EA SPORTS: Accelerating Sports Fandom and Maximizing Engagement with Athlete Partners
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Brand Sponsorship
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
EA SPORTS is home to some of the most valuable properties in all of sports. With an incredible portfolio of IP, massive online communities with hundreds of millions of fans, and more global rights for more sports than anywhere else in interactive entertainment, EA SPORTS has partnered with athletes across the most popular sports in the world - global football, American football, golf, UFC, Formula 1 and more - to create a deep partnership portfolio unlike any other.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
EA SPORTS deeply understands the opportunity that exists to continue growing their audience - and growing sports fandom overall - by being an accelerator of sports and entertainment and serving as a catalyst for what sports fandom will look like for future generations. It is especially within those connection points that EA SPORTS has found the most value and uncovered unique ways to engage with fans in interactive ways, both in and out of the game. Our athlete partnerships have not increased engagement of fans within EA SPORTS titles, but have also increased fans’ love of and access to sport through their favorite athletes across the globe.
Objective
From its unique position at the intersection of sport, culture and innovation, EA SPORTS is leading the evolution of sports fandom. EA SPORTS develops simulation video games for the most popular sports across the globe with the ambition to strengthen the brand’s position in sports entertainment. Tens of thousands of athletes are featured in EA SPORTS games, providing a mutually beneficial platform to elevate the brightest stars of sport. EA SPORTS partners with top athletes like Josh Allen, Max Verstappen, Erling Haaland, Sam Kerr, David Beckham, Michael Vick and more to drive meaningful engagements, fresh content and unique experiences for fans in and out of its games.
Strategy & Execution
Athletes are the most followed celebrities in the world and Gen Z and Gen Alpha most often express their sports fandom by following favorite athletes. EA SPORTS sets themselves apart as a brand sponsor by going far beyond traditional partnerships for the brand to create integrated, authentic and meaningful activations that keep fan’s digital experiences fresh, drive real world engagements, and grow the love of sport.
In 2023, EA SPORTS launched FC FUTURES, a program dedicated to providing meaningful investment in soccer across the globe. This included the creation of football pitches for local communities and the development of skills training activations that created unforgettable in-person opportunities for youth to interact with Sam Kerr, Dejan Kulusevski, Zinedine Zidane, and David Beckham.
For Madden NFL 24, EA SPORTS partnered with cover athlete Josh Allen and Nike to create a limited edition Air Max 90 shoe that was available in-game to purchase IRL and digitally to equip on their avatars. Across activations, EA SPORTS delivered meaningful opportunities with athletes at the center which engaged fans more deeply in the sports they love - both in and outside of the game.
Organizations
- EA SPORTS
Links
Credits
Andrea Hopelain
GM, SVP of Publishing, EA SPORTS
EA SPORTS
John Reseburg
Vice President, Marketing, Partnerships & Communications for EA SPORTS
EA SPORTS
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
