MarTech360 Interview with Jay Prasad, CEO, Relo Metrics

“With the potential to tap into diehard fan communities that stay with their teams for a lifetime, sports sponsorship has always come with its own, very unique type of marketing value.”

Hi, Jay, can you tell us about your professional background?

Happy to – it’s hard for me to believe, but I’ve been working in the tech and software industries for over 20 years now. Obviously, a lot has changed during that time and it’s been fascinating to see new trends emerge from my position at the forefront of the ad tech/metrics wave.

Before joining Relo Metrics, I spent three years as chief strategy officer for LiveRamp – where I took on the challenge of crafting a holistic GTM strategy for its TV activation and Data Plus Math measurement products. I also drew on my background in data-driven software to build strategic partnerships with world-leading brands across broadcast, cable, satellite, and CTV platforms.

Prior to that, I worked at VideoAmp, heading up global business development and market strategy as part of the company’s founding leadership team. This meant I helped to raise over $100M in venture capital, around a series of new products at the cross-section of TV and video. I also have the privilege of being a co-inventor on VideoAmp’s patents.

Since inventive strategies are very much my thing, I serve on the video board of the IAB, too. Meanwhile, my education has taken me around the world from London Business School to MIT, where I studied BlockChain innovation.

Tell us about your role at Relo Metrics.

Sports sponsorship is in a very exciting stage of transition right now; fans are just as likely to tune in from TikTok or YouTube TV to watch live sports as they are cable, or any other platform. It’s a dynamic that speaks to the heart of what Relo Metrics does, and my role is really to enhance and expand the limits of that offering – in line with emerging tech and a wealth of viewing opportunities.

Working with a global roster of clients – including major sports leagues such as the NBA and the English Premier League – I want to build on our reputation for delivering best-in-class sponsorship measurement value, using powerful real-time intelligence and multichannel reach. When individual players and teams can leverage changing consumer behavior to attract huge sponsorship brands like Polaris or Quidel, that’s where the magic happens. And AI tools like Computer Vision are the driving force behind this shift; even as legacy metrics lag. In complex times, they provide direct ROI with the capacity for in-built optimization.

I also work alongside the executive team at our parent company, GumGum, to explore new projects at the crossover of sports measurement and sports media activation.

Also Read: MarTech360 Interview With Vikas Sethi, Practice Director Digital Software & Solutions, TCS

What sets Relo Metrics apart from the competition? 

It all comes down to our ability to chart real-time, actionable data in line with live sponsorships. There is nothing static about present-day sports sponsorship deals; performance ebbs and flows across a minutia of factors – whether that’s a player’s Instagram Story that goes viral or an ad banner that’s accidentally obscured mid-game.

The beauty of what we do is therefore two-fold. It provides the in-depth data sports teams and brands need to demonstrate the value of their assets and sponsorship investments in a multiplatform environment. And teams and brands alike can also access this data on the go; rather than six months down the line, when the deadline for meaningful action and optimisation has long since passed.

Using our platform, campaign leaders can course-correct; by ironing out low-performing sponsorships in a portfolio, for example, or crafting a more detailed, mobile snapshot of performance to drive YoY sponsorship revenue. We’ve set a new standard of sponsorship value innovation and agility. In a fast-moving sphere, legacy metrics simply can’t compete.

Since you have spent a decade working on the convergence of digital video, traditional TV, and streaming TV, how much has it evolved over the years and what can we expect in the future? 

Oh wow, where to start? If you picture linear broadcast giants going up against new-gen viewing platforms – social media platforms or time-shifted streaming, for example – the former has a struggle on its hands. By and large, audiences just aren’t loyal to a particular broadcaster anymore; they tend to jump about across multiple channels and devices. This shift is increasing all the time, and it’s directly mirrored within the sports space, too; with big-name streamers picking up pace. You only have to look at the deals between YouTube and the NFL, Apple and the MLS, or Amazon and the NFL to understand where the industry is headed.

With Big Tech circling, the likes of Fox, CBS, and NBC can no longer assume the sizable chunk of ad revenue that, historically, has resided with live and regional sports coverage. The upshot is that rights holders and brands now have more choices than ever before; and traditional TV outlets must adapt to a new video-on-demand reality, digital subscriptions, and real-time metrics – or fall away.

The other big transition we’re seeing is individual athletes taking advantage of a new, more fragmented media landscape to cut their own sponsorship deals. It makes sense that an Olympic superstar like Simone Biles would establish her own endorsements and social media collaborations independent of USA Gymnastics or Team USA; in deals worth around $5 million annually. But this type of agreement is also taking place across the sports world, from pro players to college athletes like Armando Bacot of the North Carolina Tar Heels, who have negotiated a sponsor portfolio worth well over $500,000. Again, this is diversifying the ad budget that once went directly to traditional TV. It means broadcasters have to work even harder to secure their slice of the pie.

How is measurement in the sports marketing space evolving? What are the benefits for brands?

When you have an industry stalwart like Nielsen losing its MRC accreditation over-reporting errors, you know the metrics industry is navigating something of a storm up ahead. The problem, of course, is innovating a universal and transparent solution that keeps pace with multi-currency metrics across linear TV, CTV, desktop, and mobile platforms. Linear TV is no longer dominant and so the tools we used to measure engagement are also becoming redundant.

In a fast-changing economy where brands have both reduced budgets and supersized choices, the call for more sophisticated currencies is only going to get louder. Sponsors want the option to track campaign performance in real time, using razor-sharp insights to get the best possible return on investment. One or two reports per season no longer cut it when you have the possibility of actionable, AI-fuelled data that can be used to scale up performance in merely a matter of days.

With the potential to tap into diehard fan communities that stay with their teams for a lifetime, sports sponsorship has always come with its own, very unique type of marketing value. The difference now is this value extends across multiple channels at once, including viral moments that can prompt huge spikes in engagement. Armed with the right kind of metric, sports teams all around the world can make the most of this major step-change – monetizing all elements of their exposure potential.

The sports marketing space, then, is becoming more like the wider digital ad space; with a focus on live analytics and data-led innovation. The benefits for brands are unparalleled because they can use this forensic-level insight to target and hone their sports partnerships more effectively – and with greater real-time agility – than ever before. They can also cut their losses more quickly if things go wrong.

As you have recently joined Relo Metrics. What are your long-term ambitions for the company?

Since its 2018 launch, Relo Metrics has had huge success in developing a new, and entirely unique, analytics platform by which to chart the true value of sports sponsorship in a multiplatform age. My ambition is to develop the fast, single-stop solution we’ve created to retain and grow revenue for rights holders and brands (including our own!) on a global stage.

We already work closely with top-level leagues in America, Canada and the UK, in sports as diverse as cycling, rugby, and hockey. Combine this with our world-class repertoire of sponsor brands, and an ability to track exposure across live broadcasts, social media, streaming platforms, and more – and suddenly, the potential for growth is huge.

As I lead the company into its next stage of development, I’ll be coordinating a fresh wave of recruitment, too; we’re currently looking for engineers, marketers, analysts, and customer service experts. Our competitive benefits, including paid parental leave and flexible working hours, are designed to attract the industry’s lead talent.

As a forward-thinking software and tech leader, what would be your expert advice for 2023 to other tech leaders?

Always listen. It’s imperative to have a steady flow of inputs from your clients and partners on market changes, competitive insights, and financial impact in order to stay ahead in innovation and deliver world-class software.

Thanks, Jay!