Knowing customers better, harnessing their product and membership usage to personalise engagement and building out differentiated products is firmly in the sights of AusCycling after deploying a data analytics platform.

Demonstrating Visa’s commitment to constructive social impact, its broader payments capabilities and exclusive experiences for partners and consumers are all front and centre in its FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 sponsorship, its A/NZ head of marketing says.

The Australian Football League (AFL) and Reddit are claiming a world first with the introduction of a limited edition set of AFL-themed avatars on the forum site. The news comes just weeks after the AFL struck a multi-year agreement to mint its own NFTs and step firmly towards the metaverse.

A doubling of market share across first-home buyers, portfolio growth 1.8 times system growth and a slew of younger customers are some of the hefty commercial wins Great Southern Bank has chalked up following a transformational rebrand.

Building its nutritional credentials with consumers and extending engagement with sporting communities has driven Australian burger chain, Grill’d, to strike a four-year partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

Completing the Australian Open brand toolkit by creating an ownable, distinct audio identity that could match the tournament’s distinctive personality was the impetus for Tennis Australia to jump into sonic branding.

Growing interest, respect and acknowledgment of the talent going into women’s sports is an opportunity and challenge for the marketing chief overseeing the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 event.

The everlasting nature of Olympics ideals - persevering and making sacrifices in the pursuit of excellence - gives marketers plenty of positive values to work creatively with in 2021. Yet these are the Olympics of the new normal and things have changed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered sports sponsorship, accelerating trends already in play such as the growth of hybrid events, rising importance of player advocacy and popularity of esports, according to the Nielsen Sports 2021 Global Sports Marketing Trends report.

Sports sponsorship is one of the most impactful ways of tapping into both the emotional and functional aspects of brand, says KFC Australia’s chief marketing officer, Kristi Woolrych.

Qantas has dropped its Wallabies team sponsorship and is ending a number of arts and creative associations as it works to cope with the COVID-19 crisis fallout and to conserve cash.

Brands spent somewhere well above $750 million sponsoring sporting events and clubs in Australia in 2019. That number was on track to be bettered in 2020 thanks to the benign economic climate and the Tokyo Olympics.

All sorts of consumer brands, from exclusive high-end fashion houses to fast food chains and even movie studios, are realising the opportunities to connect with their customers through games.

​Nissan Australia has added to its sponsorship of the Suncorp Super Netball through a new data-driven initiative for player performance metrics.

For years, there’s been an urban myth that Australia’s sporting codes are so competitive, they’d never willingly share marketing and audience insights. And it’s simply not true, says CMO of Sport Australia, Louise Eyres.