Five Tips to Help SMBs Harness the Power of Sport in their Marketing Year-Round

According iStock research, consumers are interested in deeper visual representation when it comes to sports

London – 18th February 2022 - With the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 ongoing, iStock, a leading ecommerce platform providing premium visual content to SMBs, SMEs, creatives, and students everywhere, has revealed five key strategies to help businesses effectively capitalize on the power of sport to connect with customers on a deeper level.

According to Visual GPS, an iStock research initiative, consumers across the globe are interested in deeper visual representation when it comes to sports, with 81% of people in the UK agreeing that sports should be accessible to everyone. The research also reveals that the emotional wellbeing that sports offer is more compelling than the physical benefits, with 72% of British people agreeing that engaging with sports is good for one’s mental health.

“Consumers crave a new type of athlete – it’s less about strong sports heroes with struggles, triumphs, and relatability, the nuance now is much more focused on the holistic journey and vulnerability of athletes as real people, and how sports organisations need to take more care of them,” said Jacqueline Bourke, Head of Creative Insights for EMEA at iStock. “The psychological challenges of sports have been talked about for ages, but in 2021, athletes in a number of disciplines took action to shine a light on the vulnerability and destigmatisation of mental health within sport at all levels. Although we’ve seen strides depicting mental health, body positivity and inclusion since then, there’s still a marked opportunity to build upon this and deepen the representation we tap within marketing to foster truer, more authentic connections with global audiences who look to sports for inspiration.”

Below, iStock reveals five tips for businesses of all sizes to help elevate conversations and stories around mental health, wellbeing, and inclusion in sport within their marketing year-round:

To find more sport and wellness-related imagery and videos, visit iStock  

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