What do the Lakers have to do with loving BBQ ribs? Deloitte, AWS use AI to decode sports fan behavior

Deloitte and AWS are leveraging AI to analyze sports fandom and consumer behavior through Deloitte’s Converge service, which synthesizes massive amounts of data to create highly personalized fan profiles. The collaboration demonstrates how AI-powered analytics can unlock deeper insights into consumer preferences across multiple industries, with media and entertainment identified as the next frontier for expansion.

What you should know: Converge by Deloitte uses AI and propensity modeling to create granular profiles of sports fans, helping brands understand the intersection of team loyalty, league preferences, and consumer behavior.

• The service targets what marketers call “that Venn diagram of the team, the league and your own brand,” according to Michelle McGuire, principal and chief commercial officer of Converge by Deloitte.
• AWS provides “Clean Room” services that allow multiple parties to analyze collective data while maintaining privacy compliance and data ownership.

How it works: The AI system processes enormous datasets to generate consumer insights without violating individual privacy.

• “We know who you are. We know what you care about,” McGuire explained. “And then we use our propensity modeling, our IP, our understanding of sports and fandom to hand that off to sponsors so that they’re then able to activate in a more personalized way.”
• The technology can determine specific player preferences, merchandise buying patterns, and optimal engagement strategies across a fan’s lifetime.

The big picture: Fandom research reveals that consumer passions extend beyond sports into other areas of purchasing behavior and lifestyle choices.

• “The thing that I find most interesting about fandom is that your fandom is not unique,” McGuire said. “It crosses music. It crosses your retail and buying habits. It crosses all the areas of your life.”
• Sports fans represent diverse segments rather than a monolithic group, requiring sophisticated analysis to understand their unique preferences.

What they’re saying: Industry leaders emphasize that comprehensive data analysis has become essential for competitive advantage.

• “For customers, for advertisers — this is table stakes today,” said Ruba Borno, VP of global specialists and partners at Amazon’s AWS. “And so the more data you have, the better insights you have, and you can be differentiated.”
• McGuire noted that sports fans “are rabid about teams, leagues and different sports. So how do you look at them holistically as a fan and then act upon that unique fandom in that audience of one?”

Next steps: Deloitte plans to expand Converge into media and entertainment, applying the same analytical framework to streaming and subscription services.

• “The next frontier is media, of course,” McGuire said, focusing on measurement and engagement for media organizations seeking to understand potential subscribers.
• The expansion will examine how “fandom in characters, titles and worlds all influences your purchasing behavior when you think about streaming and subscription.”