WHAT THE DATA SAY: 40% want to see more pickleball, lacrosse, women’s soccer and surfing

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

PICKLEBALL SCORES TOP MOMENTUM

Professional pickleball has the greatest momentum among emerging professional sports leagues, based on our Harris Poll research with Allison.

• Professional pickleball has a momentum score of 59.41 in the new index, followed by women’s hockey (56.63), flag football (55.30), lacrosse (54.79) and surfing (54.40) with the greatest buzz and new interest.
• 25% of Americans who have an interest in these pro sports are new fans (with less than three years of fandom), and 40% would watch more pickleball, lacrosse, women’s soccer and surfing if content were available.
• 60% of Americans – including 58% of men – say they are excited to see the growth of women’s sports.
• Case in point: Between February and May, the WNBA saw significant increases in metrics and self-identified fans (from 46.22 in February to 52.79 in May).

62% FAVOR AI REGULATION

Americans are split on whether companies or the government has ultimate responsibility for AI, yet consumers are clear on the need to regulate this technology, according to Stagwell’s National Research Group.

• 62% favor strict AI oversight to protect consumers and society.
• 71% say companies should be legally liable for AI-driven decisions.
• Support is not politically polarized: 73% of Republicans and 70% of Democrats believe companies should be legally liable for decisions they make using AI.
• The desire for regulation is fueled by anxiety about AI’s potential consequences: 66% fear threats to the democratic process, and 60% are concerned about job losses.
• Overall, Americans want companies to slow down to ensure AI is implemented responsibly and to be more transparent when AI is used. In fact, 48% want disclosure of AI when it is used for video content creation, and 40% want more disclosure of AI-based customer service interactions.

GOING INTO DEBT TO BE BEAUTIFUL

Beauty spending has exploded since the pandemic, and many Americans believe trips to Ulta and Sephora are essential for professional success – even if it means going into debt, based on our Harris Poll research with NerdWallet.

• 75% of Americans say the “pretty privilege” – personal and professional advantages for those perceived as beautiful – is real.
• 75% say social media has made the focus on beauty – and, by extension, beauty spending – worse.
• 31% consider beauty products and services they buy as essential in their budget.
• 14% pay for beauty products with a credit card that they didn’t pay off by the due date.
• 9% use “buy now, pay later” services.

SEEING AROUND CORNERS IN CANNES

The Stagwell team will be on the beach – Sport Beach – during the Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity next week. This includes Wednesday’s “Seeing around corners: What’s ahead for B2B and B2C communicators and marketers.” The session will answer “what’s next?” with insights from: NBA legend and wine entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony; sports business executive and founder of ‘I Am Wholehearted’ Asani Swann; Axios’ Sara Fischer; LinkedIn’s Ty Heath; Sesame Workshop’s Samantha Maltin, and Harris Poll’s John Gerzema – moderated by Stagwell’s Ray Day. 

• Joe Burrow, Eric Cantona, Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce are among a roster of sports icons joining the Stagwell discussions. Other highlights from Stagwell’s Cannes agenda:
• “What CMOs need to know about the mental health crisis”
• “Whose job is it anyways? Driving equity in sports”
• “Why brands can’t afford to ignore gaming”
• If you will be in Cannes and are not yet registered to be with Stagwell on Sport Beach, please reach out to Alexis.Williams@Stagwellglobal.com.

ICYMI

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