Chapter 5
Playing The Long Game
Short-term activations may capture attention but any brand can latch onto a viral spike. Endurance and longevity doesn’t come from these ephemeral trends. As sports organisations have demonstrated, true fandom must be engineered and nurtured daily.
If this report has done anything, we hope it has highlighted the strategies that successful businesses can make through ‘The Sports Playbook’ to help brands close the gap on sports.
Best in class sports teams and organisations are proof that there isn't 'One Super Bowl ring to rule them all' or a single tactic that will make fandom stick.
Fandom success stems from investing in long-term digital ecosystems and consistently leveraging six tactics to elevate every interaction rather than chasing the short-term high of a big collab.
Consumer brands that replicate this playbook have an opportunity to transform one-time buyers into lifelong fans and win for years to come.
Have any questions about what you’ve read and want to learn more about Apply Digital and our approach to Fandom? Get in touch with the team at dennis.claus@applydigital.com or sarah.hackett@applydigital.com
Fans are forever
In today's competitive landscape, brands need fandom more than ever. We're ready to help.
Research was conducted by Censuswide in August/September 2025. The survey covered four markets — UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands — with 250 sports and 100 non-sports fans per country. Each respondent answered the filter questions “Do you consider yourself a fan of a sports organisation or team?” and “Do you consider yourself a fan of a consumer brand in each of the following categories?”, the latter of which further segmented into technology, entertainment, travel/hospitality, fashion/beauty, sports apparel and ecommerce.