The Challenge
Skyloom’s work with UFC Fight Pass in 2020/21 delivered a 30%
increase in subscriptions at a cost per acquisition (CPA) 60%
lower than the pre-campaign target.
However, new challenges quickly emerged in 2022, calling for an
adapted strategy. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought sanctions –
most notably the freezing of the SWIFT payment system in Russia –
that would translate into a projected 25% loss in the subscriber
base in a core UFC market and hit projections for growth in the
year ahead.
Rising gas prices that resulted from the conflict also accelerated
a global cost of living crisis, increasing pressure on consumer
spending power and making discretionary purchases such as OTT
subscriptions less attractive to general audiences. This was
especially problematic in markets with solid UFC coverage
elsewhere through media rights partners.
This necessitated a recalibrated campaign with a focus on highly
engaged UFC fans in historically underserved territories.
The Solution
We began by filling out the picture of the UFC’s international
audience using platform, panel-based and partner insights.
The goal was to identify territories with a strong UFC and mixed
martial arts (MMA) fanbase. However, we wanted to prioritise
markets with low barriers to entry for a dedicated SVOD product –
such as an absence of local TV deals – and where UFC Fight Pass
would be produced in local languages and carry coverage of MMA
events from regional partners.
We then overlaid a consolidated list of target markets with those
where core biddable platforms from companies like Meta and Google
were in heavy use. We also planned campaigns that would reach
those markets at moments of peak interest in UFC Fight Pass, such
as in the build-up to major fight nights or locally relevant
promotions such as UFC London.
Creative assets were adapted to foreground regional stars like
Israel Adesanya in Australia or Paddy Pimblett in the UK, while
social content was also translated into the languages that UFC
Fight Pass was available in locally.
We then optimised campaigns to enable more effective retargeting,
prioritising social and search platforms that had historically
delivered better conversion rates. We developed video content at
three different lengths for the first half of 2022 – at 15
seconds, 30 seconds and 60 seconds – and used watch times to sort
tagged viewers by levels of engagement.
We then retargeted those viewers with paid social campaigns and
programmatic videos to turn the strongest prospects into
subscribers.
The Results
The partnership has proven to be a global success, with a record number of subscriptions to the platform. By combining strategy, media, and technology we have achieved the above mentioned results.
