How to Connect With & Reach the AEW Audience Online

Purpose of This Research

To uncover strategies that will differentiate AEW from their competitors and to answer the questions:

• ‍What are male AEW fans between 18-30 interested in?‍
• ‍What is the general sentiment around AEW?
• What are AEW’s top 5 competitors doing on organic channels and with paid marketing?‍

‍With the goal of identifying insights that will drive more opportunities to the AEW industry.

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Key Takeaways

Gen Z and Boomer demographics are significantly underrepresented in the current market focus, presenting a whitespace opportunity for AEW.

• Recommendations
  (i) Develop age-specific content strategies to engage these groups, potentially including nostalgia-driven content for Boomers and trendy social media campaigns targeting Gen Z.
  (ii) Collaborate with influencers or brands that have a strong presence within these demographics to increase AEW's visibility and appeal.

AEW fans have diverse interests beyond wrestling, with a significant overlap in rock and metal music, combat sports, and gaming.

• Recommendations
  (i) Form partnerships with music festivals, gaming events, and combat sports entities to cross-market and engage fans across their interest spectrums.
  (ii) Feature music and gaming elements in AEW events to create a more holistic entertainment experience for fans.

Search volume for AEW gaming remains steady post-launch, and AEW Collision has surpassed Dynamite in Google searches, indicating high audience interest.

• Recommendations
  (i) Intensify online marketing efforts for AEW gaming and Collision events to capitalize on high search interest.
  (ii) Use SEO and search engine marketing to ensure AEW content ranks prominently for these trending topics.

 Audience conversations on platforms like Reddit show demand for immediate post-match content and deep respect for wrestler milestones and narratives.

• Recommendations
  (i) Implement real-time social media updates and post-match analysis to capture immediate fan engagement.
  (ii) Celebrate wrestler milestones with dedicated content, acknowledging their achievements and their impact on the AEW legacy.

"Final Moments" and "Unbelievable Athleticism" themes perform exceptionally well, suggesting fans favour condensed, high-impact content.

• Recommendations
  (i) Create bite-sized content pieces focusing on the climax of matches and extraordinary athletic feats to drive social media engagement.
  (ii) Engage fans through interactive campaigns, such as voting for the best "Final Moment" or "Move of the Match," to foster community participation.

While the competitive sets’ current advertising focus is on Facebook and Instagram, OTT platforms have seen a 43% increase in spending, indicating a shift in advertising consumption.

• Recommendations
  (i) Diversify advertising channels to include OTT platforms, taking advantage of their growing viewership and engagement potential.
  (ii) Explore innovative advertising tactics like QR codes in OTT ads to bridge the gap between viewing and purchasing, especially for merchandise sales.

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Create content for the AEW gaming audience – search volume has remained steady with 12K searches per month after launch (Jun. ‘23).

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AEW Collision launched in June 2023 and is already surpassing Dynamite on Google Search. 

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Audience Member Interests

Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience with the following interests:

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AEW fans are Rock and Metal Music enthusiasts. Target your audience on radio stations that play these genres. 

Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience with the following interests:

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Beyond Wrestling, AEW fans are interested in watching combat sports like MMA and other sports like American Football, Basketball and Soccer. 

Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience with the following interests:

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Consider tapping more into character cosplay, match gamification, and intensifying the action & drama.

Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience with the following interests:

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Audience Member Brand Interests

Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience who engage with the following brands online:

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Audience Member Media Interests

Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience who engage with the following media outlets:

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Partner with actors like Dwayne Johnson (65%) or Triple H (49%) — a significant majority of the AEW’s fan base follows them. 

AEW fans follow AEW wrestlers like Paige (48%) and also WWE wrestlers like Chris Jericho (51%).

Percentage = Average percentage of individuals in the AEW audience who engage with the influencers online.

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Partner with AEW Unrestricted — this podcast has 51K listeners. The next largest AEW podcast has 5.2K listeners. 

AEW Fans also listen to WWE and general sport podcasts such as “The New Day” and the “Kurt Angle Show”.  

This includes podcasts ranking for “AEW”.

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Content Theme Definitions

Match Results and Commentary: Capture the pulse of live AEW match experiences through real-time discussions & post-match analyses. 

Wrestler Updates and Milestones:  Highlight key career moments and personal updates from AEW wrestlers.

Industry Relationships and Drama:  Showcase the interpersonal dynamics and behind-the-scenes drama within the AEW ecosystem. 

Fan Speculation & Theories: Curate a place for predictions, speculations, and conspiracy theories crafted by the AEW fanbase. 

Fan Photos & Edits: Showcasing fan creativity, such as photos, edits, memes, and artwork inspired by AEW.

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Among the most popular Reddit threads, users are engaging in the following types of discussions:

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Match Results and Commentary

Deliver immediate post-match reactions, results, and analysis. Capture the raw emotion and in-depth discussion following AEW wrestling events. 

Engagement Through Immediate Reaction

Capitalize on the immediate post-match buzz by providing quick summaries and highlights, prompting real-time engagement from the audience. Fans are actively participating in discussions and eagerly sharing their thoughts on match results. 

Analytical Appreciation

There is a sense of analytical appreciation for the matches, with fans dissecting performances, critiquing athlete abilities, and evaluating the storytelling aspects of AEW. This analytical discussion reflects a deep investment in the product and a sophisticated understanding of the sport.

Create discussion space for fans directly after a match to capturing reactions while they are most heated and engaged.

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Wrestler Updates and Milestones

Focus on the significant events in the careers of AEW wrestlers.

Include announcements that are pivotal to both the wrestlers' professional journeys and the narrative arcs within AEW.

Respect & Admiration
Fans express a deep respect for wrestlers who have announced retirements, recognizing their contributions and lamenting their departure. Fans display a mixture of nostalgia and gratitude, often sharing memories of the wrestler's significant moments and expressing appreciation for their contributions to the sport.

Big Anticipation

Fans are deeply invested in the wrestlers' narratives and are highly responsive to changes within the AEW ecosystem. When it comes to potential returns, such as CM Punk's rumoured comeback, the sentiment is a mix of excitement, skepticism, and often, division. 

Mark milestones like anniversaries, championship wins, or Hall of Fame inductions to acknowledge wrestlers' accomplishments, fostering a sense of pride and community within the fan base

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Industry Relationships and Drama

Focus on the intricate web of interpersonal relationships within AEW and the dramatic narratives that unfold both in and out of the ring.

Balance Drama with Resolution

While drama is engaging, fans also desire resolution to long-standing feuds, signalling the importance of evolving storylines to keep the content fresh and satisfying. Fans are expressing fatigue over drawn-out narratives.

Insider Information

Fans have a strong appreciation for behind-the-scenes knowledge and often seek out wrestler interviews and podcasts to gain exclusive insights into the inner workings of AEW.

Pay close attention to fan reactions to ongoing storylines to guide future creative directions and maintain interest.

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Brands Included in the Analysis

Number of followers is a cumulative number based on the brands total social media following. 

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Within the realm of organic social media content, the most engaging posts from the competitive set focus on the following themes:

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Content Theme Definitions

Final Moments: Showcase the climatic final minutes of a wrestling match, sharing the concluding moves and the crowd's reaction.

Unbelievable Athleticism: Highlight the most impressive physicality and agility of AEW's athletes within the ring.

Athlete Interview Snippets:  Share candid segments of wrestlers discussing their careers, backstories, or match preparations.

Fan Interaction: Highlight moments of engagement between AEW wrestlers and fans. 

Athlete Spotlight: Dedicate content to profiling individual wrestlers, featuring their journey, achievements, signature moves, & matches.

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Final Moments

Showcase the climactic final minutes during a wrestling match.

Share the most emotionally impactful moments during a match by sharing the entire final match online.

Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍3 minutes in duration on average.
• Develop short, high-impact highlight reels from a combination of final moments that can be shared across platforms to drive engagement and recapture audience interest.
• Encourage fan interaction by creating polls, contests, or social media campaigns asking fans to vote for their favorite "Final Moment" fostering a sense of community and investment in the content.
• Overlay graphics to include key information, stats, or storyline reminders to add context to what the final moments mean in the larger narrative.

Examples

Views 25M | Engagements 596K

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Views 18M | Engagements 350K

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Views 5.1M | Engagements 113K

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Unbelievable Athleticism

Showcase the peak physical feats and extraordinary moves executed by wrestlers.

Emphasize the talent & physical power that wrestlers display, from high-flying maneuvers to powerful slams. 

Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍12 seconds in duration on average. 
• Create a series called 'Move of the Match' that showcases the best moves during a match. 
• Highlight the behind-the-scenes moments when a wrestler is training for specific moves and preparing for a match. 
• Utilize organic sounds of crowd reactions to amplify the excitement of witnessing these athletic marvels.
• Utilize on-screen text & emojis to pose a question like “Ever see a move like this?” to capture the audience’s attention. 

Examples

Views 12M | Engagements 602K

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Views 2.8M | Engagements 154K

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Views 1.9M | Engagements 179K

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Athlete Interview Snippets

Give fans a more personal look into the lives and minds of their favorite AEW athletes. 

Focus on humanizing the athletes and providing content that fans can relate to. Build a deeper connection between the audience and the wrestlers.

Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍15 seconds in duration on average. 
• Capture authentic raw and unfiltered moments that convey genuine emotions, allowing fans to connect with the athletes on a personal level.
• Create a series where athletes answer fan questions, which not only involves the fanbase but also provides a platform for wrestlers to address topics that the audience is curious about. 
• Integrate these snippets into broader marketing content, such as event promotions or match build-ups, to add depth to the wrestlers' in-ring personas and storylines.

Examples

Views 6.2M | Engagements 823K

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Views 4.3M | Engagements 44K

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Views 2.1M | Engagements 193K

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Brands* focus their advertising efforts on Facebook & Instagram. 

OTT spending is on the rise, seeing an increase of +43% in the past 6 months. 

*Brands include NBA, WWE, NFL, MLB, and NHL  

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Consider running display ads on fandom, online dating and sport betting websites. These were the top display placements for WWE.

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NHL: Sports Betting

Take advantage of the growing Sports Betting industry in North America, which has only recently legalized sports betting within the past 5 years.

Advertising Tactics

• Offer special promos to those who are new to sports betting.
• Create promo codes unique to specific AEW wrestlers to identify top performers.
• ‍Partner with sports betting websites such as DraftKings. Consider also running display ads on sports betting websites. 

Spend $109K | Imp. 17M | CPM $6.4

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Spend $89K | Imp. 14M | CPM $6.4

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MLB: Celebrities

Partner with non-wrestling celebrities who resonate with your audience to reach a wider audience.

Advertising Tactics

• The top campaign by MLB features celebrities outside the world of baseball such as Sebastian Maniscalco (comedian) and Bryan Cranston (an actor who played the main role in Breaking Bad).
• Don’t be afraid to use humour in your advertisements. This ad with Sebastian Maniscalco pokes fun at young baseball players.

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NFL: Youth Athletes

Invest in the future by featuring young athletes in the world of wrestling.

WWE is also undergoing a youth movement(1), with many superstar athletes under the age of 30.

Advertising Tactics

• Highlight the individuals who contribute to AEW's success, including managers, not solely focusing on the wrestlers. The NFL showcased figures like Peyton and Eli Manning, both of whom are NFL coaches.
• Both ads directed users to playfootball.nfl.com which is a website dedicated to Youth Football.

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WWE: Merchandise

Launch a lower funnel campaign which directs users to the online AEW merchandise shop.

WWE’s top campaign is focused on a lower funnel objective, directing users to shop at wweshop.com. 

Advertising Tactics

• Feature a QR code in OTT advertising. This helps viewers easily navigate to the shop while they are watching a show on their TV.
• Create a sense of urgency by including time-sensitive copy such as “Tonight Only”.

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Find your place with the Gen Z audience. The Gen Z (18 - 24 year olds) and Boomer (55+) audiences have the least focus from brands. 

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There’s space for women in AEW. A quarter of WWE’s audience is female.

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NFL is the only competitor actively targeting new female audiences by creating content specifically for women. They put a spotlight on the famous girlfriends/wives of NFL players.

• NFL capitalized on the Taylor Swift craze and welcomed the Swifties (fanbase of Taylor Swift) by creating a playlist specifically for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce content on their TikTok channel.
• NFL regularly features the famous girlfriends of NFL players such as Alix Earle (TikTok Influencer), Simone Biles (Olympian) and Taylor Swift (Singer).

Views 5.8M

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Views 22M

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Data is based on an average of the audience data compiled from AEW’s Instagram account.

*Measured by Average Views + Engagements

Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat 

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References:

1. Ranking Every WWE Star Under the Age of 30 on the Active Roster