If you are a brand, rights holder, or an aspiring sports marketer, then listen up. But why? we hear you ask? Good question.
Digital Playmakers has created a helpful list of the top five sports marketing agencies operating at the peak of their game in their respective specialisms. We have focused on are performance marketing, entertainment, communications, data & analytics and social media. Let’s dive straight in and see which agencies made our top five list.
Octagon
Octagon is a global sports and entertainment agency with renowned expertise in everything from sports marketing to rights management. The American powerhouse uses a blended approach featuring intuition and invaluable experience to ‘predict, produce and perform’ for global brands and rights holders.
Agency specialism: Sports and entertainment
Octagon founders: Phil de Picciotto | Founded: 1983
Two Circles
Two Circles is a data-driven marketing agency that uses data to create personalised relationships between fans and their favourite sports. The agency aims to better the sporting experience for fans worldwide and grow sustainable revenues for their clients.
Agency specialism: Data-driven sport
Two Circles founders: Matt Rogan and Gareth Balch | Founded: 2012
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment is a global agency with service expertise in sports, lifestyle and content production. The agency has achieved dominant industry success by using a simplistic approach to produce innovative and’ market-leading ideas’ for Reebok, Samsung and Boiler Room.
Agency specialism: Sport sponsorship and entertainment PR
M&C Saatchi founders: Charles Saatchi, Maurice Saatchi, Baron Saatchi, Jeremy Sinclair, David Kershaw, Bill Muirhead | Founded: 1995
Fifty Digital
Fifty Digital is a digital and social media agency with renowned sponsorship in sports offerings and creative services. The agency collaborates with brands and rights holders to deliver tailored solutions that engage and commercialise audiences.
Agency specialism: Social media and sponsorship activation
Fifty Digital founders: Nick Jackman and James Campbell | Founded: 2015
WePlay
WePlay is a performance-based marketing agency and was the first of its kind to be created for the digital landscape. The agency utilises an integrated marketing approach to deliver sustainable business growth and scalable commercial success for the likes of UFC, UEFA and La Liga.
Agency specialism: Performance marketing
We Play founders: Luca Massaro | Founded: 2011
Industry heavyweights and the rising future
The pinnacle of the sports industry is a mixture of renowned industry names and established newly founded agencies with bespoke specialisms in diverse areas of sports marketing. The list highlights how the industry heavyweights have evolved from long term experience to dominant. In contrast, modern agencies have capitalised on the digital and social revolution to earn their respective marketing crowns.
We hope the list will help brands or rights holders find an agency that can take them to the next level and future sports marketers looking to join the elite club in the sports industry.
If you would like to learn about other agencies in the sports industry, then check out our top 10 agencies article. Alternatively, if you are starting up the next industry powerhouse, give our latest article on sports industry start-ups a read to give yourself the edge.
