Jon Last

Articles by Jon All articles by Jon

• AI's Proper Place In An Often High-Touch Sports World in Marketing Insider on 04/08/2025
  

  The battle is between high-tech, frictionless delivery of everything from tickets to tee times, against high-touch, customer-centric delivery.

• Sports Marketers Need to Be Careful Whom They Listen To in Marketing Insider on 03/11/2025
  

  Sports marketers often viscerally adopt the loudest voices as surrogates for the overall fan base -- voices that typically don't reflect the silent majority.

• Sports Has Become More Exclusive by Being More Inclusive in Marketing Insider on 02/11/2025
  

  Sports marketers have simultaneously embraced broader definitions of customer experiences while also working to deliver more elite and aspirational offerings.

• Do Sports Fans Really Want to Talk About Athletes And Money? in Marketing Insider on 01/14/2025
  

  So much attention is focused on the money rather than the competition itself that I can't help but ponder the ultimate ramifications for fan engagement marketing.

• Positive Outlook For Sports Consumption, Spending in Marketing Insider on 12/10/2024
  

  In one study, eight in 10 respondents agree that they need a vacation. Sports has historically addressed this need for release.

• Organized Sports' Battle For Share Of Youth Has Marketing Implications in Marketing Insider on 11/12/2024
  

  A majority of adults under age 45 agreed with the statement "I believe that kids today are better served by focusing on one sport rather than participating in multiple sports."

• Amplifying The Connection With Sports Fans in Marketing Insider on 10/09/2024
  

  Could it be we're inundating fans with too much superfluous information? The proliferation of touch points driven by social media could be behind this issue.

• Putting The 'Value' Back Into Sponsorship Valuation in Marketing Insider on 09/10/2024
  

  What elements beyond simple brand exposure should be carefully considered when evaluating a sports sponsorship?

• More On Sports Streaming -- And A Generational Inflection Point in Marketing Insider on 08/13/2024
  

  Particularly for fans under the age of 45, streaming highlights is the preferred sports consumption pattern. That's a vast contrast to older fans, who still want to watch the entire game.

• Live Sports Is Delivering On Its Value Proposition in Marketing Insider on 07/09/2024
  

  Delivering a differentiated fan experience continues to be the focus of so many leagues and teams.

Comments by Jon All comments by Jon

• Tracking Fan Deprivation: How Sports Provide Connection Points During Shutdown by Jon Last (Marketing Insider on 05/12/2020)
  

  Thanks, Nick.  Please visit www.backtonormalbarometer.com for access to full briefings and subscription information....or feel free to reach out to me directly--jlast@sportsandleisureresearch.com

• More Americans Deem President Trump The 'Enemy Of The People' by Joe Mandese (Marketing Politics Weekly on 08/17/2018)
  

  Interesting, and one might say misleading, spin on the headline and lead, given that the incidence of those selecting the president and the media were statistically equivalent (the difference is within the standard margin of error).  To me, the more compelling take-away is that equal groups of those surveyed picked each choice, which shows the uncertainty and distrust of both.  To me (a former national president of the Marketing Research Association) without passing my own judgement on the topic, a survey like this seems leading and is only apt to fan the flames of divisiveness. I guess I'll stick to writing about sports marketing, but just wanted to level set from a researcher's perspective.

• Goodbye To Surveys For Companies That Mine Social by Karl Greenberg (Marketing Daily on 01/02/2013)
  

  ....And "Web MD" meant the end of going to doctors?! I fully appreciate the sensationalistic spin of the headline and lead, but as a former national president of the US Marketing Research Association and head of a full service marketing research company, I take real exception to the assertion of this piece that formal research is defunct. We're fully engaged in social media sentiment analysis as a powerful "directional" feedback lever. It is but another tool in the qualitative research tool kit. But to eschew the necessity of careful sample design and management, the deployment of rigorous analytics that cut through the noise and the construction of sophisticated methodologies that derive embedded belief systems and perceptions rather than the rantings of a self selected vocal minority is as sure a recipe for insight disaster as it would be to self prescribe disease treatment. Please embrace social media analysis, but let's save the eulogies, please.

• Frugality, Authenticity ... And Luxury by Bob Deutsch (Marketing Daily on 09/25/2009)
  

  Nicely done...and very consistent with much of the research that we are doing within the "affluent" community. What Bob is describing is in lockstep with what we've seen among the cohort of affluent Americans aged 39-49 (we call them the sandwich generation..wedged between easy boomer or gen x definitions and with values of both groups). These folks are now factoring in this zest for authenticity with a scaling back of conspicuous consumption, heightened child-centricity and a "survivor's guilt" that has created new marketing challenges (and opportunities) for a number of luxury brands and services. Happy to forward a piece that I authored on this, to any who are interested. It's also on our website (www.sportsandleisureresearch.com)

• Consumer Insights That Don't Cost Much by Dianne Admire (Marketing Daily on 02/11/2009)
  

  While I can certainly appreciate the desire to find cost efficiencies in a challenging economy, recognize that the old adage, "you get what you pay for", certainly applies with do it yourself marketing research. As the current national president of the Marketing Research Association (MRA) and the owner of a full service research firm that strives to deliver exceptional market insight at fair pricing, I have to caution organizations that try to cut corners in gathering consumer feedback to make business decisions. Good marketing research is a combination of art and science. MRA has rigorous educational offerings for its members and has established the only accredited certification program in the industry. Professional researchers understand the pitfalls that do it yourself efforts often fall prey to. Professional researchers know how to ask the right questions that get at true insight, in the proper contexts and environments that bring real feedback (rather than just the answer your customer might think you want to hear). They can properly identify representative rather than convenience samples, and even more importantly apply analytical techniques that get past the "obvious" and identify true opportunities to build a business. Garbage in equals garbage out. Caveat emptor! Jon LastPresidentSports and Leisure Research Group914-358-3558jlast@sportsandleisureresearch.com

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