Digital marketing lessons for sports from IShowSpeed

According to Forbes.com, IShowSpeed, the prolific streamer, is world-famous for his high-energy gaming reactions, pranks, and travel content. Born Darren Jason Watkins Jr., Speed got his start with gaming content on YouTube in 2016—he now has 40 million subscribers on the platform alone. He often appears at Champions League Soccer games and WWE matches—sometimes dressed in a costume, hawking Logan Paul’s energy drink Prime. He signed with Warner Music and released the single “World Cup”.

IShowSpeed kicked off his Caribbean tour in Trinidad and Tobago last Saturday. According to a Trinidad Guardian report, the viral content creator started the tour with his signature high-energy livestreams. Ato Boldon confirmed his visit. The well-known local event management team UEL involvement gave credibility to his visit.

There are important lessons that can be learned from the I Show Speed rise to prominence and influence. In particular as it relates to sport marketing, content creation and engagement with the under-35 demographic.

For a number of years the importance of social media and digital marketing has been a reality. The TTOC Sport Business conference acknowledged that reality. In fact, the core of the TTOC marketing transformation and strategy was built on the undeniable reality and embrace of social media and digital marketing. Essential elements of the plan were contemporary minds such as Dale Lutchman, LaShaun Ramdhin, Nadine Khan, Dwayne Cambridge, Brevard Nelson, Rheeza Grant, Chanelle Young, Melanie Gulston, Business Bridges TT, and Zwede Hewitt. That period was exciting and creative, with robust conversations, and no ideas on the table were limited by inflated egos and petty agendas.

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) transformed its marketing strategy by pivoting from traditional approaches to a digital-first, social media-driven model to increase fan engagement, athlete marketability, and revenue generation, including partnering with platforms like LUHU to enhance digital presence.

I recall in a July 5, 2016 blog entitled ‘TTOC cutting loose from its comfort zone’ I wrote:

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s (TTOC) effort to transform how it markets and brands itself has seen the National Olympic Committee embrace a different approach in areas such as the alignment with Trinidad and Tobago music and culture.

It’s an evolving situation that required the TTOC to step up its public and fan engagement strategy. Cultural partnerships with Erphaan Alves, Sekon Sta and Chucky Gordon.

The songs Believe, My World and Bleeding Red, White and Black all seek to integrate T&T’s music with the Olympic effort. A follow-on of the London 2012 We are Conquerors by Kees Dieffenthaller, which was commissioned by Bptt. For Rio 2016 Press Play Juke Box commissioned Erphaan Alves’ Believe to support the Text Donate campaign.

Then there was the #learntolove initiative between Sunny Bling, Press Play Jukebox and the TTOC.

The TTOC needed to diversify its public and fan engagement. There was a strategy that looked at different demographics. Enough of the nostalgia. The main point is that my short visit to Trinidad and Tobago is a reminder of why sport marketing in the contemporary world will continue to leave old, conservative and traditional-thinking sport leaders behind—way behind to the detriment of their sport.

Those who don’t hear will feel. In 2016 the TTOC marketing transformation was launched. I show Speed gaming content started in 2016. His trajectory didn’t stagnate, nor was it stymied.

Progress waits on no one.

Editor’s note:

The views expressed in the preceding article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of any organisation in which he is a stakeholder.