advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

GLOBAL PRODUCT MANAGEMENT: THE RISE, FALL, AND
REBIRTH OF DUNLOP – Continued
market potential? Look at the answers from both the positive
response and negative response perspectives:
– How well is the sport organization doing as compared to the
competition?
– Have our customers been pleased with our current sport products
and/or services?
– Can we forecast the needs, wants, and desires of our customers going
forward?
– What factors might cause customer behavior to change?
POSITIONING AND DIFFERENTIATION
Positioning and differentiation are integral processes in the ultimate success
or failure of marketing the sport product or service. Positioning is the process
of influencing the perceptions of potential and current customers about the
image of the company and its products and services. This is accomplished by
applying the 4 P’s of marketing – product, price, place (distribution), and promotion
– with the goal of strategically placing the product or service firmly in
the mind of the consumer.
Differentiation is creating or offering a like product or service with the intent
to influence demand. This means that a company has developed a strategy of
providing a similar product by a competing company to its customers with the
claim that its product is better, stronger, faster, or last longer than its competitors’
products or services. The company hopes that this different offering will
better satisfy the needs of their particular customers. Using such a strategy may
help to reduce the need to compete solely on price.
This strategy could allow the company to differentiate their offerings from
larger players and allow you to gain market share and become more effective
for its market share. An example of this would be the choice that Chicago baseball
fans have. The sport consumer can choose to spend their money on the
south side where the World Champions White Sox play or they can choose
to spend their money on the north side where they have not won a World
Series since 1918. The Cubs or “loveable losers,” have less seats, no parking
structure, and higher ticket prices. Yet, they have differentiated themselves
in a city of nearly 3 million by selling the folklore and atmosphere of
Wrigley Field the second oldest remaining baseball stadium, and surrounding
neighborhoods.
To position and differentiate a sport product or service from others in the
marketplace, sport organizations create branding strategies, implement licensing
programs, and develop intellectual properties.
SPORT PRODUCT MANAGEMENT 147