Brands Must Earn Their Place in Sports Fandom: Vistar Media’s Lucy Markowitz
CANNES, France – Global sporting events offer brands a chance to reach massive audiences, but getting noticed can feel like trying to hail a taxi outside the stadium after the World Cup final.
Lucy Markowitz, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas at Vistar Media, said marketers need to plan early, secure inventory and develop creative that can survive an advertising stampede.
“So, global sporting events are a whole different ballgame, both literally and figuratively,” Markowitz said in an interview with Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Book early or watch from the cheap seats
The World Cup lets advertisers reach people attending matches and the much larger audience watching around the globe. Naturally, just about every brand with a marketing budget has noticed.
That competition makes media scarcer and raises the creative stakes. Markowitz urged brands to consider what they stand for, how boldly they can communicate it and whether their campaigns will resonate amid the commercial commotion.
Brands also should reserve valuable inventory instead of assuming they can appear at the last minute. Hope isn’t a media-buying strategy, particularly when everyone else already has a purchase order.
Fandom cannot be bought by the yard
Kaplan asked how brands can earn a place within sports fandom instead of merely purchasing exposure.
Markowitz pointed to the passion surrounding major events such as the World Cup and the celebration that followed the New York Knicks’ recent championship. Fans want brands to contribute to those moments, not paste a corporate badge onto them like an unwanted bumper sticker.
“You are dealing with extremely passionate fans that are not just looking for you to be a logo that is showing up, but actually to engage and enhance an experience,” Markowitz said.
Brands can build that connection through live experiences, social campaigns, interactive displays and out-of-home activations. The goal is to become part of the occasion without behaving like the person who arrives at a tailgate empty-handed and eats everyone else’s food.
Out-of-home joins the starting lineup
Out-of-home advertising has long been embedded in professional sports. Stadiums are covered with scoreboards, signs and branding from beverage companies and other sponsors.
Digitization is expanding that role. Marketers can now reach fans before, during and after games with messages that change alongside the action.
“The digitization of out-of-home is not only making sure that the advertising that is being shown is more relevant, but it allows for you to be nimble,” Markowitz said.
Digital displays can feature countdowns, live scores and other timely information. Some screens even stream games in stadiums and on city streets, turning public spaces into communal viewing rooms with fewer remote-control disputes.
Out-of-home also gives brands room to feature players, humor and fans themselves. That helps campaigns tell a broader story instead of repeating the same static message until the final whistle.
Celebrity reach needs a reason
Athletes, celebrities and creators can deliver attention quickly, but Markowitz warned that visibility alone does not make an endorsement credible.
“I think it is easy to buy reach, but in order for it to be effective, you really need to think about how including perhaps a celebrity or an influencer into that campaign is going to feel,” she said.
The best partnerships have an authentic connection. The athlete or creator may already use the product, follow the sport or share interests that fit the brand. Without that connection, the endorsement can look like someone wandered onto the set, spotted the catering table and agreed to hold a soda.
“It doesn’t just feel like a product placement, it actually feels like they were meant to be there,” Markowitz said.
Real stories beat advertising inventions
Kaplan also asked which sports sponsorships resonate and which fall flat.
Markowitz said storytelling has become increasingly important as documentaries and other programming give audiences a closer look at athletes’ routines, personalities and product choices. Campaigns are more convincing when they draw from those real-life details instead of manufacturing devotion for the sake of an ad.
Community involvement can deepen that connection. Giveaways, sweepstakes and support for a beloved team or athlete give audiences a reason to pay attention. They also may persuade consumers to try a product that was not previously on their shopping lists.
For brands, the message is straightforward: Sports fans welcome advertisers that improve the experience, tell believable stories and understand the community. A logo occupying prime real estate is still just a logo, even when it has excellent seats.
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lions 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
CANNES, France – Global sporting events offer brands a chance to reach massive audiences, but getting noticed can feel like trying to hail a taxi outside the stadium after the World Cup final.
Lucy Markowitz, senior vice president and general manager of the Americas at Vistar Media, said marketers need to plan early, secure inventory and develop creative that can survive an advertising stampede.
“So, global sporting events are a whole different ballgame, both literally and figuratively,” Markowitz said in an interview with Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Book early or watch from the cheap seats
The World Cup lets advertisers reach people attending matches and the much larger audience watching around the globe. Naturally, just about every brand with a marketing budget has noticed.
That competition makes media scarcer and raises the creative stakes. Markowitz urged brands to consider what they stand for, how boldly they can communicate it and whether their campaigns will resonate amid the commercial commotion.
Brands also should reserve valuable inventory instead of assuming they can appear at the last minute. Hope isn’t a media-buying strategy, particularly when everyone else already has a purchase order.
Fandom cannot be bought by the yard
Kaplan asked how brands can earn a place within sports fandom instead of merely purchasing exposure.
Markowitz pointed to the passion surrounding major events such as the World Cup and the celebration that followed the New York Knicks’ recent championship. Fans want brands to contribute to those moments, not paste a corporate badge onto them like an unwanted bumper sticker.
“You are dealing with extremely passionate fans that are not just looking for you to be a logo that is showing up, but actually to engage and enhance an experience,” Markowitz said.
Brands can build that connection through live experiences, social campaigns, interactive displays and out-of-home activations. The goal is to become part of the occasion without behaving like the person who arrives at a tailgate empty-handed and eats everyone else’s food.
Out-of-home joins the starting lineup
Out-of-home advertising has long been embedded in professional sports. Stadiums are covered with scoreboards, signs and branding from beverage companies and other sponsors.
Digitization is expanding that role. Marketers can now reach fans before, during and after games with messages that change alongside the action.
“The digitization of out-of-home is not only making sure that the advertising that is being shown is more relevant, but it allows for you to be nimble,” Markowitz said.
Digital displays can feature countdowns, live scores and other timely information. Some screens even stream games in stadiums and on city streets, turning public spaces into communal viewing rooms with fewer remote-control disputes.
Out-of-home also gives brands room to feature players, humor and fans themselves. That helps campaigns tell a broader story instead of repeating the same static message until the final whistle.
Celebrity reach needs a reason
Athletes, celebrities and creators can deliver attention quickly, but Markowitz warned that visibility alone does not make an endorsement credible.
“I think it is easy to buy reach, but in order for it to be effective, you really need to think about how including perhaps a celebrity or an influencer into that campaign is going to feel,” she said.
The best partnerships have an authentic connection. The athlete or creator may already use the product, follow the sport or share interests that fit the brand. Without that connection, the endorsement can look like someone wandered onto the set, spotted the catering table and agreed to hold a soda.
“It doesn’t just feel like a product placement, it actually feels like they were meant to be there,” Markowitz said.
Real stories beat advertising inventions
Kaplan also asked which sports sponsorships resonate and which fall flat.
Markowitz said storytelling has become increasingly important as documentaries and other programming give audiences a closer look at athletes’ routines, personalities and product choices. Campaigns are more convincing when they draw from those real-life details instead of manufacturing devotion for the sake of an ad.
Community involvement can deepen that connection. Giveaways, sweepstakes and support for a beloved team or athlete give audiences a reason to pay attention. They also may persuade consumers to try a product that was not previously on their shopping lists.
For brands, the message is straightforward: Sports fans welcome advertisers that improve the experience, tell believable stories and understand the community. A logo occupying prime real estate is still just a logo, even when it has excellent seats.
You’re watching Beet.TV coverage from Cannes Lions 2026. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
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