SPORTS MARKETING

Building your brand through sports

 

 

 

Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world.”  Well truth be told it also has the power to change your business. 

 

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was estimated to be the most widely viewed sports event in history, surpassing the 2010 World Cup’s 3.2 billion viewers and generating about $4 billion in sales for FIFA.  With an estimated 3.5 billion fans worldwide, there is arguably no social phenomenon with the same power to inspire, unite and connect as soccer. As a global language, soccer can provide an incredibly effective and cost-efficient way to engage with consumers.

Sports marketing focuses both on the promotion of sports events and teams as well as the promotion of other products and services through sporting events and sports teams. It is a service in which the element promoted can be a physical product or a brand name. The goal is to provide the client with strategies to promote the sport or to promote something other than sport through sports. Sport marketing is also designed to meet the needs and wants of the consumer through exchange processes.
Sport marketing is an element of sports promotion which involves a wide variety of sectors of the sport industry including broadcasting, advertising, social media, digital platforms and community relations.

This process allows corporate brands to leverage athletes as brand ambassadors to reinforce brand positioning, build brand awareness, increase sales and create differentiation in the marketplace.
Famous athletes also sign contracts to work as celebrity endorsers and lend their images to marketers.  An great example of this is Herbalife who sponsor Cristiano Ronaldo.

Closer to home we look at a young company that has come a long way and who has had a phenomenal growth in the South African market, FUTURELIFE® has become one of the fastest growing and most credible health brands in South Africa.  Securing Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs striker, Bernard Parker as one of their brand ambassador has helped the growth of the company into a larger target market.

  

The biggest advantage of sports marketing is that it allows marketers to piggyback on the popularity and devotion many fans feel towards their favorite teams and athletes.  Social media has become the go-to resource for many fans seeking fan photos, news, information and behind-the-scenes peeks to their favorite teams.  Through social media, fans not only connect with sport teams and leagues, but the athletes themselves have accounts which allow potentially millions of fans to connect personally to the athletes and their teams. This direct connection has allowed fans to now be a part of the sport organization’s story.  Live-tweeting, fan giveaways, posting highlight reels, there are many unique strategies that sports teams have successfully used to create an active community following of their social media platforms.
More and more companies are using athletes and fans to help market their products on digital channels.

• 83% of fans are checking their social media while watching sports on TV    
• 63% of fans are using social media while at the stadium.

So smart brands are learning how to engage these people in creative ways.

We offers a full brand-matching platform to align the needs of the corporate brand with the public personality of an athlete. We also facilitate all aspects of the athlete endorsement spectrum, from long-term brand endorsements and product co-creation to speaking engagements and events.  We understand the requirements of corporate clients, and use its unique experience and global reach to maximise returns from athlete sponsorships, in line with brand strategy.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about how we can assist you please feel free to mail me at info@tonibaptista.com

Successfully Pitching Your Business 

To The Media 

 

One of the most frequent requests I receive from businesses is assistance in writing a press release with the goal of having their product or service appear in a variety of publications or media.   What many don't realize is to have your product or service written up in a publication or appear in the media isn't as easy as writing a press release, posting it online and then sitting back and waiting to magically appear in the media.  There is much more involved in getting out a story of your business, your product or your service. Much more.

Things to consider:

·         Journalists and editors receive 100's of emails a day from companies looking to have them write about their product, business or service.

·         People are busy. Journalists are busy. Editors are busy.

·         Editors and journalists are working on stories every day. Some publish daily, some weekly, some monthly. And they have ideas of what these stories will be ahead of their deadlines.

·         Each journalist generally focuses on certain specialties within their respective niche.

Now that you understand and consider the above points, what do you do? Here are a few tips in helping your product, service or company get more notice and attention from the media:

·         Pitch a story, not a product or service!  Your product or service isn't usually big news.

·         What is news is the story behind the product or service,

·         How it benefits people,

·         How people have used it for success,

·         How your product/service fits within the broader perspective of life, etc.

Put yourself in the shoes of the journalist and think about the story behind your product/service and what may be of interest to their readers by targeting the right people and get to the point.

Find out the journalists that cover the subject you are pitching.  Not all journalists cover all stories, many specialize in specific areas. Those that match your pitch are the ones you want to target.

Get to the point! Remember these journalists are very busy. Don't just send them a press release; instead, why not suggest a few story ideas that will fit within the realm of your targeted journalists beat? And, getting to the point quickly, simply and succinctly will increase your chances of getting noticed within the sea of emails they receive daily.  Don't expect overnight success.

Despite the fact that you may have the best story, product or service on the market, it's not a guarantee that journalists will write about you right away. Think of public and media relations as a journey.

What you need to do is build a relationships with the media for long term success of your public relations and media relations program. By building a relationship with journalists you are showing that you are a reliable source who understands their needs and are there to help them when they need you.

If you are looking for assistance in starting or improving your public or media relations program, feel free to contact me via email info@tonibaptista.com to schedule a time to discuss your needs.