InCrowd’s services pivot embraces sport’s digital transformation

InCrowd expanded its focus last year to reposition as a holistic solutions provider for the sports industry.

Through the rebrand, InCrowd confirmed itself as a services-dedicated business for the sports industry, evolving from its origins as a tech start-up and claiming what it believes is a unique position within the sector as a provider of both advisory and unrivalled executional expertise. 

It was a bold move, borne out of InCrowd’s extensive experience at the intersection of sports marketing and technology, that has now positioned the business firmly at the forefront of sport’s ongoing digital evolution.

Unlocking new value

In its previous incarnation, selling tech products alongside services was initially considered to be the lifeblood of the business in response to the needs of the sports industry.

However, in 2024 came the realisation that there was greater potential for InCrowd to deliver as a business and better serve the evolving, more digitally savvy sports organisations. By re-housing technology products under a new, entirely independent business and brand, InCrowd now has a clear focus as a services business, leveraging its considerable knowhow, and implementation experience, as a services provider for sports clubs, competitions and organisations wishing to navigate the complexities of digital and data transformation.

“We started out life as a technology company, but very quickly we started developing services because the market was not really ready to buy technology without the advisory and strategy piece alongside, helping to support those technical decisions,” says InCrowd’s Non-Executive Director Aidan Cooney, who previously served as the founder and CEO of data provider Opta Sports from 2002 to 2014.

“What we’re seeing now is a massively increased demand for diversified revenue streams in sport. So, we felt it was time to separate the businesses into a specific sport-specific software business and a services business.”

The move has helped InCrowd to approach the market “with a focus on core advisory and implementation services that aren’t restricted by the requirement to sell products”, says Cooney, while staying true to the business’ original vision “to unlock new value in sport by helping organisations to connect with their digital audiences”.

According to Abigail Cockayne, InCrowd’s director of digital and data services, “the conversations are moving from being reactive to proactive in terms of driving value from digital.” She adds: “Previously it would be more of a supplier relationship, whereas we have moved much more into a partner relationship as part of an open conversation.”

The role of data

In this context, according to Cooney, many rights-holders are underutilising their data and undervaluing their digital assets by failing to leverage branded and hyper-targeted content. This leaves vital dollars, pounds or euros on the sponsorship table. 

“A lot of sports have not moved as fast as they would have liked to adapt to the way that consumption is changing,” Cooney adds. “Digital channels provide the opportunity to get to know your audience directly, so there is a big opportunity for organisations to become more B2C focused, rather than being a B2B business selling media or sponsorship rights every three years.

“A lot of organisations have made the decision to make that change over the past decade,” says Cockayne. “However, it’s a difficult transition to make and it changes the organisational structure. Our ideal customer profile is an organisation that has already recognised the need to make that change, and we are there to help them on that journey.”

Practical approach

With sports rights-holders having to adapt to changing consumer behaviour, InCrowd believes the industry has shifted from a more theoretical outlook on the potential for digital audience engagement to a more practical stage of delivering bottom-line value.

“That puts an onus on being focused on delivering high-impact fan experiences across all of your channels and then delivering genuine commercial returns from them – and we believe the sponsorship sales opportunity is the really big opportunity,” says Cooney.

Whereas advertising is evolving to embrace automation and personalisation in real time, Cooney suggests that sponsorship has not been “industrialised” and is stuck in an inefficient “agrarian economy” with disparate pockets of distribution that are difficult to track.

However, digital technology, underpinned by sophisticated datasets, can help to grow the value of brand partnerships.

“There is currently a lack of understanding of what the digital elements of a sponsorship package are worth. Data is a fundamental part of being able to tell the right story to the right audience in the digital world,” Cooney says.

“If you are creating great, data-led experiences digitally, you’re then creating better propositions for brands to be part of – and there are lots of different types of inventory and channels which provide an even greater opportunity. If these tools are properly understood and valued, then growth is exponential.”

Digital pain points

Cockayne adds that a common barrier to digital progress is presented by data being siloed within organisations, whereas an integrated and synced data-management structure can ensure that a more holistic approach is enabled, powering segmentation and personalisation. 

“The multiplier effect is huge, but it can only really be driven by leveraging data effectively,” she adds.

Such an approach is key to engaging casual as well as diehard fans – a significant challenge for rights-holders – and getting the basic foundations right is essential if digital goals are to be fulfilled.

“Customers often want a website and an app, but they don’t know what the purpose or potential of the website and app is, beyond traditional engagement,” Cooney says. “We’re driving the evolution of the sports industry to a place where our clients recognise the commercial purpose and potential of their digital platforms. We are here to demonstrate that digital products should be seen as a revenue driver, rather than a cost line in the marketing budget.”

Such a task requires an understanding of the technology, as well as its broader strategic impact. This, according to Cockayne, is something that InCrowd offers in abundance.

“Our people and expertise are why we stand out, because we have evolved from technology to commercial, from delivery to strategy, and so we have shared experience and knowledge across the team that is totally unrivalled,” Cockayne says. “In terms of working on the technology side of digital implementation, a lot of our people who work directly with clients have been there and done it.”

Joined up approach

InCrowd’s services span advisory, strategic consultancy and implementation across data, content, digital platforms and commercial inventory – four pillars underpinning successful and valuable digital transformation projects, especially in sport.

Meanwhile, the data services team helps sports organisations build clear data strategies and implement the right technology to establish sophisticated yet user-friendly data platforms, generating significant growth in marketable databases and driving personalisation and commercial ROI.

InCrowd’s content team also offers services to engage and retain fans on owned and operated channels, such as app, web and social, email and direct messaging channels, utilising data-driven campaigns and managed content creation and delivery.

The agency has the expertise to deliver digital platforms that connect all of these strands together, helping clients to create compelling digital destinations for fans while supporting integrations with technology providers across multiple areas, from data to ticketing to retail to streaming.

Importantly, this joined-up approach ensures that clients can have the right tech foundations in place to leverage the digital opportunity to its full potential, without being blindsided by the latest technology.

“It’s important to have the right building blocks in place so you don’t run before you walk,” Cooney says. “It’s an important part of our job to cut through the noise for our clients and make sure that solutions are truly valuable to them. That’s where we can make a real difference.”

To find out more information, visit InCrowd’s website.