Sports Marketing — Lessons to Learn from the Sport Industry

Sports Marketing — Lessons to Learn from the Sport Industry

Whether we like it or not, the sports industry has grown into a large business over the last few decades.

Just a few generations ago, top-flight football was played by people who still had day jobs, and racing cars were painted in the national colour of the team’s country — not the corporate colours of the team’s main sponsor.

Broadcast media (particularly television) has helped to increase the audience of just about every sport in the world, from football to volleyball and from chess to Formula 1.

These increased audiences have created enormous opportunities for businesses, as players, teams, and sports arenas all act as canvases for advertisers to emblazon their logos and slogans for millions of watching eyes to absorb.

However, as technology (such as internet streaming) creates more competition for fans’ attention, these sports’ teams and rights owners are having to up their marketing game to ensure that they can continue to command massive dollar amounts for TV rights deals and sponsorships.

The sports marketing techniques they have used can help us in the marketing of our own businesses; here are some lessons we can learn.