Study reveals Gen Z is most likely to be influenced by advertising during sporting events and act on it

A new study released by the UK's leading Out of Home media and infrastructure company, Clear Channel UK, revealed that Gen Z (18-24-year-olds) are likelier to notice ads at sporting events than older generations. Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z respondents said they notice advertising more during sporting events, making them a lucrative target for advertisers.

The study of 2,000 respondents conducted via OnePoll also revealed that Gen Z is the age group that says they’re most likely to purchase a product after repeated exposure to an ad during a sporting event, with 42% claiming they do so. They’re followed by 27% of 25-34-year-olds and 24% of 35-44-year-olds.

A significant proportion (32%) of 18-24-year-olds say their perception of a brand improves after seeing it advertised during a major sporting event, as do 28% of 25-34-year-olds. Similarly, one in four (24%) 18-24-year-olds are inspired to learn more about products advertised during sporting events.

This highlights that younger generations have a profound tendency to become interested in brands and products that they see advertised during sporting events, indicating that it’s an effective medium for raising brand awareness.

Gen Z (18-24-year-olds) are more susceptible to being influenced by seeing ads at sporting events than older generations, with nearly half (46%) of Gen Z trusting the brand more.
One in four (25%) 18-24-year-olds and one in three (27%) 25-34-year-olds bought products advertised during sporting events because of positive association with the event.


Other key findings from the study:

- 18-24-year-olds are more likely to purchase an FMCG product on the same day after seeing it advertised during a sporting event (15%) than if they were exposed to the same product through regular advertising (12%).
- Brand trust (25%), brand recognition (20%), positive association with events (15%), emotional appeal (13%) and brand prestige (13%) were named the key drivers for purchasing a product people saw advertised at a sporting event.
- One in four (25%) selected brand trust as a key driver for purchasing a product seen advertised at a sports event.
- Men (18%) are more likely to buy a product they saw at a sporting event because of a positive association with the event than women (11%).
- Product purchase intention during sporting events is leaning towards FMCG products with alcohol (65%), snacks (58%), soft drinks (55%), BBQ food and drinks (50%) and chocolates and confectionery (50%) rounding out the top five categories.


Ben Hope, Marketing Director at Clear Channel UK, said: ‘’Our study has shown that sporting events are an effective way for brands to reach and influence their audience, in particular Gen Z, who are fast becoming a major force in the consumer market. While their attention span is known to be the lowest, the data from our study shows that surprisingly, they are more receptive to advertising than older generations during sporting events. We hope that our research will help brands to better understand consumer behaviour and how they can leverage the power of contextual outdoor advertising as an effective solution to engage them’’.

About Clear Channel:

Clear Channel UK is one of the UK’s largest Out of Home media and infrastructure companies, operating more than 33,000 advertising sites nationwide and employing 600+ people in 14 locations.

Clear Channel’s mission is to Create the Future of Media, transforming their estate to the benefit of all stakeholders through data-driven innovations and infrastructure. Their purpose is to provide both A Platform for Brands and A Platform for Good, delivering on advertisers’ media objectives whilst having a positive impact on the world around them.

Credit

Please credit this research to Clear Channel UK


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