Sports Innovation Lab's Fan Intelligence from Major Sports Leagues, Fan Communities, and Retailers Integrates with dentsu's Merkury Platform

Dentsu has announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, marking the first collaboration of its kind between a major holding company and the sports data leader. This alliance provides dentsu clients with exclusive access to specialized sports audiences across various publishers and platforms, leveraging the extensive reach of Merkury's 268 million reachable U.S. adults.

1. Comprehensive Sports Data Access:

   • Sports Innovation Lab offers audience segments from all major sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA, MLS, and NSWL), entertainment venues, and sports betting platforms.
   • The data is deterministic and transaction-based, ensuring accuracy and reliability.

2. Enhanced Audience Targeting with Merkury:

   • Integration with Merkury’s global data, identity, and insights platform allows for the creation of advanced, precise sports audiences.
   • Merkury’s 10,000+ consumer data attributes combined with Sports Innovation Lab’s fan intelligence enable highly targeted and personalized advertising experiences.

3. Privacy-First Approach:

   • The integration uses a privacy-first, cohort-based scoring method, addressing growing concerns over data privacy and security in digital advertising.
   • Targeting capabilities span over 100 publishers and ad-tech platforms, including connected TV, social media, and display media.

4. Enhanced Advertising Strategies:

   • The partnership allows brands to utilize detailed purchase-based sports data for planning, insights, and activation.
   • This data can significantly enhance advertising strategies during major sports events and peak shopping periods, potentially driving higher engagement and ROI.

5. Impact on the Sports Media Landscape:

   • The partnership aligns with the rising global spending on sports media rights, forecasted to reach $60.09 billion this year.
   • Dentsu’s investment in sports, entertainment, and gaming aims to provide clients with first-mover advantages and improved ROI from engaging sports fans.

The strategic alliance between dentsu and Sports Innovation Lab is set to revolutionize sports audience targeting by integrating cutting-edge data with Merkury's platform. This partnership enhances the ability to deliver personalized and effective advertising experiences, positioning clients to achieve greater engagement and business outcomes in a rapidly evolving sports media landscape.