Sports Marketing & Sponsorship - FIFA/CIES International University ...

‘Give me a stadium and I will fill it’An analysis of the marketing managementof Stade Français Paris rugby clubKeywordsrugbybrand imageincreased attendancegrowing revenueAbstractCASE STUDYGuillaume BodetInstitute of Sport and Leisure PolicySchool of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough UniversityLoughborough LE11 3TU, United KingdomTel: +44 (0)1509 (22)6369Fax: +44 (0)1509 226301Email: G.S.P.Bodet@lboro.ac.ukPeer reviewedThis paper analyses the marketing strategy, marketingmix and brand development of SF Paris rugby unionclub, which succeeded in attracting huge crowds(around 75,000 spectators) for several regular seasongames and in building strong brand equity. Parallelswith American professional sports are drawn anddifferences from other European clubs highlighted.Finally, planning, consistency and in particularinnovation are identified as key factors for success inimplementation of the club’s marketing strategy.Executive summaryOn 27 February 2007, Stade Français Paris (SF Paris)rugby union club set a new world record of attendancewith 79,741 spectators for a regular domestic rugbyunion game. This record is particularly interestingbecause the regular home ground of SF Paris has acapacity of 12,000. The reason for the club’s successin filling huge stadiums several times a year is thechairman’s ability to market events and build strongbrand equity. Indeed, it is thanks to the chairman,Max Guazzini, that the club has developed aninnovative marketing strategy based on the targeting ofnew ‘temporary’ fans rather than just the traditional‘devoted’ and ‘fanatical’ fans (Hunt et al, 1999).Essentially, SF Paris has targeted aesthetic andinteractive fans who respectively look for the theatricaland emotional dimensions of the sports spectacle252 International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship ● APRIL 2009 ●