Sports marketing is a marketing subdivision that focuses on promoting sporting events and teams as well as promoting other products and services through sporting events and sports teams. This is a service where promoted elements can be physical products or brand names. The goal is to provide strategies for clients to promote sports or promote some products, services, business, or other activities through sports. Sports marketing is also designed to meet the needs and wants of consumers through the exchange process. This strategy follows four "P" marketing products, prices, promotions, and public places in general; four other "P's" added to sports marketing, related to the fact sport is considered a service. Additional 4 P are: Planning, Packaging, Positioning and Perception. The addition of four extra elements is called "a mix of sports marketing."
Sports marketing is a sporting promotional element that involves various sports industry sectors, including broadcasting, advertising, social media, digital platforms, ticket sales, and public relations.
Sports marketing is divided into three sectors. The first is the advertising of sports and sports associations such as the Olympics, the Spanish Football League and the NFL, as well as sports teams such as Real Madrid and the New York Yankees. The second concerns the use of sporting events, sports teams, and individual athletes to promote products. The third category is the promotion of sports to the public to increase participation.
In the first case, the promotion is directly related to the sport. In the second case, the product can but should not be directly related to the sport. When promotion is about sports in general, the use of such a strategy is called "Sports Marketing." When promotion is not about sports but sporting events, athletes, teams or leagues are used to promote different products, its marketing strategy is "Marketing through sports." When promotion is about increasing participation among the people, it's called "Sports Grass Marketing." To promote a product or service, companies and associations use different channels such as team or athlete sponsorships, television or radio advertisements during different broadcasting events and sports festivals, and/or advertising at sports venues.
"Sports road marketing" considers sports marketing through billboards on the street as well as through urban elements (street lighters and sidewalks, etc.) to help promote and gain publicity during major world sporting events such as the Football World Cup, Olympics or Super Bowl.
Video Sports marketing
Sports enthusiasts
Like all business sectors, sports businesses also rely on market segmentation to market themselves effectively. Sports enthusiasts differ by a number of attributes including motivation to attend sporting events, emotional ties, economic ties, identities, and loyalty. This attribute also makes sports different from other forms of entertainment because sports fans behave differently than consumers of other products and services.
Attributes such as loyalty can be acknowledged through contract players and athlete marks with sporting companies where they are paid to wear or use their products in every game or sporting event. Thus, players and athletes and their fans develop loyalty to the product for a longer time.
Maps Sports marketing
Sport type
With different sports fans, different types and levels of sport are found all over the world. For example, in many countries, cricket and football are the extreme
popular while in the United States American football, baseball, and basketball are most preferred while college sports are also favored. In addition to sports classification by level, sports have also been classified as mainstream or non-mainstream, also known as niche.
There are seven product attributes that differentiate mainstream sports from non-mainstream sports: accessibility, popularity, uniqueness, affordability, star power, player skills, and player equality. Accessibility, affordability, and similarity are strongly associated with special sports while popularity, player skills, and accessibility are strongly associated with mainstream sports. Meanwhile, less-identified fans with teams are interested in the players' similarity as they feel they can be more connected with players, while highly-identified fans prefer the player's star power. Affordability is also a differentiating factor among fans, as less-identified fans have a greater interest in pricing. A practical marketing example of this is the National League which requires players to attend the restaurant receptions that sponsor the team. Another strategy used by special sports to distinguish themselves from mainstream sports is to provide easy access to team and player information, especially online, as well as offering affordable ticket prices and valuable promotions such as a night dollar beer and a 25-cent hot dog night. Conversely, popular mainstream sports such as Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) highlight the strength of the player's stars, which is why the team is striving to promote their best players. It is also seen in the media as a nationally televised sporting event and often promotes special players that lead to the game.
Fans also have different expectations of different types of sports and sports levels, which is important for sports marketers to understand. For example, fans who attend small league baseball games will compare their experience with previous matches attended in small league baseball games, or even other minor league sports if they have little experience with minor baseball leagues. They will not, however, compare the league baseball experience to NFL games because they understand the two experiences will be very different.
Sport differentiation is also important regarding sponsorship. Companies that sponsor the most important niche sports spots on attributes include cost effectiveness, audience demographics, and companies according to sports imagery. Niche sports often allow companies that can not afford to sponsor mainstream sports channels to market their companies. Also, with a niche sport shown to attract different types of consumers, these companies want to raise their public awareness in a specific target market. Another important attribute for companies that sponsor niche sports is enhancing their community image and involvement, which may be easier to do through special sport than mainstream sports.
Benefits of sports marketing
The benefits of sports marketing are very wide. Stakeholders involved in the sport include leagues, teams, athletes, and fans and cities and countries hosting sports events. Media and businesses that promote their products and services through sports also benefit. Direct benefits to leagues, teams, and athletes include revenue from tickets, media rights, and sponsorship. Cities and countries also receive income from taxes, and all stakeholders get from the exposure provided through sports.
New challenge for sports marketing
With millennial generations switching to a new platform to access sports, the role of traditional media and sports marketing is changing. Inflexible and inflexible contracts can leave very little budget for critical activation, and with fans choosing unofficial channels for gossip and insider information, the rewards can be hard-earned. A new and accessible way to view sports, from mobile to social to VR, means there is less incentive for fans to attend live events, while more expectations are placed on sports stars to emit an authentic natural sound for their brand. The environment is very difficult for small college athletics (eg, NCAA Division III schools), which rely on fans' presence to generate revenue to keep their sport afloat - requires communicators and marketers to become more creative in how they promote sports for their target audience.
Team marketing and sports events
According to various authors and organizations, event marketing and sports teams are defined as "Designing or developing" live "themed events, events, displays, or exhibiting sports events to promote products, teams, causes, or organizations.In other words it can be defined as follows: Event marketing and sports teams are marketing strategies designed or developed for "direct" activities that have a specific theme.Most of these strategies are used as a way to promote, display or showcase different things, such as sports teams, sports associations, etc. There are various events that can clearly demonstrate this concept, such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the UEFA Champions League, the World Marathon Major, and the FIFA World Cup.
Big sports brands compete to connect with the world's best marathon, test for excellence in 'running', in what is an original exhibit to strengthen its marketing strategy to target audiences. Adidas , Asics and Nike share the market to 'World Marathon Major ' , an international athletic competition created in 2006 that unites the most prestigious marathons on the planet. They are not titles but technical sponsors, but these paths are very popular and should not be missed for the show of these brands, which create a special advertising campaign for one of several competitions that brings together professionals and amateurs under the same chrono.
The Super Bowl is an example of this concept because it is a massive sports event organized by the sports association, NFL, which looks to promote events, sports, and also different football teams. The event is promoted through local and national media, and has also spread internationally. For example, in Mexico the NFL signed a contract with Cinemex, a Mexican cinema network, for the right to transmit its game in theaters. It features the potential of leagues and sports teams to promote not only events, but leagues and teams involved in viewers around the world.
Product marketing through sports
' Marketing through sports' is a concept that has been in use since the 1980s, but has increased in importance in the past two decades because of the growth and expansion that has been enjoyed by various sports ever since. "Marketing through sports" is a marketing strategy that can be used in sports in two different ways. First, the use of marketing and promotion can be done through sports or through sports clubs. In the first case, the use of marketing is under the responsibility of different sports associations, while in the second case, the responsibility falls on different sports clubs. In this way, marketing and promotion through sports and through clubs involve corporate sponsors, events and boxes, licensed merchandise, names and images also known as "endorsements", advertisements through broadcasters, advertisements such as advertisements as advertisements of sign/clothing/basic equipment , promote games, promote using players/clubs/leagues or develop 'business opportunities.' The uniqueness of sport is that "sport is the only entertainment where, no matter how many times you come back, you'll never know the ending of the story." This single fact is used by marketing companies as an advantage: every time an audience attends an event, it will see the ad again and again, providing opportunities for companies operating in this field.
Examples of product marketing through sports
Event sponsor
One of the oldest examples of product marketing through sport is the supply of Slazenger to the official Wimbledon ball (1902-2015). Another international example of marketing products through sports is sponsor Adidas for FIFA, which includes companies that supply the ball used. in the World Cup and have a logo on the side board along the playing field. In what is described as the "first world" in the company's sporting sponsorship, in 2016 BNY Mellon and Newton Investment Management announced that they have donated their title sponsorship of the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race to Cancer Research UK.
Team sponsors
Team sponsors are found throughout the sport. Some of the most visible examples are found in MLS as the company name and logo shown on the team jerseys. For example, Alaska Airlines is the official sponsor of the Jersey Timbers jersey while Valspar is the official sponsor of the Chicago Fire. This is an example of a corporate sponsorship unrelated to sports.
Turkish Airlines forms a sports marketing strategy that includes top sports teams, players and sports associations including Manchester United, FC Barcelona, ​​Euroleague basketball, NBA players Kobe Bryant, Turkish national football team and tennis players Caroline Wozniacki.
Another example of sports marketing through team sponsorship is the apparel contracts that are seen throughout the sport. In 2011, Nike agreed to become the official NFL clothing company in return for approximately $ 220 million per year, an agreement that has been extended to 2019.
At the college level, Ohio State and Nike maintain contracts that provide school grades of $ 16.8 million per year in cash and products through the academic year 2033-34. While Michigan received a total value of $ 15.3 million per year. Under Armor and Adidas are also the main clothing brands as a sponsor of Under Armor Notre Dame for $ 9 million per year, while Adidas provides more than $ 7 million annually to UCLA and Louisville.
This is an example of sports marketing because as defined, sports marketing is a marketing strategy in which companies associated with sports products or services promote their trademark through design, production, or other resources. In this case, Nike Underwear, Under Armor and Adidas apparel companies, all entirely related to the sport, design these teams uniforms and in this way, promote their trademark every time there is an event.
Sponsors of athletes
Clothing companies also sponsor professional athletes such as Kevin Durant who receives $ 30 million annually from Nike. Stephen Curry speculates to receive more money than Durant from his contract with Under Armor. Meanwhile, Puma pays $ 10 million per year for Usain Bolt sprinter.
Many athletes maintain contracts with various companies; some of which are related to sports and others that are not. Roger Federer entered into agreements with Nike, Wilson, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, and Gillette, for an amount close to $ 60 million annually. LeBron James's contract with Nike, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, Kia, McDonald's and Samsung acquired more than $ 40 million NBA players per year. Peyton Manning temporarily holds sponsorship agreements with companies including Buick, DirecTV, Gatorade, Nationwide and Papa John's for approximately $ 12 million per year. Fellow NFL quarterback Drew Brees earns $ 11 million annually from his contract with Wrangler, Vicks, Verizon, Nike, and Microsoft.
Another example of sports marketing is the strategy used by Gillette to promote his personal hygiene products through a representative figure of every sport on television during a broadcast sporting event. Gillette uses athletes such as tennis player Roger Federer, golfer Tiger Woods, and footballer Thierry Henry. In this ad celebrities appear using company products. This is done to promote this product to fans of this celebrity and inspire them to use this product. This is a clear example of this concept, since companies using this marketing strategy are not related to sports at all, but through important sports personalities, their products are exposed to larger target audiences.
Nike and Gatorade also entered into sponsorship agreements with top athletes. Included among Nike's clients are Federer, Woods, golfers Rory McIlroy and tennis player Rafael Nadal while Gatorade has an agreement with NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, and Peyton and Eli Manning.
Promotion of sports to the public to increase sports participation
The marketing of grassroots sports is part of the marketing field known as social marketing. This refers to marketing something that is beneficial to the public, and is usually done by governments or charities rather than private sector organizations. This is usually done on a much smaller budget than marketing sports teams and event or product marketing through sports because it does not bring immediate financial benefits. Although this marketing usually drives people to clubs where they will pay to play sports, it still needs to be subsidized in order to run. The money comes from local councils with the authority to increase participation or from the public health sector who want to lower health care costs.
Examples of sports promotions to increase participation are the US Golf Association's initiative to increase golf participation as well as MLB's Baseball Baseball campaign, which seeks to unite baseball organizations at all levels with the overall goal of increasing youth participation and consequently creating new fans.
Marketing Relationships in Sports
Marketing relationships relate to customer retention and build long-term success relationships between business and customers by maximizing customer satisfaction. Sports businesses need to communicate and participate in discussions with their customers to create, maintain and enhance relationships. The existing research offers in-depth information on relationship marketing and general consensus is that sports businesses can benefit from their use. In many situations, sports marketing affairs include a kind of relationship marketing, in which clubs, organizations, fans, and athletes have relationships with each other that depend on the successful management of the relationship. In order for sports businesses to succeed in their goals, they must see their customers as partners for life rather than here and now consumers, and seek to understand their changing needs, desires, hopes and values. Thus, sports businesses can maintain and increase their fan base easily rather than through more commonly used short-term transactions such as merchandise and ticket sales. Social media allows businesses to do this and connect with their customers with much higher efficiency and effectiveness.
Social media and relationship marketing in sports
Used as a channel of communication and global interaction, social media has changed the dynamics of conventional business customer relationships. Social media is a tool that enables customer engagement through instant and active back-to-back conversations. Customers are increasingly putting social media into their daily lives and using it for communication. Business has also made it an integral part of their communication mix. Today, sports businesses can use social media to actively listen to their customers, recognize and follow their specific needs and desires rather than using out-of-date data collection methods such as surveys and focus groups, which do not provide rich information to better understand customers. This allows the sports business to keep their customers updated on the latest news and information and interact with them individually. The instantaneous two-way communication tool available for the sports business allows them to provide quality content in a short period of time and interact with customers in real time. In terms of marketing, this can also be seen as a form of competitive advantage. They are able to interact the way they want, in the way they want, using the medium they like the most. This adds to the sports business in terms of marketing. The effective utilization of social media allows sports brands to provide their customers with the best experience and expand their marketing capabilities.
The benefits of social media are for both parties. Regardless of the sports business that benefits from the use of social media in the context of relationship management and marketing, customers also experience the same level of benefits. The constant interplay between sports businesses and their customers allows organizations to know and learn about each individual customer at a deeper level. As a result, customers feel more valued and this leads to higher customer loyalty. Social media allows sports businesses to engage customers in the marketing process by receiving feedback and ideas, which can then be implemented in products and services in the future. Thus, the sports business strengthens the level of engagement and relationships between the organization and its customers, and this reinforces the importance of customers sticking to the brand building process.
Professional leagues, teams, and athletes have begun using social media as part of their marketing strategy over the past few years. The most popular social media platforms are Facebook and Twitter, but athletes and teams also use sites including Instagram and Snapchat for marketing. Just like all businesses, the advantages of using social media in sports include building brand awareness, reaching a larger audience in an easy and cost-effective way and creating brand supporters and attracting vibrant sports enthusiasts. There are many examples of athletes and sports teams using social media for marketing and promotion.
For example, for a brand like Babolat, having a world icon like Rafael Nadal as its top brand representative is priceless. There is no better way to compete with your competitors than to have the best on your side. You should also know how to do it because not everything works in marketing. This is why knowing how to use social media is essentially important. "A message on Twitter is not just an advertising channel that you can win an audience, its strength lies in relevant and credible messages," explains Edwin Schravesande (electronics marketing professor at Johan Cruyff Academy in Tilburg).
Baylor Bold Reward Program: When fans decide to "Likes" or "Follow" Baylor athletics on Twitter or Facebook, they are given daily updates on their favorite teams. From a marketing aspect, Baylor's sports page on Facebook and Twitter (@BaylorAthletics) tracks fans who have "tweeted" or "commented" on certain links, posts or tweets. There is an incentive for fans to post and tweet because at the end of each year, the top three posts or tweeting fans are selected to receive the grand prize including free T-shirts and merchandise for season tickets.
Michigan Presale Incentive: Michigan uses a very clever way to increase the total number of "likes" or "followers" for their Facebook and Twitter Pages to gain higher recognition. In order to get a chance to file a pre-sale ticket for their Michigan football game, in the biggest football arena in the country 'The Big House,' fans are asked to "follow" or "like" their pages on Facebook or Twitter. This allows them to be able to buy pre-sale tickets for whatever game they want, making this marketing method a great tool to gain awareness for their team and many other things.
Louisville Scugger Slugger: After St. Louis Louis Cardinals won the World Series in 2011, Hillerich & amp; Bradsby, the maker of the Louisville Slugger bat and other baseball equipment, created a hunt through Twitter to raise awareness for their company. The hunt involved 45 bats warning the world series, scattered throughout the city of St. John. Louis, Missouri. Twitter page Louisville Slugger posts "tweets" that signal where bats are in the city. Fans or participants use their phones to keep up to date on specific "tweets" that refer to the hunt. If a fan or participant finds one of several bats, the participant is told that they should be kept by the searcher. The reason the company is hunting is to find recognition and to increase the number of followers on Twitter. Statistics show that their fan base skyrocketed, lifting Facebook's likes by 143%, the number of people talking about the brand on Facebook by 834% and Tweeters' share of 161%.
Many teams have incorporated sponsors into their social media strategies, such as the Instagram images of "Touchdown Tracker" Minnesota Vikings, sponsored by FedEx. Cleveland Browns also featured sponsored integration in their tweets that record touchdown drives, sponsored by Cooper Tyres.
Many athletes including Kobe Bryant, Russell Wilson, and Rafael Nadal have leveraged social media to increase their followers and improve their brand recognition. Athletes also promote the brand through social media including sponsorship of Russell Wilson for Recovery Water and the promotion of Serena Williams to Wheels Up. Because of this marketing tool, the fan-based website pages have grown in number and given them the recognition they're looking for.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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