SportZ - backed by WPP companies BroadMind, Global Sportnet, Hill & Knowlton, Mediaedge:cia and Premiere - measures the personality and image of key sports, events and leading soccer and Formula One teams in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, the US and the UK.
The fan-based study shows how consumer behaviour and attitudes towards sport can impact on brands.
The study allows sports brands to be compared and connected to 18,000 consumer brands across the world through links to WPP’s BrandZ study - a cross sector on-going consumer relation-to-brands study.
In addition it can be linked to the extensive media and product purchasing information on the multinational Target Group Index (TGI).
Said Mandy Pooler, chief executive of The Channel, which co-ordinated the project: “At a time when huge questions are being asked about the future of sports sponsorship, SportZ is the first international study designed to quantify and qualify the value of sport among the only people who matter – the fans.”
SportZ reveals what sports fans think about 45 sports and about 58 different sporting events around the world ranging from the Olympic Games to show jumping events.
The research, which was carried out by BMRB and Millward Brown, was conducted among over 21,000 sports fans over the age of 15 in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, China and the US.
Attending the London launch, IOC marketing director Michael Payne added: "There is a real need for professionalism in managing the complexity of sports brands and research like SportZ is an important asset in improving standards.”
