CYCLING
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THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF BRITISH CYCLING 2014 WAS A SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR BRITISH CYCLING, WITH HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDING JOANNA ROWSELL ACHIEVING HER FIFTH WORLD TITLE IN THE INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT, SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS BECOMING WORLD CHAMPION IN THE ELITE MEN’S TIME TRIAL AND PHILIP HINDES, JASON KENNY AND CALLUM SKINNER WINNING THE TEAM SPRINT AT THE UCI TRACK CYCLING WORLD CUP. The UK also played host to several high profile international cycling events during 2014, such as the UCI Track Cycling World Cup at the Velodrome and the opening stages of the Tour de France in Yorkshire. CONTACT Frank Saez Managing Director & Founder, SMG Insight T: +44 (0)20 7012 6000 E:
[email protected] www.smg-insight.com
Utilising its in-house tools and benchmarking capabilities, SMG Insight has undertaken research into the commercial appeal of British Cycling, covering analysis of factors such as the level of interest in the sport and specific cycling events, the profile of people following cycling, as well the positive impact that cycling can have on brand health for those involved in the sport commercially.
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF BRITISH CYCLING | 2
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RIDING HIGH IN THE UK SPORTS CHARTS Whilst cycling sits at #9 in the Sports Interest Top 10, it ranks much higher in the chart for Sports Participation, coming second behind swimming and beating football. 13% of all respondents said they had participated in cycling in the last 12 months (Table 2) whilst 11% said that they follow or watch the sport (Table 1). In terms of interest levels, these results place cycling in a similar bracket to snooker and golf, which score 12% and 12% respectively. When analysing interest levels in cycling in relation to income (Chart 1), the sport ranks #2= with sailing amongst those in the higher gross
household income bracket (of more than £50K), placing cycling 5% behind the top sport of hockey. This would suggest that cycling appeals to those with greater disposable income – an attractive target group for both sponsors and rights holders. Benchmarked against other sports, the gender split for cycling is comparatively even, with 44% of females stating that they watch or follow cycling and 37% having participated in the sport in the last twelve months.
56%
44%
Watch or follow cycling
CHART 1
SPORTS INTEREST BY INCOME 25%
37%
32%
32%
29%
28%
28%
26%
26%
30%
28%
32%
39%
36%
41%
40%
38%
39%
41%
42%
43%
31%
29%
32%
30%
32%
34%
36%
33%
28%
29%
38%
Hockey
Cycling
Sailing
Rugby Union
Football
Tennis
Motorsports
Athletics
Cricket
Golf
Snooker
Low Personal Income (less £25k)
Middle Personal Income (£25-£50k)
37%
High Personal Income (over £50K)
TABLE 2
TABLE 1
SPORTS PARTICIPATION, UK
SPORTS INTEREST, UK RANK SPORT
% INTEREST*
RANK SPORT
% PARTICIPATE*
1 Football
37%
1 Swimming
20%
2 Tennis
23%
2 Cycling
13%
3
20%
3 Football
8%
4 Motorsports
19%
4 Golf
6%
5 Athletics
16%
5 Tennis
4%
6 Cricket
15%
6 Snooker
4%
7 Golf
12%
7 Cricket
2%
8 Snooker
12%
8=
1%
9 Cycling
11%
Rugby Union
10= Rugby League, Swimming *Watch or follow Source: SMG Insight, December 2014 Base: 6,147
7%
Sailing, basketball, Rugby Union, Hockey
*Participated in past 12 months Source: SMG Insight, December 2014 Base: 6,147
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF BRITISH CYCLING | 3
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TOUR OF BRITAIN TAKES THE LEAD As well as analysing interest levels and participation in cycling, SMG Insight’s research focused on the ‘brand health’ of two specific cycling events: Tour of Britain, British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, and RideLondon, an annual two day cycling festival taking place in the capital. Both events were closely monitored over 2014 to assess ‘buzz’ levels, ie. the extent to which respondents had heard anything positive or negative about the event. Chart 2 shows that the ‘buzz’ level around the Tour of Britain was greater than that around RideLondon, which is likely to be attributable to Tour of Britain’s higher profile as a cycling competition.
Tour of Britain buzz was also higher amongst cycling fans than the general UK population, with cycling fans being on average 11% more likely to have heard something positive about the event. However, it is interesting to note that buzz increases and peaks at a sharper rate for RideLondon, suggesting promotion of the event was more effective than that of Tour of Britain. Aligning sponsors with positive sentiment around these events, SMG Insight’s research shows that the ‘impression’ of Prudential and Friends Life, title sponsors of RideLondon and Tour of Britain respectively, improves over the event period amongst cycling fans.
CHART 2
RIDELONDON AND TOUR OF BRITAIN ‘BUZZ’ IN 2014
RideLondon 9-10 August 2014
Tour of Britain 7-14 September 2014
Base: Asked to N-100 people each day, every day Question: Buzz Over the past two weeks, which of the following sporting events have you heard something positive / negative about Impression: Which of the following brands do you have a generally positive Cycling Fans: Those who follow cycling (e.g. Ride London, Tour of Britain)
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF BRITISH CYCLING | 4
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CYCLING SECURES PLACE IN EVENTS’ TOP 10 Tour of Britain features in the Top 10 ‘buzz’ sports events within SMG Insight’s SportsIndex Annual Report 2015* (Table 3). However, the event recorded a 3.6 fall in peak buzz between 2013 and 2014, which may be a reflection of the fact that Sir Bradley Wiggins was unable to replicate his 2013 title, finishing in third place. British riders recorded just one stage victory in 2014, compared to five out of eight in 2013, which may have affected the level of positive buzz around the competition in 2014 versus 2013.
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which showcased the disciplines of mountain bike, road and track cycling, generated the most interest of all sporting events in the UK during 2014. Lizzie Armitstead and Joanna Rowsell were amongst the British medal-winning cyclists who helped boost the Games peak buzz score to 52.9, meaning the event ranked 13.3 points higher than the Wimbledon Championships and only 3.9 points behind the 56.8 score achieved by the London 2012 Olympic Games.
TABLE 3
TOP 10 SPORTS EVENTS* RANK COMPETITION
SPORT
SCORE
1
2014 Commonwealth Games
Multi-sport
52.9
2
Wimbledon Championships
Tennis
39.6
3
2014 Winter Olympic Games
Multi-sport
37.7
4
The Ryder Cup
Golf
30.8
5
Six Nations Rugby Championship
Rugby union
27.4
6
London Marathon
Athletics
24.6
7
Formula 1 British Grand Prix
Motorsport
18.7
8
The FA Cup
Football
17.7
9
Grand National
Horse racing
14.8
10
Tour of Britain Cycling
Cycling
14.4
*SOURCE: SMG INSIGHT SPORTS INDEX ANNUAL REPORT 2015 View full report www.sportsbusinessinsight.com/sportsindex/
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF BRITISH CYCLING | 5
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SKY’S CYCLING SUCCESS As a primary sponsor of British Cycling and the creator and sponsor of its own successful professional cycling team, Sky is undoubtedly the most prominent brand within the sport. Highlighting Sky’s positive profile within cycling, our grassroots tracker (Charts 3 and 4) shows the brand clearly ranking #1 in terms of association with the sport, 31% higher than the National Lottery. Cycling was also mentioned by over 50% of respondents as the sport most associated with Sky.
CHART 3
These results demonstrate firstly, that Sky’s level of involvement and investment in the sport is resonating with the public in terms of awareness and, secondly, that Sky’s branding and communication around its cycling partnerships is proving to be effective. Cycling offers brands such as Sky the opportunity to engage with a diverse and affluent audience, resulting in partnerships that can have a positive impact on brand health. Numerous high profile cycling events such as those examined in this report, as well as the the success of the British Cycling team, are building sponsor awareness and brand perception as the sport continues to evolve.
CHART 4
BRANDS MOST ASSOCIATED WITH CYCLING
SPORTS MOST ASSOCIATED WITH THE SKY BRAND
54%
54%
45%
23%
Sky
National Lottery
20%
Samsung
11%
11%
Lucozade
RedBull
14%
Cycling
Football Athletics
9%
9%
9%
Cricket
Rugby League
Rugby Union
You identified as a brand you associate with the development of sport at a grassroots level. Which sports in particular do you most associate with the development of? Cycling specific
You identified as a brand you associate with the development of sport at a grassroots level. Which sports in particular do you most associate with the development of? Cycling specific
Source: SMG Insight / YouGov December 2014
Source: SMG Insight / YouGov December 2014
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF BRITISH CYCLING | 6
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The term ‘fan’ refers to a person who follows or watches the sport. BrandIndex / SportIndex: asked to N=100 people each day, every day to produce a nationally representative view of the UK General Population Source: SMG Insight
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ABOUT US SMG Insight, the sports specialist arm of YouGov, is an independent research consultancy specialising in the business of sports and sponsorship fields. The company has many years of experience of working in the rights marketing environment, and in the development and application of sponsorship valuation models. SMG Insight operates from an international network of offices in London, Edinburgh, North America, Scandinavia, Germany, France, and Middle East.
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Disclaimer | The opinions, conclusions, projections, evaluations and estimates in this report are based on more than 40 years of experience in the media, sports and lifestyle research industry. However, whilst great care has been taken in the preparation of this document, SMG Insight cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information contained herein and disclaims all liability for any loss or damage from reliance thereupon.
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