Octagon Launches Passion Drivers® 3.0

NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sponsors and properties have a new, powerful and interactive tool for managing and measuring their sports and music sponsorships thanks to Octagon's evolved research into the "why" behind fan passion. 

The world's largest sports and entertainment consulting firm has unveiled the newest iteration of its proprietary, ground-breaking research initiative Passion Drivers® 3.0. 

Simon Wardle, Octagon Worldwide's Chief Strategy Officer, explained the latest evolution of the research initiative he created six years ago. "We began by providing the industry's first quantified understanding of why fans are fans which allowed marketers to understand their target consumers when they are in 'fan mode'.  Since then, we have  studied 60,000+ avid fans of 30+ sports in 11 countries on six continents," he said.

Wardle said the agency evolved the 2.0 version of the Passion Drivers® initiative to allow clients to conduct proprietary research using its proprietary methodology to understand why each of their consumer segments emotionally connects with their passions, helping clients see how to better leverage their sponsorship investment to connect their brand to their target consumers.     

"Now, with our latest iteration of Passion Drivers® 3.0 research, we can instantaneously provide marketers with updated data and detailed media consumption by overlaying what we know about fans' passion with a database of 40,000+ consumer metrics," Wardle explained.  "With this new tool, corporate sponsors can focus on not just the fan, but on their target consumer as the fan, giving them real-time insights into their target consumers and fans while they are consuming the sports and music they love."  

Wardle said the result is a unique, relevant and informative marketing tool for all marketers who seek to build compelling leveraging programs that connect to the passions of their customers. 

More than six months in development, the newest research extrapolates surveys with some 5,400 consumers against a robust database of 52,000 respondents.  The launch of the Passion Drivers® 3.0 database currently encompasses fans of 13 sports.  Plus, later this year, the research also will be applied to Hispanic consumers and their passion for soccer.   

Go to www.passiondrivers.com to download a Passion Driver® Profile.  Just pick a product category, define a target audience and get to know the person behind the passion.  

About Octagon

Octagon (IPG: NYSE) is the world's largest sponsorship consulting practice, managing and influencing some $3 billion in sponsorship-related spending annually, and is a pioneer and leader in athlete & personality representation & management.   With more than 800 employees worldwide, Octagon works with hundreds of blue-chip corporate clients, more than 800 athletes & personality clients and manages more than 13,400 events per year.  To learn more about Octagon, visit: www.octagon.com. 

SOURCE Octagon