What Luke Littler's success means for Darts and Brand Partnerships | MN2S

When history is made, new audiences appear. 

Every so often, a sport produces a breakthrough talent—someone so gifted that everyone’s heard of them, even if they’ve never watched the sport itself. Think of Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, and more recently, Emma Raducanu. They become ambassadors for their chosen sport and often develop careers beyond it in the entertainment industry. The latest such breakthrough name is darts player Luke Littler. You might know nothing about darts, but the chances are you know who he is. As a quick reminder: he’s the teenage English prodigy who recently became World Darts Champion at just 17 years old, making him the youngest person ever to win the sport’s biggest tournament. What’s more, it was his 11th senior title in less than two years of being a pro.

What does this mean for brands?

When a new sporting talent breaks into the mainstream, interest in that sport naturally surges. It’s a bit like the recent surge in popularity Guinness has been enjoying: it might be that people tune in when Luke Littler’s playing on TV, visit a darts-themed bar like Flight Club, or dig their old dartboard out of the garage.

Either way, the connection is there, and the right brands can capitalise on it if they act fast. If that’s you, then you might want to book a top darts player as a speaker for your event, or look for sponsorship opportunities. 

What kind of brands align with Darts?

Darts isn’t like other sports (some naysayers question whether it’s a sport at all). Even those who grew up without any active interest in darts will likely still imagine old episodes of Bullseye or smoke-filled rooms full of middle-aged men with beer bellies. Today, however, while it would be untrue to say those archetypes have completely disappeared, darts remains unpretentious and, above all else, fun. At the same time, darts covers many unlikely areas that the most astute brands can tap into. For a start, it’s body positive: unlike those sports where competitors have to be elite athletes whose bodies are trained and toned to the max, world-champion darts players can be, and are, pretty much any body shape you can think of.

A broad age range is welcome in darts, too. Luke Littler became world champion when he was 17, not even old enough to buy a pint. Meanwhile, two-time world champion Peter Wright, known for his brightly dyed mohawk, is 54. By comparison, a professional footballer will rarely be able to play past their mid-thirties, at least at the highest levels.

Community is also a major theme of darts. Darts crowds often have all the best aspects of going to a football match—the sense of belonging, the singalongs, the chanting, the wild celebrations—but without any of the tribalism or abuse-hurling. Everybody’s there for the same reason: to be with their mates, have a laugh, and watch some darts. Alcohol is also an intrinsic and unapologetic part of darts culture, and so drinks brands can seriously capitalise on the enjoyment and shared experience of either going to watch the darts or having a game while you’re out with your friends. After all, it’s a game that can be played for fun, even if you don’t know your oche from your double top.

What alignment opportunities are out there?

Arguably the biggest opportunities for capitalising on the current interest in darts are in two areas: event speakers and sponsorship deals.

Event speakers: Darts is an inclusive, down-to-earth game, and so its biggest characters are inclusive, down-to-earth people. As our comprehensive darts roster shows, you could book everyone from young up-and-coming female talents such as 20-year-old Beau Greaves (the current women’s world number-one), to three-time world-champion Michael van Gerwen. Darts is ultimately a game that requires a lot of skill and nerve, often in the middle of a very raucous atmosphere, so these are focused, dedicated professionals who can both inspire and entertain.

Sponsorship deals: Brands have long been using the shirts of top darts players as advertising space. Even a quick glance at Luke Littler’s shirt at the recent World Championship shows him wearing a range of brand and charity logos front and back. It’s a similar model to Formula One racing and snooker, where multiple ad spaces are up for grabs. If you want to make your brand logo highly visible at major sporting tournaments and on television, then a dart’s players shirt is a brilliant place to do it.

Key takeaways

Darts is an unlikely but nevertheless brilliant place for brands that celebrate body positivity, a lack of age barriers, fun, and community to both find event speakers and ambassadors and to gain visibility through sponsorship. Luke Littler’s record-breaking success is darts’ Kim Kardashian-with-a-Guinness moment: it has got people interested and wanting to try it for themselves. If your brand acts fast, you can ride the wave too

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Check out the MN2S talent roster to book more artists and celebrities.

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