It’s likely that football’s TV audiences never actively notice the stairwells of a stadium whilst watching a match. Yet, one company is working to change this by providing football organisations with the opportunity to illuminate its stairwells whilst stimulating economic growth.
StairMedia is a company originating from Spain that installs LED technology for stadium stairwells. Each step is installed with horizontal hardware that, once connected together, delivers an unmissable vertical display.
We currently see leagues and clubs offer televisual space for its sponsors via advertising hoardings, playing shirts and pitch markings. However, StairMedia offers sporting organisations the opportunity to increase its commercial income by maximising the space occupied by banal stadium stairwells.
It is the latest collaboration between technology, marketing and sport sectors, further illustrating the desire of sports organisations to unlock its marketing potential. It also helps to deliver a greater experience for sponsors, who reap the benefits of a highly engaging advertisement that captivates TV audiences.
The company began its sporting journey in basketball, permanently installing its product in the home arena of Spanish basketball club, Saski Baskonia. Since then, it has established high-profile partnerships with some of football’s most recognisable stadiums and organisations.
Most recognisable is Wembley Stadium, where its TV facing stairwells display the logo of the England football team’s official mobile network partner, EE, during their games. The English FA has also utilised StairMedia for its FA Cup semi-finals and finals, helping the competition’s sponsors capture the attention of viewers nationally and internationally.
Later, English powerhouse Manchester City capitalised on StairMedia’s prominence by permanently installing its technology on the stairwells of the Etihad Stadium. This deal has been replicated by Liga MX clubs Chivas de Guadalajara and Santos Laguna.
At the centre of StairMedia’s product is the use of LED technology to illuminate each step on a stadium stairwell. The use of LED in football is not new, with elite stadiums and local grounds turning towards the option for powering floodlights, scoreboards, big screens and advertising hoardings. Therefore, using the technology delivered by StairMedia ticks an important environmental sustainability box for football organisations.
Another plus is the high levels of energy efficiency and durability that comes with LED products, making them a more financially viable option. This ultimately contributes to the return on investment football organisations hope to achieve when installing StairMedia technology.
Behind this is a software system that seamlessly integrates with existing stadium technology, making installation easy for stadium staff and contributes to a highly engaging image for television audiences.
The NRL pioneered StairMedia’s innovative product for its finals series, evidencing its potential in the Australian sports stadia market. This represents a massive opportunity for Football Australia, and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), to entice current and future sponsors through StairMedia’s game-changing product.
At a time where Australian football is coordinating a major expansion effort, engaging with innovative companies like StairMedia would help unlock new marketing potential. This would play a major role in helping the aforementioned organisations reach its key targets and achieve greater financial stability.
Depending on the timeframe and costing structure, Football Australia or the APL could seek to implement the technology incrementally – as done in the United Kingdom – showcasing it at major events such as the A Leagues Grand Finals, Australia Cup Finals, and World Cup qualifying matches.
Capturing every inch of televisual space for sponsorship and marketing is not an easy task, but through technology companies like StairMedia, football organisations can improve their commercial standing in an environmentally sustainable manner.
We expect to see the stairwells of football stadiums continue to come to life, as StairMedia expands its operation across the globe.
