Sports teams and leagues have come to find that no other resource can be as valuable as consumer data. But in May 2018, the European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation law to change the rules for how businesses could collect and use consumer data.
GDPR meant that teams such as Manchester United F.C. now had to get fans to “opt-in” in order for them to continue to receive commercial communications, such as marketing emails, from the team. To prepare for GDPR, Manchester United launched a “Stay United” marketing campaign in December 2017. The six-month campaign included a fan-information survey, where participants had the opportunity to opt-in to receive continued marketing communication.