Dentsu, one of the largest global marketing and advertising agency networks, has announced a strategic partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, a pioneer in sports audience data and analytics. The partnership aims to provide Dentsu clients with access to sports audiences across all major publishers and platforms, according to a press release.
‘The most advanced and precise sports audiences in the industry’
Sports Innovation Lab brings together audience segments from all teams across seven major sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA, MLS, and NSWL), their entertainment venues, and major sports betting platforms. By combining this rich sports data with Merkury, dentsu’s global data, identity, and insights platform, clients can now develop highly targeted and personalized campaigns for sports enthusiasts.
“Merkury’s more than 10,000 consumer data attributes, combined with data-driven fan intelligence from Sports Innovation Lab, generate the most advanced and precise sports audiences in the industry,” said Gerry Bavaro, Chief Strategy Officer, Merkury at dentsu. “Through the partnership, our clients can confidently develop custom audiences, enabling personalized, real-time experiences for sports enthusiasts across channels, while adhering to the highest standards of consumer data protection.”
‘Enhance advertising strategies’
The integration is built on a privacy-first, cohort-based scoring method, ensuring that clients can leverage sports audience data while adhering to the highest standards of consumer data protection. Person ID-based connections via Merkury power targeting across 100+ publishers and ad-tech platforms, including connected TV, social media, and display media.
“This is an amazing opportunity for dentsu clients to gain direct access to purchase-based sports data that can be leveraged for planning, insights, and activation,” said Jennifer Pelino, Chief Commercial Officer and President, Data Cloud at Sports Innovation Lab. “Sports audience data has historically posed a challenge for brand advertisers because it is limited or bundled as part of media publishers’ promotions and sponsorship deals. Now, brands can use this data to meaningfully enhance their advertising strategies during key events like the NFL season or the holiday shopping rush, driving increased engagement and ROI.”
Global spending on sports media rights is on the rise
The partnership comes at a time when global spending on sports media rights is on the rise, forecasted to reach $60.09 billion this year. Dentsu’s investment in sports, entertainment, and gaming reflects the growing importance of reaching sports fans and leveraging the power of sports marketing.
