advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

5. Segmentation and targeting consumers
6. Packaging the sport product
7. Pricing the sport product
8. Promoting the sport product
9. Distribution (place) of the sport product
10. Evaluation and feedback about the sport marketing plan
Sport marketing plans are great in theory, but they do not always work. The
major reason for this is having a lack of vision. There is a tendency to look for
instant gratification – what is going to be successful right now. This lack of
foresight in sport marketing ventures is known as a marketing myopia. Is it the
goal of the sport marketing professional to avoid these pitfalls by engaging in a
sport marketing effort that is efficient, effective, and addresses the wants and
needs of the sport consumer.
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
Brady Sadler, Director of Sales and Marketing
Manchester Wolves Professional Arena Football (Af2) Team
Manchester, New Hampshire
Like many young college students I was unsure of what I wanted to pursue
in terms of a career. I was always told that the equation for a great job
was finding something that you would love to do and then finding a way to
get someone to pay you for doing it. To this end, I was interested in politics
from the young age. My father was involved in town government and while
in Junior High I volunteered for the 1992 presidential campaign. This was of
course the year that Bill Clinton won the presidency and stopped a
Republican run that had lasted over a decade. Clinton’s campaign and promotion
did not resemble the past races that my elementary school history
books had taught me about. The PR for this campaign resembled a plan for
a rock star more so than a politician. They were selling the image and branding
of Bill Clinton, his energy and charisma, more than his stance on particular
issues. New, young, fresh and in touch with society, that was his platform.
It was truly an important period in the history of politics and an exciting
time to be involved. I may not have even known it at the time but this was
my first taste of marketing. The experience exposed me to aspects
of advertising, media, event planning, cold calling, crisis management and
a number of other skills I would later apply to my position in sports.
I stayed involved in politics in high school and held a number of positions
with my class and student council. In these positions I learned to market
myself as well as specific events that we planned. My high school also had a
state-of-the-art video editing suite. I began to learn the basics of film editing
34 ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE IN SPORT MARKETING