Online advertising is on the rise, thanks to a growing population of Internet users who rely on the web for entertainment, information, and even interaction. Advertisers have also taken advantage of the “niched” nature of websites, which have very specific content and highly targeted readership. This allows them to direct advertising efforts to market segments that are most likely to be interested in their products and services—a much more efficient strategy than making placements in mass media.

The Popularity of Sports Websites

Many advertisers have been entering the sports websites, recognizing its popularity among the male population which may even rival ore exceed the reach achieved by newspapers and magazines. Why is this so?

• Sports websites are interactive. Due to technology like video streaming, sports fans can watch replays of important plays, or interviews of their favorite athletes. This is more real, more accurate, and more interesting than simply reading a description of the game’s highlights in the newspaper.
• Sports websites are immediate. It’s not always possible to watch a game, especially if you happen to be at work, live on the opposite side of the world and in a different time zone, or if the game isn’t carried by their local television or cable provider. In these cases, sports websites are their fastest and most immediate source of information. Just minutes after a major sports event, they can get their updates from the web. This is much faster than the information delivery of newspapers, or even news broadcasts who will only air the highlights during their regular timeslots.
• Sports websites are comprehensive. Sports fans are after more than game scores. They also want to read about their favorite players and coaches, learn trivia about the game, or brush up on industry news and expert’s bold predictions. All of this information can be found on the sports website, which devotes page after page of features and factoids. There’s another advantage as well: unlike sports magazines, this information is free.

The Readership Profile of Sports Websites

Of course, you are probably thinking, “So sports websites have a lot of readers—but do they belong to my product or service’s demographic?” Here is a profile of the average sports website reader, as presented by the Online Media, Marketing and Advertising Expo.

Of the total number of sports website readers, 60.58% are male, and 39.42% are female. The website cuts across all age groups, from 12 to 75 years old. However, the bulk of the readers (almost 50%) are from 35 to 45 years old. About 14% are 25 to 35 years old, and 16% are in their late teens to early twenties.

Income doesn’t seem to be a big factor in their interest in sports websites; pretty much the same percentage of the total market comes from each socio-economic segment. For example, about 17% earn $100,000 to $150,000 a year, while 19% earn $75,000 to $99,999 a year. Sports websites do, however, attract a slightly larger readership (27.69%) among those who earn $50,000 to $74,999 a year. But this can be explained by the fact that it does draw a large number of students or people in the early stages of their career, who are just starting out or are only holding part time jobs. This does not mean that they do not have purchasing power. Studies show that people from that age demographic actually spend more of their income, since they are single and relatively free of financial responsibilities. In other words, they may be earning less, but they’re not burdened by mortgage payments.

What does this mean for a company who’s looking into advertising on a sports website? You hit a very wide male population, from across ages and across income brackets. This makes an excellent branding opportunity, and a chance to build awareness and even interest in your product and services in a market that’s notoriously difficult to reach via magazines. That’s good news for lifestyle brands like phones and clothes (in fact, Nokia is a pretty heavy advertiser in sports websites) or even services like car loans. Want to reach a male market? Go to the sports sites, and catch them while they’re browsing and in the mood to read.

Groundbreaking Advertising Formats in Sports Websites

You’ve heard of pop ups and links, but one of the biggest trends is the interactive video advertising. This includes streaming video, embedded video, viral video distribution, the desktop push and long-form video—which advertising experts believe are becoming the popular alternative to the 30-second commercial.

With 39% of Internet users to have broadband access, sports websites have evolved to create free video that users can personalize according to heir preferences. i.e. greater football content, or heavier athlete profiles versus mere statistics. Certain sites, such as ESPN Motion, even track the articles that a user visits and generates a unique mix of articles accordingly. This is a potentially powerful tool for advertisers, who can access a very segmented market that is most likely to buy their product and services. Sponsoring downloads, offering unique promotions, or embedded links become doubly effective because of the website’s ability to completely adapt itself according to its viewer’s content needs.

The click-through rate rises dramatically

Many of the world’s largest brands have tapped into interactive videos to reach their market: P&G, McDonald’s, Pfizer, Revlon and Disney. They have been drawn by the fact that broadband savvy Internet users are often young and middle aged adults with a high income, exactly the kind of demographic that many companies seek. Most of the video spots are 15 seconds long, and are combined with static ads, advertorials, and links to the company website.

Other interactive video formats include a research-gathering component, to help a company in its marketing research and brand development. For example, internet users can be asked to provide email addresses or referrals to access a particularly desirable video. However, this kind of advertising strategy is most effective when the video holds exclusive content.