Jonathan Briskman: Senior Mobile Insights Analyst for Sensor Tower.
Team Hashtag
•
3 min read
Name: Jonathan Briskman
Job: Senior Mobile Insights Analyst
Company: Sensor Tower
LinkedIn: Jonathan Briskman
In 140 characters or less, tell us who you are and how you got to where you are today.
Senior Mobile Insights Analyst at Sensor Tower. My early love of baseball grew into a passion for turning statistics and data into valuable insights.
What’s one trend in media or marketing that you’re buying or selling?
I’m buying athletes sharing more of their “off the field” lives. Everyone can see what athletes achieve on the field, but until recently we’ve had little visibility into the experiences athletes have in the rest of their lives. Athletes who share their hobbies, such as love of food, give themselves more opportunities to connect with fans.
How do you define engagement?
To me, engagement requires enthusiasm. We are exposed to so much content on our phone, and passively scrolling through pictures and videos does not count for much. It is much more valuable when the content is able to earn the full undivided attention of the viewer.
What’s a lesson in audience (fan) engagement that every marketer should learn?
Personalities are important, and not just the loudest ones. Different fans are going to find different athlete personalities to be interesting and relatable.
What’s the project or campaign that you’re proudest of? Why?
One of the sports-related projects I’m proudest of was our State of Sports Apps report. This 93 page report covered mobile market trends for top apps, including sports streaming, sports leagues and events, and fantasy sports. In a world where people interact with more content on their phone than ever before, sports still has so much room to grow on mobile. It was fascinating to see how companies like ESPN, DAZN, and FanDuel are adjusting their mobile strategies and expanding into new markets.
What are you working on right now? Any exciting future plans that you’re able to share?
Currently, I’m working on our 2020-2024 Mobile Market Forecast, projecting app revenue and download growth over the next five years. We’ll not only forecast global trends but break down growth by region and category of apps. This allows us to identify areas that are likely to expand rapidly over the next few years while other markets have become more saturated. For example, DAZN has helped propel sports streaming revenue to new heights in Europe – we’ll be looking to see if this will continue into the coming years.
What are you reading, listening to, and/or watching right now?
As a marathon runner and avid baseball fan, most of what I follow is related to running or baseball. Some of my favorite podcasts include Effectively Wild (baseball) and The Morning Shakeout (running). Outside of sports, I’ve really enjoyed listening to the Reply All podcast (though they do have a segment called “Sports Sports Sports!”).
As a connected fan, who’s your favorite athlete to follow on social media?
My favorite group to follow is the Tinman Elite professional running club. This group is unlike any other in professional running – most teams are well-established with one major shoe company sponsor and little social media presence. This means that there has been unfilled demand for running-related content. Tinman filled this void by releasing tons of personal content on YouTube and Instagram, documenting the life of professional runners beyond just the races that everyone can watch. You can really see the personality of the athletes and understand the struggles that a professional runner faces while battling injuries. In addition, they’ve created a powerful brand (with corresponding hand signal) and release limited-time merchandise that quickly sells out and lets fans feel like they’re part of the club. And of course, success helps as well – Tinman Elite has emerged as one of the best running groups in the country.
What’s a piece of advice you received that you’re glad you ignored?
I’ve ignored “Work always takes priority over hobbies.“ Finding time to run every day has helped me find balance and improves my overall productively. I feel so fortunate to work in a place that supports my crazy running habits.
What’s one element of the sports industry that you’d like to see change?
I’d like athletes to gain more negotiating power for their compensation. This can be an issue across all sports but seems most pronounced for professional athletes outside of the biggest leagues who have few options. For example, historically some top distance runners were not paid while they were pregnant. We need all athletes to be paid fairly.
Have someone in mind for a Community Spotlight? Make a suggestion here.
Hear more from leaders and creators across the sports industry at Hashtag Sports, an annual conference designed for media and marketing professionals.