We are often asked if we are an agency that provides entertainment marketing services, what the Anglo-Saxon world very accurately calls “entertainment marketing services.”

When asked this question, we realize that there is still a lot of confusion about the roles and competencies of agencies when it comes to entertainment and sports-related events. They are two very close and related worlds, and this is confusing, but in terms of services and skills, they are actually very different. Certainly there are points of contact and similarities in the type of work, sports is actually considered a real form of entertainment.

The differences, however, especially in terms of expertise, are quite stark.

So let’s start at the beginning and try to make it very clear who does what and the specific areas of work and action of both.

What exactly is an entertainment marketing agency and what does it do?

When we think of entertainment, a myriad of fun things certainly come to mind.

From music, dance, theater to magic shows, comedians to celebrities, influencers to all performances that mix these and other elements; in short, everything that entertains and entertains us as consumers and customers.

And it is exactly on this point that entertainment agencies base their work: they are responsible for creating and organizing events and activities that entertain a specific audience in a specific context, often creating them ad hoc.

If we talk specifically about marketing, entertainment agencies offer advice to companies that want to organize an event to entertain or engage their target audience.

Corporate events

There are two types of audiences or targets for which entertainment companies hold events:

companies, and thus corporate events, and the consumer, and thus consumer events.

Corporate events are all those events that a company organizes for its internal audience, stakeholders, customers, suppliers, etc.

Some classic corporate events include, for example: the annual/semiannual convention, a special anniversary celebration (the company’s 25/30/50th anniversary), the launch or relaunch of a new product or line or brand, a major acquisition or partnership, a national or international trade show, and so on.

Consumer events

Falling under the category of consumer events are all events through which companies and brands seek to connect, engage and entertain the end consumer.

Again, the occasions for holding a consumer event are many and vary by company and brand: a product launch or relaunch, trade show, presentation of a new collection, anniversary celebration, or simply the need to interact more directly with the consumer.

For both corporate and consumer events, entertainment marketing companies then offer the company or brand a range of options for building a tailored event using specific entertainment elements such as:

musical events, performances with artists, dancers, comedians, celebrities, parties with DJs, illusionists, magicians, circus performances, shows with illusionists. But also cooking experiences with celebrity chefs, experiential events where guests are actively involved in doing something.

For some large corporate events, live concerts with international artists are organized in prestigious and exclusive locations. Or aerial shows with acrobats and circus performers, shows with famous comedians, gala events with exclusive guests, dance shows with DJ sets. In short, total space for creativity.

What about digital? How is it positioned with respect to entertainment marketing?

Entertainment digital marketing

With the growth of digital, we have also seen the emergence of new figures and new modes of entertainment, and agencies have adapted and structured themselves to provide these services as well.

You need only think of the increasingly strategic role of influencers and brand ambassadors. They have become real media for companies and brands, which use them for online and offline events.

With the pandemic, moreover, agencies have become full-fledged entertainment media agencies, capable of providing services and creating both real and virtual events.

How many times have you, if you work in a business but also as a consumer, been invited to food and drink experiences, or virtual concerts, or meditation classes with a famous motivational speaker.

Therefore, we can summarize by saying that from the real to the virtual, when a company needs to organize an event, it should rely on an agency that provides entertainment marketing services.

The larger and more complex the events the company plans to organize, the more the choice will fall on a top entertainment agency with a solid background and lots of experience.

What about sports marketing agencies? Don’t they also deal with events?

As I have said many times before in this blog, sports is considered a major form of entertainment that thrills and excites hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Sports marketing agencies, such as ours, therefore offer advice to companies that want to use sports as a marketing and communication tool to do brand awareness or to interact and engage their target audience more effectively and thus increase visibility and sales.

2 main differences between entertainment marketing and sports marketing

1. The first major difference is that the sports marketing agency is not in the business of conceiving and creating events, whether they are generic events or events that have to do with sports. The sports mktg agency is a marketing consultant specializing in sports and sports sponsorships.

A company consults a sports marketing expert when it wants to use sports as a communication tool for the company itself or for a specific brand.

2. Another big difference is that events are often organized for a specific circumstance, and then the entertainment agency creates and manages the event for the specific occasion. When the event ends the work is also finished. Think, for example, of a corporate convention or celebratory event, or a product launch.

A sponsorship program, on the other hand, has a longer time span; the Formula1 or MotoGP championships last approximately 9 months, and take place in various countries around the world. Soccer championships have a season of more than 10 months, the tennis tournament season lasts about 11 months, and these also take place in various countries around the world. So sponsorship and event management and activations of it also have a longer duration. They have to be planned, organized and managed in a completely different way than an event on a specific date.

And the points of contact, are there? And if so, what are they?

There are many points of contact, and among the main ones we point out 4:

1. Both are in the business of entertainment, which is something that excites and entertains the audience and thus allows for easier and more memorable communication.
2. Sports and entertainment break through the target audience’s passions and thus enable them to be engaged more effectively than other communication channels.
3. Sports and entertainment are two passions that audiences will never tire of: whether you are a soccer or Formula 1 fan or an Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift fan, you will be forever. You’ll follow them on TV, at concerts, you’ll buy their albums–and any communication activity related to them you’ll notice and remember.
4. There are often entertainment agencies whose “products” include sports-related testimonials or brand ambassadors. These are usually offered to companies for presence at events, or as speakers for conventions or even as testimonials for advertising campaigns.

Can the two types of agencies interact and collaborate with each other?

Absolutely. It often happens or has happened to us that a client wants to organize an event that involves specific services related to entertainment marketing, rather than sports, and then we may ask for support or recommend a specific agency. The choice can be made based on the type si of services and based on the location where the event is being held; if it were to be Los Angeles, for example, then a Los Angeles entertainment agency would be selected.

If, on the contrary, a company had an interest in investing in a sports sponsorship, then the entertainment agency should recommend aspecialized sports marketing agency.

It’s kind of like when you go to the doctor; based on what you have, he refers you to the right specialist. I don’t think you would go to an orthopedist if you had a problem with a tooth, or would you?

So if you are a company or a brand manager and you want to invest in sports sponsorships, make sure you select and talk to the right stakeholder who has the right expertise and skills.

The same is true for an entertainment event.

If this topic interests you and you would like to know more, please feel free to contact us.