Sports Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sports Marketing - Case Study Example De Varona (1999) provided an interesting view in marketing sports enumerating among others the mix of myths, management, marketing, media and money with regards to women in sports. Interestingly, each was related to organising world-class sporting events that are also male dominated. To support the myth view further, an account of the Manchester United Football Club which is one of the most popular, albeit controversial representation of a sports league so that tracing its history is inevitable in this context. The product has to have the right features (Brown, 1993)- for example, it must look good and work well of which Manchester United have been attributed with considering the team's stellar performance on field coupled with branded products as sponsors or product logo carriers that already have maintained global recognition such as Nike, Vodafone, and AIG. Products and services of Manchester United as can be summarised from their website include among others travel and ticket for their games, MUTV, MU Mobile, MU Finance (credit cards, savings and mortgages, insurance, loans, club account) MU foundation, shopping, gaming and betting. The price must be right. Consumer will need to buy in large numbers to produce a healthy profit. Considering that Manchester United provides the right entertainment as well as elation of sports fans as needed, the products they supply, mainly sports entertainment, is accompanied with the right prices, from stadium tickets, to apparels, and even beddings and other everyday items (MU United, 2007). The goods must be in the right place at the right time. Making sure that the goods arrive when and where they are wanted is an important operation. With the website working 24/7, Manchester United cannot be said to be at the wrong time and wrong place at all. The use of technology maximised all accessibility with products and services. The target group needs to be made aware of the existence and availability of the product through promotion. Successful promotion helps a firm to spread costs over a larger output. Promotion of Manchester United, from global airing in sports televisions, streaming media provided by the internet though broadband, print and media, promotional items that are sold at the same time (MU, 2007), among others provide Manchester United all the promotional support it could churn out and the marketing executives have not stopped. Manchester United Background When the airliner carrying Manchester United players and officials crashed in 6 February 1958 resulting to the deaths of eight of the famous 'Busby Babes' Manchester United team, the British press reportedly called it's a disaster of national and international significance (Mellor, 2004). Prior to the crash, Manchester United already held high esteem in English and European football as 1957 saw the club reach the semi-finals of the European Cup at first attempt to which the Times described: "The irony of it all is that this disaster should come at a time when Manchester United