Sports Marketing: Hispanics Offer Huge Future Potential

Major sports organisations across the world have historically capitalised effectively on opportunities to market themselves to a much wider audience.

However, it is only in recent times that some sports have truly started to switch on to the growth possibilities amongst Hispanic audiences.

The NBA, NFL and MLS are amongst the leagues that have spotted the opening by tailoring specific content and marketing campaigns towards the sector.

Studies have shown that in-house or sports marketing agency staff would be well advised to take full advantage of huge digital usage amongst Hispanic people.

According to ESPN, Hispanics spend around 90 hours per month online, highlighting the engagement potential on offer.

It is estimated that three-quarters of that figure is generated via mobile devices – another factor which presents a huge opportunity for sports organisations to cash in.

NBA Hustle up Hispanic Followers

Hispanics based in the United States make up nearly a fifth of NBA fans – a figure that equates to a potential audience of around 15 million people.

A healthy proportion of that figure are at the younger end of the age scale, making them a hugely enticing prospect from a marketing perspective.

The NBA has identified the potential, establishing a Latin American division that works with youngsters to try and introduce more of them to the sport.

Only a small percentage of NBA stars are from a Hispanic background and the league is eager to address that imbalance over the coming years.

However, while more Hispanic players would help to shift more tickets, the ultimate aim is to make basketball more representative of its fanbase.

Tailoring marketing content that appeals to Hispanic culture will play a key part in this and ultimately help the NBA become more inclusive.

Inter Miami Tap into Hispanic Potential

As the fifth major sport in North America, it is fair to say that soccer faces a difficult battle to compete with the other big leagues.

However, millions of Hispanics love the sport and this presents a huge marketing opportunity for Major League Soccer franchises. 

Inter Miami are perhaps best placed to capitalise, with their geographical location providing them with a huge Hispanic audience to tap into.

The club cleverly leveraged that with some of their early marketing activity, running a clever ‘Your Fútbol Is Here’ campaign.

Those efforts have already seen Inter attract nearly one million followers across Instagram and Twitter, with many more fans likely to join the party in the future.

Inter also took more than 150,000 pre-orders of its new jersey globally, making it the most popular soccer jersey ever released in the MLS.

NFL Finally Cracking the Hispanic Market

Mexico has had a long-standing love affair with the NFL, with television stations there regularly broadcasting games as far back as the 1960s.

League bosses were slow to recognise the potential for growth, with very little budget assigned to Hispanic-focused marketing content prior to 2010.

Over the subsequent five-year period the NFL increased Hispanic TV advertising spending by two-thirds – a decision that paid dividends for the companies who jumped on board.

While the NFL dragged its heels at management level in embracing the potential within the Hispanic market, that certainly wasn’t the case with the Dallas Cowboys.

Owner Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys back in 1989 and he quickly set about tailoring a healthy proportion of their marketing activity towards Hispanic audiences.

It is estimated that there are now around eight million Cowboys fans in Mexico, underlining the impact that focused marketing can have on a sports organisation.