Sept. 11, 2026

Why Charlie XCX's Brat Summer is the perfect sports marketing template

Why Charlie XCX's Brat Summer is the perfect sports marketing template
Why Charlie XCX's Brat Summer is the perfect sports marketing template
Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast
Why Charlie XCX's Brat Summer is the perfect sports marketing template

The annual Two Circles EMEA client summit took place in London this week; hundreds of the agency's partner organisations - drawn largely from across the world of sporting rights holders - convened to discuss aspects of the central theme of fandom.

The concept of fandom in sports and entertainment - and different approaches to building it and monetizing it - is the thread that links a series of conversations James Emmett recorded across the course of the event.

Those conversations feature:

- Two Circles Executive Director Mel Chapman, who unpacks Brat Summer as a fan marketing case study;

- Dallas Mavericks SVP Strategy Kyle Burkhardt, who details what long-term strategy looks like at an organisation that needs to sell hundreds of thousands of tickets every season; and what sport can learn from musical theatre business;

- WSL CMO Ruth Hooper, who gave her thoughts on the start of a new season in women's football and her plans to kick-start growth again in attendance across the league after a plateau last year;

- FA Chief Digital Officer Alex Willis, on her opening efforts after joining Team England from the Premier League - focusing particularly on the launch of a new app;

- United Rugby Championship CMO Tom Lister, who delivers an eloquent pushback to the idea that rugby needs fundamental change

- Two Circles EMEA MD Harry Hawkins, who opened up the event with a slick presentation outlining what Two Circles sees as a $1.94 trillion economy in sports and entertainment fandom; he shows his working and spells out the opportunity for sport from here.

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