Podcast Neil Wilkins

Matt Readman, chief strategy officer of Omicom-owned sports creative agency Dark Horses has just launched a new report called Sport in Times of Crisis. This is a comprehensive look at modern sport and brands through the lens of three of the most prevalent issues facing the planet and consumers - Politics, Cost of Living and Climate. It gives brand owners, insights, learnings and advice, on how to not only understand sport better through that lens, but also how to use it to build their businesses.  Some of the key learning for brands are:  1. Sport is not automatically a force for good despite what we’re often told. It can divide, control, abuse and exploit. 2. Sport doesn’t have to be just a branding exercise that slowly changes opinion over time. Sport can be used strategically in the short-term to directly change behaviour. 3. Sport is inherently connected to politics, the question is not whether sport should be political, but who controls the politics in sport. If brands are not in charge of their politica