Sport Marketing: Developing a Strategic Plan for Success

1. chapter9 Sport Marketing F. Wayne Blann, Ketra L. Armstrong

2. Introduction • Marketing is • Complex • Crucial to overall success • Carries out the mission of the organization • Defining sport marketing Pitts and Stotlar (2002)

3. Unique Characteristics • Aspects of sport are intangible • Sport is subjective and heterogeneous • Sports are inconsistent and unpredictable • Sport is perishable • Sport involves emotions

4. Mission, Ethics, and Social Responsibility Need to define • Purpose • Mission statement • Sport marketing practices • Being ethically and socially responsible

5. Purpose • Every sport organization has a purpose for existing • Purpose is defined in the mission statement

6. Mission Statement • Reflects values and beliefs • Organizational members work together • Writing the mission statement • Being committed to carrying out the mission • Sport marketing plan is derived from the mission statement

7. Sport Marketing Practices Sport marketing practices should be • Derived from mission statement • Consistent with mission statement • Completed in a socially and ethically responsible manner

8. Being Ethically and Socially Responsible • Being responsible is the best way to position a sport product or event in the market • Being responsible helps ensure long-term marketing success and customer satisfaction

9. Developing a Sport Marketing Plan • Marketing plans serve as road maps or game plans • Marketing plans are key to the success of sport organizations (continued)

10. Developing a Sport Marketing Plan (continued) • Four primary elements of a marketing plan • Product • Price • Place • Promotion

11. Step 1:Identify the Purpose • Clarify the purpose • Examine the organization’s core values • Have clearly defined, measurable goals and objectives

12. Step 2:Analyze the Sport Product • The sport product is three dimensional • Tangible goods • Support services • Game or event itself • The game or event itself is two dimensional • Core product • Product extensions

13. Step 3:Projecting the Market Climate • Assess the sport climate • Assess the past market climate • Forecast the future market climate • Conduct a SWOT analysis

14. Step 4:Positioning the Sport Product • Definition Shank (2002) • Objective of positioning • Differentiate from competition • Create a distinctive image (continued)

15. Step 4:Positioning the Sport Product (continued) • Verbal and nonverbal communications • Logos • Symbols • TV and radio advertisements • PSAs • Press releases • News articles • Feature articles (continued)

16. Step 4:Positioning the Sport Product (continued) • Distinctive markets • Primary • Secondary • Branding • Name, design, symbol, or any combination • Allows an organization to distinguish and differentiate itself

17. Step 5:Analyzing and Targeting Consumers • In other words, “picking the players” • Market research • Demographic segmentation • Psychographic segmentation • Media preference • Purchasing behavior (continued)

18. Step 5:Analyzing and Targeting Consumers (continued) • Market segmentation • Create clusters according to selected characteristics • Used to identify target consumers who have similar wants, needs, and interests • Able to identify specific consumers (continued)

19. Step 5:Analyzing and Targeting Consumers(continued) • Target marketing • Identify specific consumer groups that will most likely buy company’s products • Develop a strategy to reach them • Customize the elements in the marketing mix

20. Step 6:Packaging the Sport Product Presenting the product in the best possible manner • Packaging the core product • Packaging the product extensions • Licensed merchandise • Sponsorship

21. Step 7: Pricing the Sport Product • Marketers should consider four factors when developing a pricing strategy • Consumer • Competitor • Company • Climate (continued)

22. Step 7: Pricing the Sport Product (continued) • Determining the value of a product • Consumers have attitudes, preferences, beliefs, and expendable money • Product is unique to each consumer • Prices are based on consumers’ interest, ability, and willingness to commit time and money (continued)

23. Step 7: Pricing the Sport Product (continued) • Final analysis • Determine how consumers perceive the value of the product compared with all competing products • Offer consumers a satisfying consumption experience

24. Step 8:Promoting the Product Promotions are the most visible aspect of the marketing plan • Advertising • Publicity • Activities and inducements • Public relations • Community relations • Personal selling • Sponsorship

25. Step 9:Placing the Sport Product • Place refers to • Location of the sport product • Point of origin for distributing the product • Geographical location of target markets • Other channels through which target may access product (continued)

26. Step 9:Placing the Sport Product (continued) • Sport is unique in the way that it is distributed to consumers • Attending sport events • Nationally and globally • Ticket distribution

27. Step 10:Promise of the Sport Marketing Plan • Requires obtaining feedback • From inside sources • From outside sources • Requires analysis and evaluation of feedback • Linkage • Being proactive

28. Challenges and Directions in Sport Marketing • Pressure to increase sales • To generate increased revenues • Risk exaggerating or misrepresenting products • Technology • Rapidly changing • Select technology to stay competitive and remain on the cutting edge (continued)

29. Challenges and Directions in Sport Marketing (continued) • Nuances in the marketing plan Hip-hop genre • Consumer diversity • Racial and ethnic influences • National and global markets • Developing appropriate and acceptable intercultural communications