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Sports Marketing Summit: Marketers, keep your eyes on the ball – ‘Fans don’t stop being fans when the game ends’
Mumbrella's Sports Marketing Summit returns to Sydney this Thursday. Liam Daly, the founder of SHOUT Collective, hopes that sports marketers will walk away with a fresh perspective on how to engage today’s fans.
Marketing is at the heart of what you do. What are the key brand and marketing principles that you follow in your role?
I’ve always been a salesman at heart, but with SHOUT, I’ve fully embraced marketing. Building a brand from scratch has been a huge challenge, but also an absolute blast. I’m learning as I go, and I’ve had the freedom to put bold ideas into action immediately.
Where I’ve landed is with a carefully crafted brand strategy for SHOUT that ensures every touchpoint leaves a lasting impression. When people experience SHOUT, I want them to feel the energy, creativity, and authenticity in everything we do. I want them to instantly recognise that we’re not just a podcast business – we’re a full-fledged content powerhouse, focused on creating bold, innovative campaigns that audiences love and that drive epic results for advertisers.
At SHOUT, it’s all about being consistent, clear, and authentic in everything we do. But above all, it’s about the product: we work closely with our podcast partners to craft compelling, high-quality content that large audiences love, while seamlessly integrating advertisers’ messages. The closeness of our relationships with partners, combined with our specialisation in this rapidly evolving subspace, sets us apart from much larger, multi-product competitors.
What lessons from Sports Marketing do you think are applicable to brands outside sports?
If brands want to tap into deep emotional triggers, sports is the perfect place to look. Fandom is driven by passion and loyalty, and when brands align themselves with that energy, the impact can be immense.
Growing up in Queensland, nothing felt more iconic than seeing XXXX or Bundy Rum backing the Maroons and the Wallabies. Even though I didn’t love the taste, the connection was already made – those brands felt like part of the night out crew.
Today, brands like Westpac and Macca’s have done an incredible job of winning over NRL fans’ hearts and minds – not just through great ads, but by embedding themselves deeply across every facet of the game. From team and stadium sponsorships to league, ball, and broadcast integrations, their presence is both unmissable and unforgettable.
Sports marketing has an incredible ability to forge powerful emotional connections simply through alignment with the things people love.
When you are dealing with internal stakeholders and aligning the business to your campaigns, what works best for you?
At SHOUT, we work very closely with our podcast partners, seeing ourselves as an extension of their sales team. This close collaboration ensures that everyone is aligned, and it leads to a better, more authentic product for advertisers. If the partnership or content doesn’t feel genuine, it doesn’t work for anyone. That clarity and authenticity are key to making every campaign successful.
How are you using technology and data analytics shaping the future of sports marketing?
The data clearly shows that under-40s’ sports consumption has rapidly evolved – it’s fragmented, social, short but constant, and spread across multiple platforms and channels. Yet, many sports advertisers haven’t fully adjusted their buying behaviour to reflect these shifts. This creates a massive opportunity for bold, forward-thinking advertisers to capitalise on these emerging consumption trends.
I think back to when I started selling podcasts in 2019. It was the hot new product, but only a handful of advertisers were exploring the space. Fast forward to 2024, and most clients have tried it, with many increasing their audio budgets significantly. I see the same trend unfolding with sports podcast partnerships – early adopters will reap the benefits as the space grows, and more advertisers catch on to its potential.
What advice would you give to brands looking to leverage sports partnerships for maximum engagement?
Think SHOUT. Think podcasting. It works. You can tap into funny, authentic, and engaging talent with huge, loyal audiences. Don’t try to create something from scratch on your own platform – let the pros engage your target audience, as they’ve already built those strong connections.
SHOUT’s podcasters have real conversations and genuine connections with their communities, creating two-way engagement opportunities for brands. This stands in contrast to the one-way branding that dominates most traditional sports partnerships.
How do you measure success in a sports marketing campaign?
At SHOUT, we prioritise branding, and pre- and post-campaign surveys are crucial for tracking success. A great example – this year, we saw a 28% uplift in brand consideration for the LDV T60 after their five-month partnership with Bloke In A Bar.
But it’s not just about branding – we also track tangible actions. For Macca’s McSmart campaign in June, a survey of Bloke In A Bar’s 3,000-strong audience showed that 53% went to Macca’s in June to purchase the McSmart meal, and 65% said seeing the ad on Bloke prompted them to visit.
What role do social issues and inclusivity play in modern sports marketing, and how can brands do it well?
It’s all about being real and connecting with values that matter to your audience. Brands that speak up and reflect the community they serve build stronger, lasting relationships.
Don’t give the game away, but what do you hope attendees of Mumbrella Sports Marketing Summit 2024 take from your presentation?
Sports consumption has fundamentally shifted, particularly for under-40 audiences. The days when the majority of fan engagement happened only during live games are over. Now, most of their time and engagement takes place outside the “live window” – whether they’re listening to podcasts, watching highlights on YouTube, scrolling through social media, or engaging with fan communities.
My session will explore these consumption patterns in depth, shining a light on how fans stay connected to their favourite sports long after the final whistle. The goal is to show marketers the enormous opportunity to reach these fans beyond the game itself, in ways that are more personal and often more impactful. It’s about tapping into the moments when fans are deeply engaged, and showing how SHOUT’s approach to podcasting and influencer alignment is the key to building authentic connections during those off-game moments.
To bring some real star power to the session, I’ll be joined on stage by none other than the OG of sports podcasting, Dylan Buckley from Clubby Sports. Dyl has built one of the largest, most engaged, and laser-focused podcast communities in Australia. He’s not just a great listen – he’s a master at understanding audience behaviour and can speak to the trends shaping the future of sports content. Giving us all a deeper look into what truly drives engagement in today’s podcasting world.
What are you hoping to gain from the Mumbrella Sports Marketing Summit 2024?
I want sports marketers to walk away with a fresh perspective on how to engage today’s fans. Live sports sponsorships are traditionally a badging exercise, now I know this will always play an important role, but there’s a massive untapped world beyond the live event that’s just waiting to be activated. Fans don’t stop being fans when the game ends. They’re consuming highlights, engaging in debates, listening to podcasts, and following their favourite teams and players on social media.
At SHOUT, we offer brands the opportunity to reach these passionate fans during those off-field moments—when they’re just as engaged but in a more personal and emotional space. By aligning with trusted voices in podcasting, we help brands create real conversations and meaningful connections with their target audience. My goal at the summit is to show marketers that SHOUT is the perfect complement to their live sports strategy. It’s not about replacing what they’re already doing but expanding it to fully engage fans across every touchpoint.
Mumbrella’s Sports Marketing Summit takes place this Thursday at the Australian Turf Club, Sydney.
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