Overall, it can be considered that globalisation
has had important influences on the relationship between sport and business,
but this needs to be continuously managed in order to maintain the core values
of traditional sport.
The role that globalisation has played can be analysed by looking at the
potential difference between past and present. Seymour (2012) sums up the
changes by suggesting that on a geographical and political map, country borders
are clear and evident, but on a competitive map, this may not be the case due
to globalisation. This can relate back to the original definition from Wolsey
& Abrams of “Global Interconnectedness”. The world is “shrinking” and
becoming a homogenized “Global Village” due to the power of globalisation.
http://prezi.com/y9g0vuwduczt/prezi-version-6/
Friday, 4 May 2012
New Media in Twenty20 Cricket
New Media allows sports
brands to benefit by enabling new kinds of interaction between fans, players
and clubs. This form of media would have synergies with the target audience of Twenty20
cricket.
The problem with Twenty20
cricket is that there seems to a lack of fan engagement. Mintel (2011) suggests
that sports organisations should do more to improve fan engagement, and New Media
could bridge a gap between the event and its consumers. It would be recommended
that the event could have an application in mobile devices,
which has proved popular for other sports and events. This has proved an
effective means of
communicating digital content such as live scores, future events, team
news, interviews, replays, live statistics and social media activity. It would
also be a positive move to have free Wi-Fi available at every venue, which
would ensure easy access to the applications. This would be relatively
inexpensive to set up, but would coincide with the brand personality of
innovation and entertainment.
The Ideology of Legacies in Mega Events
Legacies have become a prominent part of any event management
process. For some events, the issue of a legacy has become central to the decision
to host or create them (Bowdin et al, 2011). The idea of a legacy has become more
important due to the increased globalisation and commercialisation of sport, as
organisers see the increased benefits that the event can bring. Conversely, it
is evident legacies are often talked about, but in reality, are very difficult
to achieve. The legacy is often dubbed as a “highly effective sales pitch that
is never fully realised” (Guardian, 2011). The focus is on the short term
legacies, which is often how the Games are judged to those outside of the host
nations. After looking at different examples of legacies, it is clear that
those events that have planned effectively and placed high importance on the
legacy can succeed. This is a positive sign for the London Olympics, as there
is a high motivation to succeed. The best legacies are those that look to the
long term. This is difficult to achieve and is often a risky strategy, but mega
events can have a lasting impact on the event destination in many ways.
How can NFL globalise into the UK Market?
The campaign looks at
improving the popularity of the sport in the UK by offering the sports consumer
more touch points than are offered currently. The main idea behind the campaign
is to offer more matches in the UK, and to officially re-launch the sport using
a new innovate strategy. The campaign will focus on using up-to-date sport
marketing techniques to ensure that the re-launch is successful. At present,
there is one game in the UK per year, but the campaign would ensure something
more substantial than a series of one-off fixtures that is required to sustain
the fans' interest. The plan looks at increasing the number of venues available
in the UK, and looking at the best scenario to ensure success in the UK, but
also to avoid negative impacts in the USA. To increase the popularity, the plan
will look at different areas of sports marketing objectives, including
increased participation in UK schools and universities. This has already been
achieved, with the British Universities American Football League has expanding
from 42 teams to 67 last season (Bandini, 2011), but the campaign looks at
providing a springboard for rapid improvements in the infrastructure and the
provisions of American football in the UK. The last aspect of the campaign will
focus on the long term future of the sport in the UK. There have been talks of
the game having its own team from London competing in the NFL. The plan will
assess the possibilities for this and look to tackle some of the problems that
will occur.
The key reasons to this
expansion into the UK are linked with the development of the game worldwide.
They are too:
·
Increase participation levels of the sport
outside of the USA
·
Increase awareness and raise the profile of
the sport outside of the USA
·
Look into potential further worldwide growth,
with a potential move of a UK franchise team in the long term.
The mission statement for
the campaign is:
To
provide sports consumers in the United Kingdom with improved access to the NFL,
by offering more events to attend, watch and participate in all activity
regarding American Football
My Thoughts on New Media and Technology
Wilson (2010)
suggests that the technology and means available for delivering sport to
different sections of society is continuing to grow rapidly. The
technologically imperative society we live in has created multiple and expanded
opportunities to do sports marketing. A recent culture change has seen a shift
from a spectator culture to a participatory one. Jenkins (2011) defines a
participatory culture as one where most people have the capacity to take media
into their own hands and shape the circulation of ideas. This concept is making
sports consumers more involved in the overall package that sport provides.
In order to fully realise
the potential of this new phenomenon, it is recommended that new media
strategies be flexible and innovative, to keep up with the demands of society. Mintel (2011) suggests that sports organisations should do more to improve fan
engagement. Ideas such as smartphone applications have been successful, but can
go much deeper. Concepts such as Wi-Fi to key sections of the stadium where
core supporters sit, would enable mobile phone applications to connect these
fans with team news, interviews, replays, live statistics and social media
activity. A key quote from the media services provider from FIFA sums up how
organisations should act on the topic:
"Experiment, do it early, and make sure you are not limited to just
one platform going forward" Deltatre, 2011
The Role Marketing has Played in Twenty20 Cricket
In the case of Twenty20, it
is clear that marketing has played a vital role in changing the perceptions of
the sport. The control process allows performance measures to be included, and
indeed, 9% of adults who say they are not otherwise interested in cricket
follow Twenty20 (MarketResearchWorld, 2008). This shows that the positioning
strategy has been successful, and when evaluated, demonstrates marketing
objective is being achieved. This should therefore guarantee the innovation was
successful, but despite all its commercial success, the long term future of the
game is in doubt. High levels of demand have led to fixture overkill and could
lead to the format loosing consumers. The consequence of this is that the
positioning strategy could fail as the concept would no longer be seen as
exciting, but rather stagnant. There is also an ethical concern as to whether Twenty20
and the way it is marketed are good for cricket. Despite its obvious
revitalisation due to marketing, traditional supports question the need for the
change all together. The argument is that cricket is one of the most
traditional sports in the world, and due to the influence of marketing, is
being ridden of its heritage.
The Emergance of Sports Marketing
Sports
marketing is a relatively new concept within marketing. Some of the concepts
were introduced up to 150 years ago, with the first advertising of sports
products. Andrews et al suggests that sports marketing has seen massive growth
since the 1970’s, and coincides his theory with the globalisation and
commercialisation of sport. Shank, 2005, relates to sports marketing as the
“specific application of the marketing principles and processes to sports
products”. It is crucial that the sports industry is well understood to
appreciate this statement. The sporting industry as a whole is worth $114 billion
at present (Pricewaterhousecoopers, 2011). It is clear that people often attend
sporting events regularly and sport is unique in its ability to attract repeat
consumption. The value of the industry is ever increasing, with an annual
growth rate of 3.8 percent predicted in the next 2 years
(Pricewaterhousecoopers, 2011). Unlike many events, sporting events are
spontaneous and unpredictable. This can lead to positive influences, and
enhanced similarities with entertainment. This has led to the term “sportainment”
being adopted.
My Thoughts on the Potential Overhaul of County Championship Cricket
My
proposal is to introduce a change of start time for the tournament. At present,
the games take place during the day, starting at 11am. As this form of cricket lasts
for roughly 6 hours of a day, it is excluding key market segments due to work
and school. My plan would include the use of floodlights to start the matches
at 3pm. There are now permanent floodlights at many of the grounds in England,
which have been set up specifically for one day cricket. This is infrastructure
that can be re-used for the proposed campaign. It would be classed as day/night
cricket, which would allow the games to start in natural light and then have
the floodlights take over as needed. This scheme has been successfully
implemented in one day cricket, at both international and county levels, over
the last 20 years. Other key changes include the use of a pink ball, which has
only recently been trialled in a competitive match. This distinctive change
would act as a promotional icon to the campaign, and used to create positive
associations with the proposed format. The campaign will look at various incentives
based on price, as the current format is seen as expensive and inferior value
in comparison. The current campaign views one day cricket as direct
competition, which needs to be altered in order to attract emerging market
segments.
My Overview of the Sporting Industry
Sports events are some of the most popular
events attended worldwide. The sporting market as a whole is worth $114 billion
(Pricewaterhousecoopers, 2011). The sports events sector is currently worth
only £2.3bn in comparison (Bladen, 2012). This represents 6.4% of the whole
events industry. It is clear that people often attend sporting events regularly
and sport is unique in its ability to attract repeat consumption. The value of
the industry is ever increasing, with an annual growth rate of 3.8 percent
predicted in the next 2 years (Pricewaterhousecoopers, 2011). These figures
establish sport as an important contributor to the general economy, but also of
wide significance to society – impacting the lives of a significant amount of
people (Bladen, 2012). In the UK economy, the 2012 Olympics looks set to boost
the sporting industry, with the games officially the biggest event ever staged
in the UK. The 2012 London Olympics will have a positive effect on the events
industry overall, seeing an increase in value of 8% of the total market
(Keynote, 2011).
How Weather can Affect Sport
Sporting events are often a seen as a window of commercial opportunity
for organisations. The weather, conversely, is an external factor that can
severely damage this opportunity both financially and non-financially. It has
been shown to affect many different stakeholders involved in the event. It can
also affect a wide variety of sporting areas, from local to mega events. In
order to remain profitable, event managers must plan the event methodically to
cover the possible implications that weather could have, from all aspects
including marketing, finance and operations.
It is also crucial to implement these plans efficiently if a risk
management decision has to be made. It should be understood that an event can
still be successful and leave a positive legacy despite being affected by
weather; if this is managed effectively. It is clear that events often struggle
to overcome the weather, but it is possible to reduce its impact if the
organisation is pro-active and makes the issue a priority.
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