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What Is Sports Marketing?

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Marketingexpert001

What is Sports Marketing? A brief definition will suffice to explain what it is. Sports marketing is a division of advertising that focuses on both the promotion of specific sports events and various sports teams and products and services associated with sports events. It's a service where the primary element promoted can either be an individual product or an exclusive brand name attached to an event. In essence, it's a cross between PR and advertising. It allows for increased exposure and sales of tickets, products, services and whatever becomes part of an athlete's promotional campaign.

The basic premise of what is sports marketing is that the successful promotion of a product, service or event occurs when the public relations and advertising of that product, service or event is combined with the marketing of that event. Many companies have the opinion that the successful promotion of a brand occurs when the sporting events themselves are promoted. This can take many forms, from print advertisements through signage and banners to television spots and radio spots.

In reality, what are sports and entertainment marketing is the integration of what is often termed, 'sport psychology', into the overall strategy of the company that is sponsoring a particular sporting event or team. For example, a beverage company may sponsor a professional golf tournament, but if they fail to properly advertise and market their brand to the general public, the public will turn their nose up at their product. Conversely, if they correctly advertise their brand and how it relates to the world of golf, then they'll succeed in capturing a segment of the golf market that may not otherwise have considered golf as a sport of interest.

The concept of what is sports marketing can be boiled down to one simple concept. Brands need to position themselves in the market in a way that gives them an advantage over their competition. For example, Rolex watches may be hugely popular among athletes, celebrities and elite consumers, but if nobody else is advertising on the same platform, or if they're promoting a replica of a Rolex that's been dubbed 'the red hat', then it's unlikely that any significant percentage of the marketplace is going to be aware of the brand. The brand needs to create an identity for itself. The best way to do this is to position the brand within a niche market. Niche markets are highly specific and narrow, because they only cater to a specific audience.

An example of such a niche market would be the world of professional golf. Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, and there are billions of people who play the game. If the brand placing the ad wants to capture a piece of the overall revenue generated by this extremely popular sport, then they need to position themselves in the market as a credible authority within the world of professional golf. In order to do this, the brand needs to promote the fact that they're the top authority in providing golf equipment to professionals, or they risk seeing just a fraction of their potential market fail to perceive them as credible sources of golf-related products.

Another important consideration when it comes to what is sports marketing is the amount of social media engagement that a brand can get from its fans. Brands need to understand that in order to successfully market sporting events to their fans, they need to engage with their fans in a variety of different ways. This can take many forms, such as providing information and content on social media platforms to engaging fans in discussions on Facebook and Twitter. A third strategy that many brands overlook when it comes to what is sports marketing is the amount of direct interaction that fans can have with the brand on a daily basis through various social media channels.

This may sound incredibly simple, but it is very difficult for many brands to get this across. As I've written before, the majority of fans are incredibly fickle. They'll either eagerly anticipate your arrival with news of your latest achievement, or they'll be extremely dissatisfied with whatever it is you're offering them. In order to create long term relationships with your fans, you need to cultivate strong relationships with them. It's this relationship, which is the main pillar of what is sports marketing.

The above factors, especially when combined with the correct approach and attitude, are why many different companies have made the leap and adopted what is sports marketing as a valid business strategy. It is undoubtedly a lucrative way to market your brand, both in the short and long term. It will allow you to expand your current customer base and potentially attract new ones at the same time. For many people, the act of taking their sports-loving friends and family into the fold has proven to be extremely beneficial. By taking this approach, you're not only showing them that you genuinely care about them and their interests, but you're also giving them a reason to patronize your brand.


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