Game-Changing Tactics: Insights from GMG’s Senior Vice President of Brands - Sports

As a global well-being company with over 120 brands, GMG's collaboration with international partners to bring premier retail experiences to GCC and Asian markets is truly fascinating. To delve deeper into their dynamic and innovative marketing strategies, we spoke with GMG's Senior Vice President of Brands – Sports.

1. What is the significance of partnerships in the sports marketing industry for mutually beneficial results?

Partnerships and collaborations are vital in sports marketing for several reasons. Firstly, aligning with like-minded partners enables us to broaden our audience reach, secondly joint efforts spur creativity and innovation, creating marketing campaigns that resonate deeply with our target audience. In addition, partnerships foster inclusivity and belonging, and help strengthening connections. They also address specific consumer needs we might not solve alone, delivering better products, services, and experiences, while achieving better business results by reaching new audiences.?

2. What does the "Proud to Partner" sentiment mean for GMG?

For over four decades, we have continuously innovated to enhance customer experiences for our partners and customers. We are passionate about our people, the communities we serve, and the world we live in.

At GMG, we embody the ethos of #OneFamily, extending its value to our brand partners. By forging robust strategic alliances, we bolster our brand image, expand our reach, and align with our vision of delivering life-changing products and experiences. As a regional industry leader in sports, we also strive to build a stronger economy and contribute towards the well-being of our communities. Partnering with local and international companies fosters creativity, diversity, and innovation, essential to our strategy.

Our partnerships with renowned brands like Nike, Columbia Sportswear, and VF Corporation (Timberland, Vans, the North Face) are long-term, spanning decades, showcasing our commitment to building these brands in the region.

?3. GMG’s Latest partnerships?

We are constantly looking for ways to better reach and serve our consumers. Through our recent partnership with JD Sports, to bring the world’s leading retailer of sports fashion to the Middle East, we recognized the opportunity to inspire the emerging generation of globally-minded consumers in the region through the universal culture of sport, music, and fashion. Globally recognized as the “King of Trainers,” JD Sports brings a top-of-the-range product assortment from the biggest brands, including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Puma, The North Face, Jordan, and more.

?4. How does GMG achieve synergies with global brands’ marketing team, and how do you influence regional marketing initiatives?

Our partnerships with brands are rooted in teamwork and shared goals. We see ourselves as extensions of our partners, united in serving consumers compellingly. Today's consumers are notably sophisticated and well-informed, seeking relevant interactions that resonate with their lives, communities, and passions.

The act locally while think globally strategy allow us to present the global sports arena to our consumers, while catering to the specific needs of our consumers across the region and beyond.

In some of our recent campaigns, insights revealed that many young girls in the region are eager to embrace sports but hesitant to start. This resonated with some of our global partners, leading us to create a campaign empowering girls to build confidence and unlock their potential through sports.

?5. How has the landscape of sports marketing evolved in the past decade, and what emerging trends do you foresee shaping the industry in the next five years??

The digital revolution and social media have transformed consumer behavior, making today's consumers more knowledgeable and demanding. Marketers must deeply understand their audience and prioritize authenticity to succeed. The growing concern for social and environmental issues among younger demographics makes it crucial for brands to align with these values.

Effective engagement depends on tailored messaging and personalized experiences, with data playing a pivotal role. The rise of AI and machine learning enables the analysis of extensive data sets, uncovering insights, optimizing operations, and enabling scalable personalized interactions. This shift is reshaping customer engagement strategies, allowing businesses to forecast market dynamics, anticipate consumer behaviors, and adapt to emerging trends.

?6. What strategies have been most effective in engaging younger demographics, such as Gen Z, in the world of sports marketing?

We've learned that Gen Z consumers differ significantly from our traditional base. They're more discerning and informed, navigating primarily through social media like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. Their influencers are their local communities, crews, and surroundings. Consequently, we've had to adapt our strategies to cater to these evolving consumer habits by embracing digital platforms, adopting a localized perspective, and establishing a presence on these platforms.

Our content and tone cater to Gen Zs, utilizing platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram through strategic tailored approaches for each channel and demographic. Moreover, we've recognized the importance of data as a critical tool for understanding shopping behaviors, preferences, and likes. By leveraging these insights, we can craft communication strategies that are curated and precisely targeted to specific audience segments, ensuring maximum impact and relevance.?

Influencer marketing has soared in importance. Gen Zs trust endorsements from individuals they admire, highlighting the power of authentic advocacy. We prioritize partnerships with influencers who resonate genuinely with our audience to enhance credibility and appeal to them.

7. In an age of digital media dominance, how do traditional advertising methods still play a role in promoting sports brands, and how do you balance these with newer online strategies?

I believe that an integrated media approach combines digital and traditional channels for maximum effectiveness. While digital media offers real-time insights, traditional channels like TV and radio excel in storytelling and broad reach. Radio, in particular, delivers localized content effectively. Streaming platforms like Spotify are vital for reaching young consumers, offering enhanced ad actionability. Out-of-home advertising maintains high brand visibility and loyalty, remaining relevant in the media landscape.

?8. With the rise of e-sports and virtual experiences, how is your brand adapting to engage with audiences in the digital realm, and what unique challenges and opportunities does this present?

Our main challenge lies in capturing the attention of young consumers amidst the clutter of messages. Exploring e-sports, particularly on platforms like Amazon Twitch, has been an intriguing endeavor for us. Gamers are highly engaged, leading to high view-through rates on video content. However, the e-sports audience remains niche, requiring a tailored messaging approach. Despite this, the region is seeing a surge in e-sports, presenting promising opportunities for engagement and growth, especially with countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia producing top gamers.

9. Name a campaign you are most proud of and why?

It's challenging to single out just one project among the many exhilarating ones. Yet, those originating from our own offices, carrying a locally resonant message within the region, hold a special place in my heart. One standout example is the Sun and Sand Sports campaign featuring the famous DJ Khaled, under the banner "Commit To Nothing." Through this narrative, we aimed to inspire our communities not to feel intimidated by the competitive nature of traditional sports consumption. Aligned with our Sun and Sand Sports ethos of making sports enjoyable, we encouraged individuals to embrace sports on their own terms, whether with family, friends, communities, or solo. Collaborating with DJ Khaled infused a sense of fun into the campaign, urging both young and old to incorporate the joy of sports into their daily lives.

Similarly, with Nike, we embarked on several transformative campaigns rooted in profound consumer insights from the region. In our "Rise of the Kids" initiative, we sought to shift parental mindsets regarding the benefits of sports, advocating for children to engage in activities that fostered confidence and social skills. The Nike Pro Hijab campaign addressed a specific consumer need, empowering modest women to participate in sports comfortably. This simple yet powerful idea, conceived in our Dubai offices, spawned an entire product range now available in Nike stores worldwide. These projects underscore our commitment to crafting narratives that resonate locally while driving meaningful impact on a global scale.

10. What are your guiding principles when creating a campaign, and what advice do you give your teams?

The guiding principles I always use is as follows:

• What is the objective for this campaign?
• What problems are you solving through the campaign messaging?
• How does it tie into the overall business objective?
• Are we in line with the marketing budget and are we optimizing our costs to be achieving a positive ROI?

My advice to my team is to adopt a “less is more” mindset. To encourage them to think out of the box and the best part is we work in a company that values the ‘Simple is Smart’ sentiment.

By Mohamed Azhar Bodiat