Observed Signal · Jun 9, 2026 · Interview / Podcast Episode · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Atlanta Hawks: Experience-First Sports Marketing
In an Adspeak interview on ADWEEK, Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, details how the franchise prioritizes fan experience, community and audience relevance to build loyalty independent of on-court performance. Koonin describes making “game experience” a third business pillar, repurposing a 24-hour Twitch livestream into 145 platform-native assets that drove over one million views, and empowering creative teams to execute bold campaigns (e.g., an OnlyFans parody and an Ashley Madison promotion) that generated tens of millions of views. The conversation highlights focused audience targeting, local place-based marketing, and controlled risk-taking as drivers of long-term brand equity for sports organizations.
Provides practical, audience-first experiential marketing tactics and content-repurposing examples relevant to sports and brand marketers, but is not a platform policy or technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Steve Koonin is CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena and joined the Hawks in 2014.
- The Hawks built a sustained fan loyalty model by adding 'game experience' as a third business pillar beyond wins and losses.
- A 24-hour Twitch livestream was repurposed into 145 platform-native pieces of content that generated more than one million views.
- Bold creative campaigns (including an OnlyFans parody and an Ashley Madison promotion) produced tens of millions of views for the franchise.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Brands Urged to Prioritize Fans in Sports Marketing
Digiday reports that the sports marketing marketplace is accelerating as agencies and holding companies formalize sports-focused offerings, hire specialized talent and commission research on AI’s role in fandom. Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) shared research — reviewed by Digiday — finding more than 75% of sports fans are aware of AI in sports, while only ~40% understand how it works; fans broadly accept AI when it augments stats, analytics or personalization but are wary when it appears autonomous or replaces human decision-making. Agency Canvas Worldwide hired Steven Graciano as SVP of sports strategy and emphasizes tapping fan receptivity. Stagwell has formalized its Sport Beach unit (named Beth Sidhu CEO) as a neutral platform to connect brands, athletes and rights holders, including activations at Cannes Lions featuring major athletes.
Brands Must Own What Happens Before and After Sports
At Kantar’s "The Creative Power of Sports" panel, representatives from Hilton, Unilever (Hellmann’s), Meta and Discord argued that commercial success in sports increasingly depends on activity before, during and after events. Kantar data cited tent-pole sports activity as up to six times more effective than standard paid media. Panelists highlighted the role of creators, athlete-driven audiences, participatory creative ideas and authentic brand partnerships — for example Hilton’s 21-year McLaren relationship and Hellmann’s Super Bowl campaign that drove strong creator reach and sales. Discord emphasised opt-in, rewarded ad experiences within community environments. The discussion underscored measurement across reach, participation, sales and perception to connect attention with commercial value.
Sports Fans Want Experiences, Not Algorithms
An ADWEEK House Cannes Lions group discussion co-hosted with EY Studio+ brought together leaders from sports, media, technology and marketing to debate how AI and data should be applied to fan engagement. Participants argued that while sports organizations now have abundant data, its value lies in deepening emotional, live moments rather than distracting from them. Panelists said AI is most useful when it reduces friction—helping fans find content, follow teams and understand performance—while cautioning that personalization must respect trust and expectations. The group also flagged fragmentation across touchpoints (broadcasters, teams, sponsors, venues, retailers and creators) as a major challenge for creating a connected fan journey.
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