Why Sport In The Sunshine State Is Australia’s Biggest Ad Opportunity

In this op-ed, Katherine Frost (main image), Sales Director at Foxtel Media, says sports-loving Queensland is a boon for like-minded agencies and brands…

As Australia’s home of sport and sunshine, Brisbane was recently named one of the World’s Greatest Places of 2023 by TIME Magazine, which comes as no surprise to those of us who call Queensland home.

In recent years the city has come alive, with population migration from the Southern States at an all-time high and the announcement of Brisbane as the venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will give the city an opportunity not only to shine on the Australian sports stage, but with a global audience.

Queensland rallied during the pandemic, allowing live sport to keep spirits high during lockdown. We kept the 2020 AFL season alive and ended with a historic Grand Final at the Gabba. Queensland faced the situation again for the NRL in 2021, hosting another historic Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium.

Brisbane has a long-term growth strategy and we see this coming together with the opening of the Queens Wharf precinct later this year along with new flight routes connecting Brisbane to the world’s largest cities. In addition to restaurants and hotels, investment in sports infrastructure is booming. The growth of sport in Queensland will be accelerated by the 2032 Olympics, which will trigger billions of dollars in investment in new stadiums, facilities and technology. The federal and state governments recently announced a $7.1 billion investment to build new venues and renovate existing ones, including transforming the Gabba, which will connect directly to other major infrastructure projects and transform it into one of the most accessible stadiums in Australia.

We are without a doubt a sports-mad state. If we just look at Kayo Sports, Queensland growth is outpacing Kayo’s base on many metrics, including a 14.3% year-over-year increase in subscriptions, and each subscriber watches an average of 7.4 sports. This represents an incredible opportunity for advertisers to connect with both casual sports fans and passionate fanatics. Here are the reasons sports advertising is so effective in Queensland.

New local teams and growth in women’s sport fuel our passion

2023 heralds a new era for the sport in Queensland as the Dolphins join the NRL. The Dolphins are currently three of three into their inaugural season. A feat that no one expected and that proves Wayne Bennett’s impact on player development. Queensland brands like Budget Direct have been quick to recognize the value of the opportunity to be part of Dolphins history with their playful Dwayne Bennett (Wayne Bennett’s cousin) campaign and on-the-ground activities like their “#phinsup” game Day Hats.

With the growing number of professional sports teams, there are more opportunities for local talent to stay in the state they love, which is why the new Kayo Stadium is also home to the Dolphins.

The expansion of AFLW and NRLW in Queensland is cementing our state as fertile territory for all athletes to achieve greatness. Queensland-based companies like Lite n’ Easy understand the importance of meaningful reach through sport. Her commitment to sponsoring women athletes demonstrates the opportunities in women’s codes, from the grassroots to the stands.

Netball has long been an important grassroots sport in Queensland. We’ve seen the pro league grow and the Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning win multiple Premierships. Like many Queenslanders, I can’t wait to see what the Firebirds have in store for us this year. Suncorp Super Netball’s new season has begun and the Queensland-based Flight Center is cementing a new three-year partnership. Global Managing Director Andrew Stark highlighted Netball’s reputation for “fairness and team culture played in respectful and supportive environments” as an important alignment with the Flight Centre’s values ​​of diversity and inclusion.

Connecting with fans through intelligent media strategy

As esports thrive, brands are taking advantage of platform flexibility to reach local fans and fanatics through geo-targeting and team targeting. These types of targeted campaigns produce exceptional impact due to the high level of personalization, which in turn increases how much audiences can relate to the messages they receive.

This is taken to the next level for sports-loving Queenslanders. The 2023 NRL and AFL season has already gotten off to an incredible start for the Queensland teams with both the Broncos and Dolphins currently undefeated. These incredible sporting achievements coupled with the increase in Queensland games (75+!) being exclusive to Fox Sports and Kayo means brands have even more opportunities to speak to this engaged, passionate audience. And that number doesn’t even touch on Suncorp Super Netball, which is 100% exclusive to Fox Sports and Kayo.

State pride is part of our DNA

We come behind home teams. Not only do we celebrate for ourselves, we love to see other Queensland teams succeed. As a Broncos fan, I watched in awe as the North QLD Cowboys snatched victory from them in Golden Point overtime for the 2015 Premiership, the winning field goal kicked by Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston no less!

The historic trio of the mighty Brisbane Lions in the early 2000s reignited Queensland’s passion for the AFL. Singing “We are the pride of the City of Brisbane” indeed fills me with great pride for our incredible team. AFL Queensland announced a new registered attendance record last year heralding an exciting era for the AFL and AFLW.

And of course there are the Maroons. The echoes of “Queenslander” blaring through Suncorp Stadium before a State of Origin game are electric, and the “8 Straight” banter with our NSW foes (plus the five straight wins since) have continued throughout made for many memorable nights on Caxton Street over the years .

Ultimately, it’s Queensland’s passion for sport that makes it such an incredible market. Seasoned brands will seek to capitalize on this spirit through personalized, relevant and engaging campaigns ranging from grassroots loyalty to mega-stadium celebrations.