From Fandom to Outcomes: How Data, Attention and Context Are Reshaping Sports Advertising

In this episode of Curation Conversations, Dave Ajumobi, former professional athlete and Programmatic Lead at sports and entertainment marketing business Two Circles, discusses the evolving landscape of sports advertising,  from the importance of understanding fan behavior and leveraging programmatic strategies, to the role of curation in bringing greater context, control and efficiency to media activation, and using data-driven, omnichannel approaches including CTV, digital out-of-home, and audio to drive business outcomes.

This conversation explores how brands can better understand and engage fans, and how curation and programmatic together are being used to connect commercial outcomes with real audience behavior. Dave also highlights the need for authentic brand engagement with sports culture, the growing significance of women’s sports, the role of AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human insight, and the collaborative effort required for effective measurement in a fragmented media environment, while looking ahead to capitalizing on major sporting events like the 2026 Football World Cup.