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