…are volatile, really hard to measure…and typically hard to justify,” says Angela ([13:42]).
• Super Bowl Lessons for All Brands:
  • Simplicity, cultural relevance, and rewarding attention stand at the heart of effective sports advertising ([17:45]).
  • Rob: “Be simple and sticky. … It’s a crowded place, not the time to talk about all your features and benefits. … Reward the attention” ([17:45]).

6. Brand Strategy: Consistency vs. Contextual Customization

• Distinctive Assets vs. ‘Trendjacking’:
  • Rob’s take: Stick to distinctive, consistent creative in high-recall moments like live sports, rather than always aiming for event-specific trendjacking ([20:09]).
  • Cites research showing “live sporting events have 20 to 30% higher recall than your average programming…that’s your opportunity to put your distinctive assets in front of people” ([20:09]).

7. Avoiding Overconcentration & Maximizing Efficiency

• Balance Is Key:
  • Risks: Overpaying for the same households, missing out on efficient reach from other programming ([21:32]).
  • Angela: “Make sports the seasoning, not the meal…use these tentpole events to attain those light TV viewers and that’s really the smart way to think about it” ([21:32]).
  • Non-sports viewers (like Rob) remain a missing opportunity for certain brands if they overly focus on live sports ([22:36]).

8. Planning for the Long Run: Golden Era Strategy

• Zoom Out for Growth:
  • Marketers should focus on incremental reach, light buyers/viewers, and distinctive asset exposure ([23:42]).
  • Use data, GEO tests, and audience segment analysis to plan for big bets like the Olympics or World Cup ([23:42]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Angela Voss:

  • “The job isn’t just buy the game anymore. It’s like this portfolio approach … It’s much, much more complex than it has ever been.” ([02:17])
  • “We need more focus in terms of rigor and measurement.” ([07:51])
  • “Co-viewing makes sports both cheaper per person but also sort of riskier per household.” ([09:51])
  • "Make sports the seasoning, not the meal." ([21:32])

• Rob DeMars:

  • “Be simple and sticky…Tap into the culture…Reward the attention” ([17:45])
  • “I am a salesperson's dream. … I am not watching sports. So while you might be double downing on all your television stuff, you’re not reaching me.” ([22:36])
  • “If you’re going to build a sports stadium of any kind…using taxpayer dollars, it should also be an amazing venue for us non-sports people…US Bank Stadium is a horrible place to listen to a concert unless you want to hear Bono singing three times…” ([27:02])

• Elena Jasper:

  • “Track and field is one of the most exciting sports to watch…They’re not big three-hour events. You can just tune in.” ([27:57])

• Memorable moment:

  • Discussion of State Farm’s bobblehead activation at the Minnesota State Fair as a local-level, high-engagement example of experiential marketing ([15:25]).
  • The hosts’ playful banter around food analogies and “robertunity” (Rob’s untapped-non-sports-audience value) ([12:30], [23:07]).

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Live Sports as a Marketing Platform: [00:29] – [01:39]
• TV Buying Complexity & Fragmentation: [02:17] – [05:03]
• Measurement & Metrics Evolution: [05:35] – [07:13]
• Balancing Cost and Effectiveness: [07:13] – [09:51]
• The Impact (and Fun) of Co-Viewing: [09:51] – [12:00]
• Sponsorships vs. TV Campaigns: [13:42] – [16:42]
• Super Bowl Lessons for Every Brand: [17:45] – [19:18]
• Consistency vs. Event-based Creative: [20:09] – [21:05]
• Avoiding Overconcentration in Sports: [21:32] – [23:42]
• Long-Term Strategy for Golden Era: [23:42] – [25:46]
• Contrarian Sports Takes (Fun Wrap-Up): [26:10] – End

Summary of Actionable Takeaways

• Embrace the complexity of today's sports media landscape with a portfolio, cross-platform approach.
• Chase person-level, incremental reach—not just prestige or executive whims.
• Insist on co-viewing-aware measurement and deduplication.
• Test and measure—use data to validate the true incremental impact of high-profile sports investments.
• Let creative be simple, sticky, and reward attention—especially in high-saturation events.
• Sponsorships/activations add value, but only as a complement to broad, cost-effective TV buys.
• Don’t over-concentrate: Balance tentpole investments with efficient, wide-reaching programming to avoid diminishing returns.

Episode's Core Message:
Live sports offer unmatched visibility and cultural relevance—but require rigorous, data-driven strategy, careful planning across fragmented platforms, and creative discipline. In this golden era, success belongs to brands that balance innovation and efficiency, leverage both TV and activations wisely, and always keep the big picture (and the widest audience) in view.