Las Vegas Raiders’ SVP of Marketing Kristen Banks joins The Current Podcast to discuss the importance of balancing old and new fan bases alike, and not just in Las Vegas. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.[00:00:00] Damian: I'm Damian
[00:00:01] Illyse: And I'm Ilyse Liffering and
[00:00:02] Damian: welcome to this edition of The
Current
[00:00:04] Illyse: This week,
[00:00:05] we're delighted to talk with Kristen
Banks, the SVP of Marketing for the Las Vegas
Raiders, formerly known as the Oakland Raiders, and
for a while the Los Angeles Raiders from 1982 to 94,
[00:00:18] Damian: but since 2020, the Raiders have
made their home in Las Vegas, and this year the
Raiders hosted the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.
[00:00:26] That's the first time in NFL history that
a Super Bowl was played in the state of Nevada.
[00:00:31] Illyse: In fact, the match was the most
streamed in history by a record setting audience.
[00:00:37] Damian: Now, although the Raiders weren't
playing in the match, the event marked a watershed
moment for the NFL, for Las Vegas, and the game in
general.
[00:00:45] We started by asking Kristen what all that
attention meant to the Raiders.
[00:00:51] Kristen: it's incredible. Uh, you know,
coming into working for a brand that's been around 60
years. So the Raiders organization is [00:01:00]
been, you know, around since 1960 and they've never
hosted a Super Bowl. So for the first time, you know,
coming to a new stadium being built in Las Vegas in
2020, not having it open for the first two years that
the stadium was in full operations because of the
pandemic, And then fast forward to this year hosting
the Super Bowl on a wide, really global stage.
[00:01:26] was incredible. It was incredible for the
brand. It was incredible for the city of Las Vegas.
And I think it really represents a new chapter in
sport and what's happening in this city.
[00:01:40] Illyse: And you know, also thanks to
streaming and probably also Taylor Swift a little
bit, let's be honest, we're seeing new fans come to
the NFL.
[00:01:49] Kristen: What I would say is again,
drafting back to the pandemic is that there's, you
know, there was already a change in consumer behavior
and how consumers were [00:02:00] absorbing and
watching content. Certainly with the pandemic that
increased that aptitude. And so you saw this
incredible spike in how people are consuming content,
certainly migrating away from being cord cutters or
potentially Cord nevers who had a cable package and
moving into streaming services.
[00:02:20] Certainly you see that even more so with
the younger population and Gen Z. It's about simply.
Being available to every audience type that's out
there, and that could be on their mobile phone, on
their tablet, when they're watching the game, still
on regular television, but going to social media
platforms or YouTube to consume additional content
that only enhances the experience.
[00:02:46] Damian: That's interesting. One of the
things that you said to me, Kristen, was about that
streaming and second screen experiences that, in
effect, there's a sort of virtual community of fans
who are sharing content as the action is happening
and unfolding. [00:03:00] How do you think about that
and leverage that as a marketer?
[00:03:02] Because that seems like a pretty exciting
real time opportunity.
[00:03:06] Kristen: It's such a unique world, right?
Particularly for younger audiences, we'll say, under
the age of 25, if they haven't documented it, then
it's almost like it didn't happen. So, as a brand and
as a marketer, you have to think about when someone's
attending a game, when they're watching it at home,
how are they engaging with the experience?
[00:03:30] And how are you giving them? A opportunity
to tell their story and what it means to engage and
experience that activity with the brand.
[00:03:40] , I'm quite new to the Raiders
organization. I joined, um, six m