Sports thrive on the unforgettable moments. A game-winning shot. A record-smashing sprint. A championship-clinching goal. Fans don’t just watch these moments—they live them. And brands that tap into that lived passion become part of the story. That’s the power of sports, and that’s the power of experiential marketing.
According to Research & Markets, the sports sponsorship market grew from USD 105.47 billion in 2023 to USD 114.41 billion in 2024. By 2030, that number is projected to compound to a staggering USD 189.5 billion.
You don’t get there by running the same playbook.
At George P. Johnson Experience Marketing (GPJ), we lead the charge in sports marketing innovation. In an industry saturated with the same sponsorship tactics, we create experiences that command attention, drive engagement, and fuel the fan passion we all know and love.
The world of sports marketing is hurtling towards a new era as consumer behaviors and expectations evolve. Sports fans aren’t passive consumers. They’re deeply invested, fiercely loyal and have high expectations. That’s why a generic ad or pop-up isn’t enough. The future of sports marketing belongs to brands that create meaningful, immersive experiences—ones that amplify the game, and resonates with the fans’ values.
The competition for attention is fierce. Traditional advertising struggles to reliably break through, while experiential spend continues to surge year-over-year, as a proven and reliable investment in the marketing mix
Why Experiential Defines Sports Marketing
Sports fans and brand loyalists aren’t passive consumers. They’re deeply invested, fiercely devoted and emotionally connected. That’s why associating your brand’s logo with a sport marketing program is not enough. You need to employ a strategic mapping process to analyze the audience, the strengths, the weaknesses of the sports property and the brand’s business requirements to create the right program and environment for success.
The future of sports marketing belongs to brands that create meaningful, immersive experiences—ones that enhance the game, rather than distract from it. Here’s what sets experiential apart:
✅ It Captures Passion Like Nothing Else – Sports fans don’t just watch; they rally behind their teams with unmatched intensity. Smart brand experiences harness that passion, building their story in to create authentic connections.
✅ It Builds Up the Lifetime Value of the Fan – 77% of consumers agree that interacting with a brand at a live event increases their trust in the brand. The sports scene is more crowded than ever. Experiential activations help brands stand out, stay memorable and grow their user base.
✅ It Drives Real Business Impact – Engagement means nothing without tangible results. GPJ designs strategic, data-driven experiences that increase brand visibility, drive social amplification and fuel measurable growth.
REAL Data Impacting Next-Level Experiences
What sets GPJ apart? Our unique ability to be where no one else can. Ground Truth is GPJ’s game-changing, proprietary initiative, designed to deliver unmatched insights into brand activations at sporting events worldwide.
By tapping into the collective intelligence of our global agency attending events, we give our clients science-based, data-backed design and decision making. No other agency can provide the level of understanding, credibility, impact and trust, through the data behind the great experiential moments:
2024 Paris Olympics • 2025 NASCAR Championships • Super Bowl LIX • 2024 US Open • LA Sail Grand Prix • SXSW 2025 • NRF 2025 • And new data every week
Our clients can’t be everywhere, but we are.
The Only Experiential Player Disrupting Sports Marketing
The sports marketing industry is packed with predictable activations and uninspired sponsorships. GPJ takes a different approach. We look to the human experience and create engagements that feel bigger, bolder, and impossible to ignore.
With a global network, deep creative expertise, and a pulse on fan culture, we push brands beyond traditional marketing into new realms of interactivity. From high-energy fan zones to exclusive premium hospitality and cutting-edge digital activations, we craft moments that define sports culture.
Want to make an impact that lasts beyond the final whistle? Schedule a strategy sprint or request more information today.
