Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Former hockey coach condemns Nobbs appointment
PTI Jun 30, 2011, 03.12pm IST
JALANDHAR: Former national coach Rajinder Singh has strongly condemned the appointment of Australian Michael Jack Nobbs as the chief coach of Indian men's hockey team, saying the selection is neither in favour of the players nor in the interest of the sport in the country.
Rajinder, who coached the Indian team for little over two years since his inception in April 2002, said the selection of Nobbs was against the tradition and culture of hockey in India and his appointment would not do any good to the struggling sport.
"We always had hold on the Olympics. We have several great and experienced players. They (the administrators) have overlooked all those names and have forced upon the players a coach who is just the opposite of the tradition and culture in India," Rajinder said.
The Olympian was baffled by the move as he felt there are a number of eminent former players in the country who could have don the responsibility.
"Could the hockey administrators not find a person from India, which has won eight Olympic gold medals rather than importing an Australian for the job," asked Rajinder, who was forced to resign from his job following lack of support from the administrators.
Nobbs was on Wednesday appointed the coach of the national men's team for an unprecedented five-year period, thus becoming the fourth foreigner to take up the mantle of reviving Indian hockey.
The 57-year-old Nobbs, who succeeds Spaniard Jose Brasa and has been a player himself, will take over charge immediately in the national camp in Bangalore scheduled to start from Friday.
Rajinder also asked why the Indian coaches were not given the same amount of privileges as their foreign counterparts.
"The way Nobbs has been appointed for a long term and has been promised 10,000 Australian dollars per month, why no Indian coach was given the same amount of benefits?" he questioned.
"Indian coaches were neither given long tenure nor were they given handsome salaries. They were not even allowed to work freely and were treated like puppets," he alleged.
"After appointing an Indian coach, they always used to interfere in his work. Indian coaches tenures were restricted to a particular tournament and they were not given the proper benefits. They were also restricted from doing experiments. In such conditions a coach never felt secured," Rajinder said.
He said it was not possible for any coach to produce good results under such hostile working conditions.
"Till the time you don't show faith in your own people and bring changes in the internal structure, no matter how many foreign coaches you appoint nothing positive is going to happen," Rajinder warned.
He added that the forthcoming Olympic qualifiers will show how good a coach Nobbs is.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
How is sports marketing different from traditional goods/services marketing?
Fans vs. customers:
Customer: One that buys goods or services.
Fan: An ardent devotee; an enthusiast;
Fanatic: A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause
What are some things you have seen fans do at a game that customers at a grocery store never do for a favorite cereal or toothpaste???
If a customer is a loyal Folgers coffee customer, we can predict that s/he will likely continue to buy Folgers coffee at the grocery store. A loyal Folger’s customer may, however, switch to similar coffee (Maxwell House) or buy Folgers at another store if appropriately discounted.
You won’t see many Folger’s customers wearing shirts with its brand name emblazoned across the chest. Nor are you aware of many people, who of their own free will, frequently visit www.folgers.com. If so, they must be the same people who are visiting www.tide.com, www.zest.com, and www.crest.com.
Why? Because most people don’t identify themselves by what detergent or toothpaste they use.
On the other hand,
Fans:
Identify with and follow the behavior of the team and individual players on that team, on and off the field (via www.espn.com, team websites, newspapers, television, radio, wireless emails, etc.).
Purchase licensed merchandise (jerseys, automobile paraphernalia, caps, mugs, etc.) promoting the team.
Donate or pay extra for permanent seat-licenses (PSLs) in order to buy season tickets.
Travel to see games of that team outside of his local market.
Support tax-based initiatives to pay for a new arena or stadium for the team.
Are a supporter of the conference or league in which the team plays.
Devote significant social time attending, watching and discussing the team with others devoted to the same or other teams.
Air Canada: What do you think of the company's threat to pull its NHL sponsorship?
Major NHL sponsor Air Canada threatened to withdraw its sponsorship unless the league moves on sanctions to reduce potentially serious injuries, such as the one to Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty this week.
The airline sent a letter to NHL officials including commissioner Gary Bettman and his associate Bill Daly, expressing its concern over the increase in dangerous hits to players' heads. According to reports, it demanded "immediate" and "serious" action on the matter.
"From a corporate social responsibility standpoint, it is becoming increasingly difficult to associate our brand with sports events which could lead to serious and irresponsible accidents," Air Canada warned in the letter.
The letter came from Denis Vandal, Air Canada's director of marketing communications.
The airline is a major sponsor of the NHL, with its six Canadian franchises. Air Canada has owned the naming rights for the building where the Toronto Maple Leafs play since it opened in 1999
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2011/03/air-canada-what-do-you-think-of-the-
Read more.
companys-threat-to-pull-its-nhl-sponsorship.html
IISM Sports Management Contd...
Well informed on Sports Business & importance of Sports Managers...
"Evolution of Sports Business
Sport today, more than leisure and entertainment, is a humongous business enjoying unparalleled world attention - whether through viewership, events and media coverage or in the form of advertising, sponsorships merchandise or publications. It's as much about on-the-field athleticism as it is about off-the-field management. No wonder, Sports Marketing is today one of the most lucrative industries and corporate sponsorships in sports are growing faster than in any other field. The Sports management business is a 60,000 crore mega business.
Internationally, celebrities from the world of sports such as American professional golfer Tiger Woods, professional basketball player LeBron James and Swiss tennis star Roger Federer are making money in more ways than one. Multi-million dollar deals for endorsing and using contracted companies' merchandise, guest appearance fees and match fees are all revenue spinners for these players.
Sports marketing is finally coming of age in India, with a large number of firms out in the field, giving product endorsement contracts to celebrities in a range of sports. They come in different avatars ranging from full-service sports management companies and sports television channels to offshoots of advertising and media firms, celebrity management companies and lifestyle clubs. These include leading television networks such as ESPN, Star TV, Zee TV, Sony Television, Nimbus and NDTV, specialized sports management companies such as Mahesh Bhupathi's Globosport, Total Sports, Tiger Sports, Collage Sports Management, sports divisions of advertising agencies such as Percept D'mark, O&M, and sports administration bodies such as the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
In India, sport stars such as cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and tennis star Sania Mirza reap the benefits of their celebrity status by endorsing products and services, earning millions of dollars each year, through the endorsement deals brought to them by their respective Sports 'Managers'."
Source of Data: http://www.iismworld.com/SportsBusiness.html
"Evolution of Sports Business
Sport today, more than leisure and entertainment, is a humongous business enjoying unparalleled world attention - whether through viewership, events and media coverage or in the form of advertising, sponsorships merchandise or publications. It's as much about on-the-field athleticism as it is about off-the-field management. No wonder, Sports Marketing is today one of the most lucrative industries and corporate sponsorships in sports are growing faster than in any other field. The Sports management business is a 60,000 crore mega business.
Internationally, celebrities from the world of sports such as American professional golfer Tiger Woods, professional basketball player LeBron James and Swiss tennis star Roger Federer are making money in more ways than one. Multi-million dollar deals for endorsing and using contracted companies' merchandise, guest appearance fees and match fees are all revenue spinners for these players.
Sports marketing is finally coming of age in India, with a large number of firms out in the field, giving product endorsement contracts to celebrities in a range of sports. They come in different avatars ranging from full-service sports management companies and sports television channels to offshoots of advertising and media firms, celebrity management companies and lifestyle clubs. These include leading television networks such as ESPN, Star TV, Zee TV, Sony Television, Nimbus and NDTV, specialized sports management companies such as Mahesh Bhupathi's Globosport, Total Sports, Tiger Sports, Collage Sports Management, sports divisions of advertising agencies such as Percept D'mark, O&M, and sports administration bodies such as the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
In India, sport stars such as cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and tennis star Sania Mirza reap the benefits of their celebrity status by endorsing products and services, earning millions of dollars each year, through the endorsement deals brought to them by their respective Sports 'Managers'."
Source of Data: http://www.iismworld.com/SportsBusiness.html
Too Long But Too Important....So Take Out Time And read
Corporate Sponsorship: Managing Your Brand Assets
Overview
While there are several corporate sponsorship mediums (e.g. event, music, entertainment) sponsoring professional and collegiate sports activities can be a fun, exciting venture for a corporation. Choosing the correct sports and constructing (and negotiating) the most advantageous sponsorship packages is a combination of art and science.
Sports marketing should be treated like any other strategic marketing initiative. Sports are a means to a marketing end. Unfortunately, in too many cases, the decision to sponsor a sport and subsequent decisions on the structure and components of the sponsorship can be made with little study of the tangible business effect the decision can have.
Additionally, sports marketing sponsorships require a significant people commitment to make the event effective. We have seen many companies simply write the check and provide the creative materials, then not fully leverage the sales and visibility opportunities that are available. Most effective sponsorships require hands-on nurturing to gain maximum effectiveness.
Realistically, effective leveraging of sponsorships may require additional out-of-pocket expenditures of 2 to 3 times the amount of the sponsorship fee.
Many de-centralized organizations find that differing regions and product units have initiated sponsorships across a whole range of sports and levels of teams from amateur clubs to collegiate to professional. The company should quickly work to consolidate and consider a limited number of sports that best fit the business goals. The company will gain more market benefit from having a concentrated presence in soccer, basketball, and ice skating, for example, than smaller presence with 5 differing teams/sports depending on the market.
When the company takes the trouble to audit the expense going toward sports-related sponsorships across the corporation, the dollar total is often sobering. But, this is the first step to reducing the wasted expenditures and moving sports marketing into a strategic light.
Too often, sponsorships decisions are based on company tradition, school or geographic loyalties, personal preferences and friendships rather than sound marketing analysis and principles. As a result, there may be no standards for:
- The type of sport that best fits the company’s business
and marketing strategy - The most advantageous sponsorship elements
- program ads
- television and radio sponsorship
- venue signs
- venue product sales (e.g. product sampling, credit card
applications) - VIP seats
- visits/autographs from star players
- opportunities to take clients to visit team practices, etc.
- Sharing of event tickets among business units
- Use of tickets for clients versus internal audiences
- Reporting the results from the expenditure
Each decision to sponsor a sport association or team
should be based on core marketing objectives such as:
- Building awareness and affinity with a key audience
(team ownership or loyal fans) - Modifying key corporate attributes (appeal to younger
affluent adults, older conservative adults) - Building business with team players (professional
athletes) - Selling product (ability to distribute brochures and
applications in sports programs)
Measurement
Once objectives are in place, there are means, with varying degrees of precision, to estimate monetary value of the sponsorship elements before making the decision to sponsor. Advertising or advertising-like elements can and should be compared with similar advertising opportunities outside of sports. For example, the cost of television spots should be compared with other programming that reaches the same or similar audience.
By extrapolating the length of time the audience views a sign in the stadium, it can be compared with the cost of billboards that reach the same number of viewers. “Sports are a means to a marketing end.”
Fictional Soccer Sponsorship by a Financial Services Company
Start with the marketing need and find a sports sponsorship to fit it, not the reverse: Assume you have decided to make a major new product push (financial planning) to affluent young people (25-45) with X$, per average household, in savings and disposable income. General data on the audience for soccer tells you that fans that attend live matches, watch on television, and listen on radio are 60% comprised of such affluent young people.
Also assume that research from your sister commercial insurance businesses identifies that many of the business decision makers for commercial policies are big soccer fans. With this information you know that soccer fans are a good audience. Furthermore, you have data that suggests soccer fans are very loyal in purchasing the products of the companies that sponsor their favorite sport. The team offers you a choice of the following options:
- Television sponsorship: (2) 30-second spots during the telecast of each match, plus an opening broadcast “billboard” announcing the Company as one of the sponsors
- A full-page four color ad in the program for each game
- A private box in a great stadium location that seats 12 (for 15 home matches)
- A VIP pass to get player autographs prior to the matches
- Access to the coach and some players for special events (e.g. speeches to sales force, autograph events at bank branches)
- A large stadium sign
- The ability to have a portable ATM at each match
- The ability to distribute credit card applications at 3 home matches
- Your logo on beverage cups
Analysis Steps
Data Gathering
- Gather audience data (use educated estimates where data is not available). The team owner should have this data readily available:
- Number of average attendees at each match
- Number of home matches
- Number of home matches to be televised or broadcast on radio
- Average audience viewers/listener ratings for
broadcast matches - Average number of programs distributed/sold for each match
- Cost of non-sports radio/television program that reaches similar audience
- Cost of outdoor boards that reach similar numbers of people each day
- How are your competitors involved with the team? In what specific ways?
- How does the market image of the team match with the sponsoring company’s desired image?
Analysis Process
- What is the difference between the costs of a TRP (target rating point, or other general measure) for the sponsorship broadcast vs. comparable broadcast?
What’s the premium you will pay to be “associated” with the team? - What is the cost of the stadium billboard (per 1,000 potential viewers) vs. that of similar outdoor boards? What’s the premium for being in the stadium with a captive audience?
Note, it is generally accepted that a sign in a sports venue can be more valuable than a billboard because: (1) The audience is fixed for several hours at a time vs. simply passing by in a car (2) the sign can be shown on television during matches, thus gaining a wider audience.
- For televised games, what is the value of the Company logo (from the stadium sign) appearing occasionally during each broadcast? Take a guess and determine that, for example, it will get 30 seconds of airtime
during each broadcast game, then give the sign additional value (getting a 30 second TV spot free). - What will it cost to bring in an ATM for home games? What are the expected usage rates? What is the cost/benefit relationship (ATM fees vs. cost)?
- What’s the value of the program ad vs. other similar magazine advertising?
- What are the costs of VIP tickets in your package vs. good seats that can be purchased by calling the ticket office? Do you really need that many seats? Are your agents and managers prepared to not only invite clients
and customers to attend, are they willing to take and entertain clients for the number of games covered by the sponsorship? - How can you use access to the coach and players for business benefit? (Can the coach speak to your agent conference on winning and motivation?) Can you take clients before games to meet the players and get autographs for the client’s children? Will the coach and players be available for other promotions, such as in-branch autograph appearances?
- Can you pass out product applications or provide demonstrations at the venue?
Hopefully, this example shows how considered and analytical sports sponsorship review should be. These numbers illustrate a baseline analysis. Invariably, this comparison will show that you will pay a premium for
value of “associating” with a sports team.
The art of the process is to determine and negotiate pricing with the team that narrows the premium. The analysis gives you concrete numbers from which to negotiate.
Summary/Conclusions
- Centralize sports marketing for any expenditure above a dollar threshold (e.g. $5,000). Local markets can use their own business development funds for smaller items.
- Set up a review counsel to help decide if a sponsorship opportunity exceeds the threshold.
- Make sports marketing decisions a coordinated business effort with consideration for the impact the sponsorship has on enhancing revenue.
- Understand the cost-value relationship before committing
- Understand the ways to leverage the sponsorship to directly affect business needs
- Understand the manpower and additional dollar commitment needed
- Appoint the marketing group as the clearing-house for review, negotiation and ultimate decisions on which sports to sponsor (with consideration given to the needs of senior management). The marketing
group should also lead negotiation on pricing and
package elements. - Create a corporate sports marketing philosophy and focus on a few key sports. Concentrate on the benefits of the sponsorships on customers and
clients, and not on internal benefits to managers and employees. - Do not agree to any sponsorship for which you are unable to rally management commitment to use the tickets or other elements that require your company to dedicate hands-on participation. Be wary of programs that only require that you send a check and an advertisement for the program.
The Bedford Group
Consistent, professional and strategically focused, communication is vital to the success of any organization. Over time, internal and/or external communications efforts may become unfocused, disjointed, internally focused, or simply poorly executed.
The Bedford Group can provide an objective, independent analysis of the impact, consistency, and appropriateness of your internal and external messages and media vehicles. In addition, we can evaluate the staff, structures, processes, and agencies you rely on to create your communications messages and materials.
Some of the related services include:
- Message and media audit and analysis
- Internal
- External
- Communications planning
- Messaging strategy
- Staff and agency skill assessment
- Competitive and best-practices message analysis
- Staff training
An AD in Mumbai Mirror surprised me..also left a smile on my face..
A bite taken from a ball..looking like an apple eaten...with the head line "Your last chance for admission"...Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management (PGDSM)-one year Full Time...Our Esteemed Advisory Board:
First batch of students (2010-2011) have been successfully placed in the following organizations:
Cricket India Academy;Western India Football Association;Leapstart;Edusports; Olympic Gold Quest etc
A college in Jai Hind College campus providing sports management training...this infromation itself is a delight for students like us...studying & seeking more knowledge on the status on Sports Management in India!!
IISM website includes this valuable information on Sports Management:
"Sports Marketing Industry
The sports industry's core sources of revenue can be divided into three main categories: Broadcast and media rights, sponsorships (including licensing and merchandising), and ticketing and hospitality (such as entertainment and catering in sports venues).
Today sports marketing, is the most lucrative and sought after industry with a total size of USD 38 billion. Corporate sponsorship is growing annually in sports at the rate of 12 per cent, faster than in any other field. Next year it is expected to complete 15 per cent growth. In India, which has seen an exponential growth in sports recently, the huge resources are simply waiting to be tapped!
A niche industry, sports marketing comprises a whole host of disciplines. Event marketing and management, media planning, selling sponsorships, celebrity management, merchandising and managing teams are just some of the activities comprising sports management.
Opportunities are seen in areas such as market research, providing administrative services for sports federations, getting sponsorships for events and new media (Internet, m-commerce) management, among others.
In Asia Pacific, sports marketing business touched 15 per cent growth this year and would touch 22 per cent next year. It has been registering a world-wide growth of five to six per cent annually. New opportunities are coming up in sports marketing, not just in cricket but other sports as well. These need to be tapped."
The above data is definitely "Food for thought"...So lets munch on & on...;)
Source of data: Aug 18,2011, Page 11, Mumbai Mirror and http://www.iismworld.com/SportsManagement.html
- Prof. Ratnakar Shetty-Chief Administrative Officer, BCCI
- Ravi Shastri- Former Indian Team Captain & Commentator
- Mahesh Bhupathi-Managing Director, Globosport & Tennis Player
- Shailendra Singh- MD,Percept D'Mark
- Vivek Singh- Joint MD, Procam International
- Vijay Patil- President, Dr. D Y Patil Group
- Ameya Hete-Executive Director, Valuable Group
- MAlav Shroff- MD , Ocean Blue
- Sanjay Gaikwad-MD, UFO Moviez
First batch of students (2010-2011) have been successfully placed in the following organizations:
Cricket India Academy;Western India Football Association;Leapstart;Edusports; Olympic Gold Quest etc
A college in Jai Hind College campus providing sports management training...this infromation itself is a delight for students like us...studying & seeking more knowledge on the status on Sports Management in India!!
IISM website includes this valuable information on Sports Management:
"Sports Marketing Industry
The sports industry's core sources of revenue can be divided into three main categories: Broadcast and media rights, sponsorships (including licensing and merchandising), and ticketing and hospitality (such as entertainment and catering in sports venues).
Today sports marketing, is the most lucrative and sought after industry with a total size of USD 38 billion. Corporate sponsorship is growing annually in sports at the rate of 12 per cent, faster than in any other field. Next year it is expected to complete 15 per cent growth. In India, which has seen an exponential growth in sports recently, the huge resources are simply waiting to be tapped!
A niche industry, sports marketing comprises a whole host of disciplines. Event marketing and management, media planning, selling sponsorships, celebrity management, merchandising and managing teams are just some of the activities comprising sports management.
Opportunities are seen in areas such as market research, providing administrative services for sports federations, getting sponsorships for events and new media (Internet, m-commerce) management, among others.
In Asia Pacific, sports marketing business touched 15 per cent growth this year and would touch 22 per cent next year. It has been registering a world-wide growth of five to six per cent annually. New opportunities are coming up in sports marketing, not just in cricket but other sports as well. These need to be tapped."
The above data is definitely "Food for thought"...So lets munch on & on...;)
Source of data: Aug 18,2011, Page 11, Mumbai Mirror and http://www.iismworld.com/SportsManagement.html
Sports Marketing Jobs
I came across this article thinking about sports marketing as a career...though I am not a sports enthusiast [as repeatedly reminded by Ankush Sir...;)] I thought lets give it a thought for people who can actually make a career out of sheer interest...As well quoted in a very famous movie.."Apne passion ko apna career banao...success jhak maar k peeche aayegi..."
Here's an article for people..whose passion is purely SPORTS...:)
"Ever heard of an MBA in Sports Management? Well if you have tic-tac-toed between the options of Marketing, Systems, HR, Business Management despite your inherent passion for a Sport, here’s a spark of better hope for you. Also if the latest news reports on Sports Marketing are anything to go by, it spells quite a bright career prospect even in India. Though we swear by the religion of cricket, other mass sports like Soccer, F1 and tennis as well as the noveau riche pastime i.e. Golf, have created inlets into the people’s interest set. The CII Sportz.com Conference 2005 held recently at New Delhi laid emphasis on bridging the wide chasm between the Corporate world and sports. With the revolution of successful sports idols and Corporates interest in patronizing sports seeping in, the sports marketing jobs are on the brink of increasing manifold. First, let us take a close look at the concept of Sports Marketing :
Sports Marketing Career has a two-pronged meaning:
Sports Marketing refers to the process of planning and facilitating exchange of sports related property e.g. sports events. It also refers to marketing of non-sports property using sports as a facilitating medium e.g. brand endorsements by sport celebrities. These definitions create a platform to fathom the various Sports Marketing jobs that can vary from organizing sports events, Sports celebrity management, Sponsorships, CSR activities etc. and pose quite a challenge to the large untapped field of sports marketing. In a nutshell, a sports marketer handles the business angle of sports and unearths various opportunities to promote sports and sports-related activities. Now let’s understand these various types of sports marketing jobs :-
Sports-event Manager jobs
Events are an excellent medium of patronizing sports especially in the form of large – scale contests. E.g. Procam International is an out and out sports events organizing company that garners sponsorships from relevant Corporates and conducts events like Indo-Thai boxing, Bacardi Beach Volleyball etc. at National and International level. Even tourism departments, major companies, sports associations initiate projects of interest to them. You can be on the production / marketing team for the project depending on your area of interest.
• Sports-event Marketing jobs
Let this not confuse you. Sports event marketing is basically approaching the correct corporate / organisation and garnering sponsorships from them to execute a sports event. This involves doing some homework like ground -research, preparing the marketing plan, contacting and meeting the short-listed Corporates and trying to sell the concept to them.
• Manager / Sports agents Jobs
If you have seen the Million Dollar Baby, you know what we are talking about. Each celebrity, be it Bollywood or sports, has a manager…an agent of sorts who ‘manages’ the celebrity’s career, who facilitates the transactions between the sportsperson and the sponsor. The agent is responsible mainly for marketing the sportsperson, creating contracts and negotiating, handling the media relations etc. The agent also looks into the latest trends and decides the best lucrative options for the athlete / sportsperson.
If a Sourav Ganguly and Sachin appear in a host of ads selling anything from colas to mobile services or a Sania Mirza sweating it out in a Taaza Tea commercial, it’s thanks to their Celebrity management agent who got them the brand endorsement deals and the extra ‘pocket money’. Meanwhile its good business for the agent who does get his share of commission depending on the kind of deal.
Are you ‘fit?’
A PG in Sports Management is a star attraction for a good Sports Marketing job. Post-graduate in sports management requires minimum 40% in any Graduation discipline. Graduation is Physical Education (P.Ed.) or similar in course in a favourite sport is an added advantage. Currently, only two recognized universities offer Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management (PGDSM) viz Alagappa University, Tamil Nadu and Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Science, New Delhi. Admissions to these institutions begin in June / July and are advertised in leading newspapers. Besides these acquired skills, one requires good communication skills, business acumen and enthused energy and passion for at least one sport."
Source of article: http://www.indianchild.com/jobs/sports_marketing_jobs.htm
How to choose the right Athlete to Endorse your Brand
A savvy athlete today command: huge endorsement and sponsorship deals.
This article talks about British tennis Star ANDY MURRAY, who despite his loss in Australian Grand Slam Final- third unsuccessful attempt to win a major tennis tournament, be able to find the right brand?
Among the top 50 highest earning American athletes of 2010, it was revealed that Phil Mickelson, the golfer pocketed $52 M in endorsements.
Sports athlete & celebrities draw huge attention from corporate sponsors and media as they appeal to different demographics. An athlete actually who endorse a product can transform a brand (change its positioning)
Ø Initially what endorsement does: creates exposure of brand, association to recognization consideration, favourability, loyalty.
Ø Its perceived that consumers purchase athlete endorsed product based on bundle of perceived benefit which include knowledge of sport, entertainment, nostalgia, affiliation.
Who would you choose to endorse your product? What attributes do brands look for in an athlete?
In successful product endorsement, athlete does so much more than sell the product. The athlete is symbolized as “human brand”.
There are two types of attributes that a brand looks in an athlete:
1 On field Attributes 2 Off field Attributes
On field Attribute:
1 Performance Quality 2 Winning record 3 Skill 4 Style 5 Potential
Eg>1 Performance quality and winning record: Why champion player Michael Jordan was associated with Nike & was so successful (because endorsers want him to be successful and also if he wins then brand gets good image)
2 Potential: Maria Sharapova signed endorsements with Nike & Prince rackets at 11 & 14 years respectively. At 17, she won her first major title & become no. 1 , thus gave positive returns to brands at young age .
3 Style & skills : Adidas & NZ player (Rugby) and also professional boxer Sonny Bill Williams was endorser of adidas, he was in the controversy & defecting list. As Nz is going to host the rugby World Cup on 9 September, he is seen as a sensation so Adidas added them to the group of global athletes like Beckham, Messi.
Off field Attribute:
1 Personality 2 Physical Attractiveness 3 Unique Personal Background 4 Role Model 5 Relationship with fans
Eg> 1 Unique personal background: Nike stood by Tiger Woods, even after his extra marital affair, from lost deals with AT & T, Gatorade, Accenture is the biggest earner in product endorsement ($ 170 M)
2 Personality: David Beckham has personality, the looks & a strong relationship with fans which appeals strongly to brands and products. He earns $ 43.7 M ( from product endorsement ) despite of low on field attributes.
3 Physical Attravtiveness: Anna Kournikova – the highly successful sports loser. Despite never winning WTA tournament, he earned $ 10 M a year in 2002.
Sponsors: Lycos, Omega, Watches, Berlie Lingerie, Adidas & Yonex
David schwab ( Octagon ) commented:
“She’s a great tennis player, has great look, and has global appeal. Those are combination of characteristics companies look for when they partner with athletes”
Even if Andy Murray wins British Grand Slam Tennis once after Fred Perry back in 1936, he will become winner in global sports and will do big endorsements.
So for becoming a hot property : “Winning Record” & “Performance Quality”
A savvy athlete today command: huge endorsement and sponsorship deals.
This article talks about British tennis Star ANDY MURRAY, who despite his loss in Australian Grand Slam Final- third unsuccessful attempt to win a major tennis tournament, be able to find the right brand?
Among the top 50 highest earning American athletes of 2010, it was revealed that Phil Mickelson, the golfer pocketed $52 M in endorsements.
Sports athlete & celebrities draw huge attention from corporate sponsors and media as they appeal to different demographics. An athlete actually who endorse a product can transform a brand (change its positioning)
Ø Initially what endorsement does: creates exposure of brand, association to recognization consideration, favourability, loyalty.
Ø Its perceived that consumers purchase athlete endorsed product based on bundle of perceived benefit which include knowledge of sport, entertainment, nostalgia, affiliation.
Who would you choose to endorse your product? What attributes do brands look for in an athlete?
In successful product endorsement, athlete does so much more than sell the product. The athlete is symbolized as “human brand”.
There are two types of attributes that a brand looks in an athlete:
1 On field Attributes 2 Off field Attributes
On field Attribute:
1 Performance Quality 2 Winning record 3 Skill 4 Style 5 Potential
Eg>1 Performance quality and winning record: Why champion player Michael Jordan was associated with Nike & was so successful (because endorsers want him to be successful and also if he wins then brand gets good image)
2 Potential: Maria Sharapova signed endorsements with Nike & Prince rackets at 11 & 14 years respectively. At 17, she won her first major title & become no. 1 , thus gave positive returns to brands at young age .
3 Style & skills : Adidas & NZ player (Rugby) and also professional boxer Sonny Bill Williams was endorser of adidas, he was in the controversy & defecting list. As Nz is going to host the rugby World Cup on 9 September, he is seen as a sensation so Adidas added them to the group of global athletes like Beckham, Messi.
Off field Attribute:
1 Personality 2 Physical Attractiveness 3 Unique Personal Background 4 Role Model 5 Relationship with fans
Eg> 1 Unique personal background: Nike stood by Tiger Woods, even after his extra marital affair, from lost deals with AT & T, Gatorade, Accenture is the biggest earner in product endorsement ($ 170 M)
2 Personality: David Beckham has personality, the looks & a strong relationship with fans which appeals strongly to brands and products. He earns $ 43.7 M ( from product endorsement ) despite of low on field attributes.
3 Physical Attravtiveness: Anna Kournikova – the highly successful sports loser. Despite never winning WTA tournament, he earned $ 10 M a year in 2002.
Sponsors: Lycos, Omega, Watches, Berlie Lingerie, Adidas & Yonex
David schwab ( Octagon ) commented:
“She’s a great tennis player, has great look, and has global appeal. Those are combination of characteristics companies look for when they partner with athletes”
Even if Andy Murray wins British Grand Slam Tennis once after Fred Perry back in 1936, he will become winner in global sports and will do big endorsements.
So for becoming a hot property : “Winning Record” & “Performance Quality”
Most Watched Sports in India
Most Watched Sports in India
Note: Note ranked on any basis
Sports | STAR | Sponsors/Endorsements /Ambassador | Country or Major Teams |
1. Cricket | Sachin Tendulkar | Adidas, Coka Cola, Luminous Power Batteries, Castrol Power1, Activ and GTX, Toshiba, ITC's Sunfeast, Boost, Canon, Royal Bank of Scotland, Reynolds, Jaypee Cements, Aviva Life Insurance, Adidas, luxury Swiss watch Audemars Piguet | India, Mumbai, Mumbai Indians, Yorkshire
|
Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Reebok, Pepsi, Aircel, TVS, Maxx Mobile, Godrej etc | India, Chennai Super Kings, Jharkhand | |
2. Wrestling | John Cena | Gold's gym, YJ Stinger, The Marine, 12 Rounds,Legendary | US-WWE-Raw, Smack down |
Great Khali | The Longest Yard, Get Smart, Kushti, Ramaa | WWE-Raw, Smack down, Japan Wrestling | |
3. Soccer | Baichang Bhutia | Reebok, Nike (Team)
| India, Mohun Bagan, United Sikkim, East Bengal |
Sunil Chettri | Nike | India, Mohun Bagan, JCT, East Bengal, Dempo | |
Christiano Ronaldo | Nike, Castrol Oil, Emporio Armani Underwear | Portugal, Manchester United, Real Madrid | |
Lionel Messi | Adidas, Konami, Herba Life, Goodwill Ambassador UNICEF | Argentina, Barcelona | |
David Beckham | UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador , Samsung, Armani, Own labels | England, Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy | |
4. Tennis | Mahesh Bhupat | J Hampstead, Adidas | India
|
Leander Paes | J Hampstead, Adidas | India
| |
Sania Mirza | TVS Scooty, Sprite, Adidas | India | |
Roger Federer | Nike, Rolex Watches, Gillette, Lindt chocolates, Mercedes Benz | Switzerland | |
Maria Sharapova | Canon, Nike, Land Rover, Tag Huer, Tiffany & Co., Sony Ericsson Mobiles | Russia | |
5. Golf | Tiger Woods | Nike, Gillette, Accenture, Tag Huer, AT&T, Electronic Arts (Major deals now snapped) | USA |
Phil Mickelson | ExxonMobil, Rolex, Barclays, Callaway Golf, Enbrel | USA
| |
Jeev Milkha Singh | Callaway Golf India, Golf in Dubai, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Rolex, UPS | India | |
Jyoti Randhava | Adidas, Hugo Boss, Taylor made | India | |
7. Basketball | Kobe Bryant | Nike, Coca-Cola, Upper deck, Spalding | LA Lakers/US |
LeBron James | Nike, Sprite, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, State Farm, and McDonald's | Miami Heat/US
| |
8. Hockey | Arjun Hallapa | Sahara | India |
9. Boxing | Vijender Singh | Bajaj Allianz, Munch, Blood Donation | India |
10. Badminton | Saina Nehwal | Airtel, Deccan Chronicle, Herbalife, Adani Wilmar | India |
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sponsorship and sport
Sponsorship is a major feature of sport in the 21st century.
Most competitions have sponsors names included in their title:
- Barclay's Premier League - Football
- Heineken Cup – Rugby Union
- NPower Test Series - Cricket.
Some sports stadia have sponsored names. For example:
- Walker's Stadium - Leicester City
- Emirate's Stadium - Arsenal
- Reebok Stadium - Bolton Wanderers
Most clubs and teams have sponsors. For example:
- Vodafone - England Women's Cricket Team
- O2 - England Rugby Union Team
- Norwich Union - UK Athletics
Sponsorship by cigarette companies is no longer legal. Sports Governing Bodies have to decide if proposed sponsorship, say junior sport by an alcohol brand, is acceptable.
It is always easier to get sponsorship if a sport or event receives media attention. High profile events gain greater amounts of sponsorship than those with no coverage.
There are pros and cons of sponsorship:
| Advantages of sponsorship | Disadvantages of sponsorship | |
|---|---|---|
| For the sponsor | Increased publicity, status increased by being linked to success and glamour. Increased sales of their products | Negative events (drug use, cheating, crowd trouble) may affect your reputation |
| For the performer | Free clothing and equipment or payment for wearing sponsor's clothing and using their equipment. Can concentrate on training without financial worries. | May be tied in to a contract including appearances at sponsors' events. |
| For the sport/event | Financial support in addition to admission fees etc. | Dates, times, clothing may be changed to suit the sponsor. |
defn of sports management
Sport management existed for quite a long period of time and it always accompanied sport as its essential part. Naturally, it had different forms and differed from the notion of sport management as it is defined nowadays but such activity is known from ancient times. At least ancient Greeks practiced such an activity and probably they may be called one of the founders of sport management. This fact proves the importance of sport and sport management for people of all times. It was and it remains to be as important for people as their health sine sport provides health for people and sport management provides effectiveness of sport for all its participants. Nowadays sport management becomes more and more important because as many other things in the modern world sport is business and consequently it needs effective management that, in its turn, demands the preparation of well-qualified specialists in this domain. At the same time sport management is not only business. As sport so sport management are social phenomena for it involves not only professionals, for whom sport is their main source of earnings and actually it is their life, but also there is a huge category of amateurs, for whom sport is just a hobby but they still need sport management to practice sport as effectively as possible. So, taking into consideration the role of sport and sport management in the modern world, I would like to discuss this phenomenon in my article and focus my attention on the notion of sport management itself, its history, and prospects for all those who either on their way or already work in this field.
The Notion and Role of Sport Management
First of all, it is necessary to start with the definition of sport management. In order to understand any phenomenon, we have to know what is implied by its definition and interpret it correspondingly. Speaking about sport management, it is possible to say that there may be different interpretation of this notion but the main point of all definitions remains practically the same, in other words it may change its form but its content, its basic principles remain the same.
On analyzing different points of view on sport management, it is possible to make a general conclusion and give certain conclusion what it actually is. On doing this, I would prefer to define sport management as follows: "Sport management is a goal-oriented social process within a sport enterprise using pragmatic self-determined goals involving the selection of appropriate strategies and provisions for directing the work of the sport enterprise, and the control of performance in an effort to meet the objectives of the organization." (Parkhouse 1996:47). Such a definition provides probably the best description of sport management and its main characteristics which permit to understand the essence of this phenomenon.
Naturally, there may be different view on sport management but it is obvious that any sport organization have to have its goals to achieve. The latter may be done only with the help of sport management that can organize all the staff of the sport enterprise and mobilize all its forces for achievement its goals. At the same time, simply to organize the work of a sport organization is not enough. It is necessary to control the fulfillment of the main tasks each department or even each person within the organization has to do.
But such a definition helps to realize what sport management is at large. At the same time it is necessary to take into consideration the position of those people who work in this field and for all those people who are currently working or are going to work in this sphere sport management is not just a profession it is rather a set of different professions, basically of administrative character which provide a person's ability to fulfill his or her duties as a sport manager.
Obviously, management remains management even in such a specific domain as sport, particularly if we speak about professional sport which nowadays is more than sport. It is a great business and it is enough to have a look at such monstrous sport associations in North America as NHL, or NBA, for instance, it will be evident what kind of business it is and how profitable it may be, naturally on the condition if the management is effective, well planned and the execution of the main tasks is thoroughly controlled. At the same time we should remember that sport or any sport organization is more than a commercial enterprise it is also a social phenomenon since very often sport plays very important role in the life of certain groups of people or even whole countries. For instance, in the ancient world, namely in Greece, any wars were forbidden during the period of the Olympic games. So the organization of the Olympic games played a significant peacemaking and consolidating role in the ancient Greek society.
Unfortunately, nowadays we can hardly find an example like this but still sport remains very important for any human society and proper organization of sport events as well as effective functioning of numerous sport enterprises remains extremely significant for people in any country in the world.
Sport Management: Education and Career Opportunities
Taking into consideration the role sport and consequently sport management play in the modern world, we can presuppose that sport organizations need a great number of well-qualified specialists that could be provided only by professional education of such specialists on the highest level. The current situation actually proves that the growing demand engenders the growing offer of sport management education which matches the basic demands to specialists in this field. But it is necessary to point out that such a trend has appeared recently, within the last fifty-sixty y years.
article by john nilson
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