De Varona, D. (2003). ‘M’s’ in football: Myths, management, marketing, media and money. A reprise. Soccer & Society, 4, 7-13.
The importance of Title IX put women’s soccer on the map which encouraged a substantial rise in the number of female soccer participants in both the high school and college level. Much attention prior to this bill was given to male athletes and their respective sports. The evolutionary story of female participation in sport followed a group of impractical “truths” that attempted to rationalize why women should not be allowed to participate in sports. This article presents the effective marketing strategies that made the 1999 Women’s World Cup the most triumphant women’s sporting event ever to be displayed on United
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States home soil (De Varona, 2003). The exposure that the United States Women’s National Soccer Team received prior to this event constantly increased with the assistance of efficient and persistent marketing strategies by the Women’s World Cup Organizing Committee which included the development of more soccer programs nationwide; understanding that their core audience was different from the men’s side; creating numerous outreach programs that helped establish a Women’s World Cup presence; and securing a committed partnership with ABC Television Network alongside its cable partners, ESPN1 and ESPN2 (De Varona, 2003).
It is clear that one of the most important marketing tools/ characteristics any organization must have is to know the wants and needs of consumers. This greatly benefited the WUSA organization because of the way fans responded to the various promotions and media coverages by not only showing their support but attending many of the matches. The committee was strategic leading up to the event by also drawing fans from other/ differing sport realms by collecting and displaying the support of Michael Jordan (NBA), Billie Jean King (Tennis), the WNBA, and even former president, Bill Clinton. The United States Women’s National Team’s victory contradicted the myth that women athletes will never be as popular as male athletes because they would not attract an …show more content…
audience; however, the increasing coverage of the national team prior to the tournament only promoted the Women’s World Cup more. Practical Applications 1. Continue to enlist new sponsors due to their ability to attract new fans. Southall, R. M., Nagel, M. S. & LeGrande, D. J. (2005). Build it and they will come? The women’s united soccer association: A collision of exchange theory and strategic philanthropy. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 14, 158-167. The rise and fall of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) can be seen as an exemplary case that stresses the importance of having a strong and reliable marketing strategy in order to make an organization last.
The notion that WUSA executives had was that their franchise would automatically attract fans and consumers because of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team’s success in the previous 1999 Women’s World Cup where they defeated China on home soil. This World Cup victory created a solid fan base that reached not only the youth or next generation of female soccer participants, but mainstream America as well. The research performed illustrated the multiple errors executed by the organization that eventually led to its downfall. Lasting only three seasons and lacking the coverage necessary to continue the team’s noble status, WUSA’s failure to pull corporate sponsors led to the organization’s decreasing revenues and increasing expenses (Southall, Nagel & LeGrande, 2005). Leading up to the ’99 Women’s World Cup, Nike released a commercial featuring Mia Hamm of the Women’s National team competing against NBA sensation, Michael Jordan. The ‘Anything you can do, I can do better’ theme played into the minds and heart of the nation which proves how effective and essential major sponsorships can be. Thus, the lack of corporate sponsors was the ultimate check that WUSA could not cash. Although the ’99 match was considered a “once in a lifetime event,” the methods
used in order to make WUSA a major professional sport franchise can be considered both overrated and fundamentally unreliable. Practical Applications 1. Decrease and effectively manage operating expenses 2. Start small with a regional franchise base, gradually increase in attendance and exposure; work into becoming a major professional sports league 3. Establish an honest and reliable partnership with a committed and prestigious television network Lough, N. L. & Irwin, R. L. (2001). “A comparative analysis of sponsorship objectives for u.s. women’s sport and traditional sport sponsorship. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 10, 202-211. With the rise of the female status as an athlete and a consumer, this research sought to question and analyze the intentions of sponsors of U.S. women’s sport. What in particular they had to gain or intended to gain from sponsoring the female athlete and/or women sport property; and was there any difference to sponsoring women sport properties versus their male counterparts. Alongside the increasing popularity of sports in American society, many companies have matched with their pursuance of sponsorships relating to sport (Lough & Irwin, 2001). Such events as the 1996 Olympics and the 1999 Women’s World Cup influenced a surge in female participants in sports which also followed an influence of females in the work force. As more and more women joined the work force, the number substantially increased with the number of female consumers (which eventually surpassed the number of male consumers). With this in mind, companies were able to learn that product sales were predominantly carried out by female consumers (Lough & Irwin, 2001). The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a “competitive advantage” behind the sponsorship of U.S. women’s sports. A questionnaire involving the Likert Scale (ranged from one to seven) was utilized to evaluate and determine the outcomes.
In 1991 there was so little media interest in the event, almost no one even knew the United States had a team, and even less people knew that the United States won. Eight years later, “tickets sales reached 388,000,” more than triple the amount of sales in the 1995 Women’s World Cup (Longman). FIFA was depending on this World Cup to gain popularity, they needed more interest to spark people to play. If the United States had not won, it was predicted that not many in the suburban would not have much interest in soccer. Millions of young girls across the United States came to this event. After the World Cup it “will celebrate the explosive growth of soccer for women in the United States, where 7.5 million female players are registered, according to a recent survey by the Soccer Industry Council of America, a trade group. In suburbia, where the game flourishes, girls' soccer has become as popular as sport utility vehicles” (Longman). This World Cup team changed the perspective that soccer was only for males. “‘ We're fighting the myths and prejudices that women's soccer felt in the U.S. in the 70's,'' said Andrea Rodebaugh… 'That there are sports for boys and sports for girls and that soccer is not for girls, not feminine’” (Longman). This team changed the lives for many girls. The team gave little girls hope and faith they could make it in soccer. This team made them believe they could follow their passions.
Over two decades have passed since the enactment of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education, including athletics. As a result of Title IX, women and girls have benefited from more athletic participation opportunities and more equitable facilities. Because of Title IX, more women have received athletic scholarships and thus opportunities for higher education that some may not have been able to afford otherwise. In addition, because of Title IX the salaries of coaches for women's teams have increased. Despite the obstacles women face in athletics, many women have led and are leading the way to gender equity.
When people talk about the impact of women in professional sports, they mention one huge concept: Marketing. Marketing to women is a tremendous source of profit for professional sports, but the impact of how women would respond recently became knowledge. However, now the marketing programs of the different professional sports, including the NFL, need to change their approach on marketing to women. Because the NFL still lacks sales to women compared to other professional sports in America, the NFL needs to change their viewpoints on the experience of women in the stadium and the variety of merchandise available for females.
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports, heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports.
In a society where the sports marketing industry predominantly targeted men, Nike sought to go against the status quo and empower young girls to encourage them to participate in sports. Nike identifies the social issues of gender inequality by attacking the stereotype that young girls should not be encouraged to engage in physical in sports. The campaign identifies that young women will have a greater self-esteem and self-confidence if involved in sports.
Therefore, the women participating in such arduous sports breaks the normative ideas of what it means to be a women and what activities she can participate in. In contrast, for those women who do carry on tasks that are typically seen as masculine, are valued less, have less recognition, and their prestige and income tend to decline compared to their male counterparts (Johnson, 1997). Interestingly, when one types “soccer team” on google, the first thing to show up is the Unites States Men’s National Soccer Team. One has to explicitly type “women” in front of soccer. This shows the lack of acknowledgement of the women’s soccer team compared to their male counterparts. If the men’s soccer team is credited significantly more than the women’s soccer team, then the male representation is made more palpable in media with a greater screen time, thus bolstering their reputation and popularity and resulting in increase in pay from the soccer
The enactment of this Title has significantly changed the playing field for athletic departments through out the nation by altering their funding systems to comply with its rules. As a result, women have benefited greatly. There have been additions of female sports as well as an increase of the number of scholarships awarded to female athletes, and also a lot more funding to provide more “equitable” facilities for them. According to the NCAA Gender Equity Studies , “from 1992 to 1997 NCAA institutions have increased the number of female athletes by 5,800. But tragically during that time these colleges also eliminated 20,900 male athletes.” (Kocher p.1) This dramatic landslide has occurred because athletic departments are under pressure to rapidly increase the proportion of female athletes by whatever means necessary. As the path toward complete “equality” gradually brightens for women in college athletics, a dark path is now becoming evident. Male athletes, in a sense, are now being discriminated against because of Title IX.
The developmental stages of a successful campaign help to establish the product in the audience’s mind or consciousness. The stages of the Nike campaign can be described by using the Yale Five-Stage Developmental Model. Yale researchers developed this model while observing the growth of national identity. The first stage of this model is identification. Our text states that “Many products and causes develop a graphic symbol or logotype to create identification in the audience’s mind” (p. 264, Larson). The logo Nike is most famous for is “The Swoosh.” This is the term given to the symbol of winged victory that appears on Nike products. “The design of the swoosh logo was inspired by the wing from the Greek goddess Nike” (p. 3, http://shrike.depaul.edu /~mcoscino/word.html). The Nike logo’s presence can be noted in almost every aspect of the athletic world.
Women sports have come a long way, since the days when women were only allowed to watch. “The past three decades have witnessed a steady growth in women's sports programs in America along with a remarkable increase in the number of women athletes (Daniel Frankl 2)” From an early age women were thought to be “Lady Like”; they are told not to get all sweaty and dirty. Over 200 years later since Maud Watson stepped on the tennis courts of Wimbledon (Sports Media digest 3); women now compete in all types and levels of sports from softball to National racing. Soccer fans saw Mia Hamm become the face of Women’s soccer around the world , Venus and Serena Williams are two of the most popular figures in tennis, and Indy car racing had their first woman racer, Danika Patrick. With all the fame generated by these women in their respective sports, they still don’t receive the same compensation as the men in their respective sports fields. Venus Williams, net worth is 60 million dollars; 27 million came from playing tennis (celebritynetworth 4). Her sister, Serena Williams has a tennis...
Sunday, June 19th 2016 will be a date that will lay in the hearts of Cleveland sports fans for the rest of their lives. On this day, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the nearly impossible task of coming back from being down three games to one in the NBA Finals in order to give the city of Cleveland its first professional sports championship in fifty-two years. The team was led by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and company; together, they made history. After the championship many emotional advertisements came out about the city of Cleveland, but there is one that stands out the most. Nike, who endorse LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, released an emotional advertisement called “Worth the Wait,” targeting those who have been with Cleveland since the
Desbordes, Michel. "Measuring Fair Play And Planning Long Term." International Journal Of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship 15.2 (2014): 77. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
The marketing goals are: Increase customer retention, Increase eCommerce Sales, Increase our Community Involvement. The first goal specifically works towards reaching 60% repeat sales through different promotional strategies like emotional marketing and sponsoring different professional athletes. Customer retention is extremely important to maintain Nike’s market leader position. Increasing eCommerce is a major focus for Nike. Last year we were able to increase our eCommerce sales by a profitable 51%. Our second goal is to continue this trend by increasing online sales by 50% every year for the next four years. It is our belief that doing so will solidify Nike as a leader in the online athletic market. Nike truly believes that sport can change
Owens, Thomas and Helmer, Diana Star. The History of Soccer. New York: The New York Times. Rosen Publishing Group, Power Kids Press, 2000.
It’s because when I sport the Nike swoosh, I feel as if I representing the Nike brand and the beautiful, driven, fit women I see in their advertisements. Feeling this way gives me the inspiration and confidence to play my best. I feel as if I identify with the women in the advertisements by wearing Nike. “The relationship between persons and the product remains one of the most crucial signifiers within advertisements. Persons in advertisements supply the consumer with a certain identification frame—whether the person is presented as a user or is presented within a lifestyle setting, the viewer is invited to identify him/herself with the presented person.” 202 Brand Culture. The Nike brand does a great job at doing this to their consumers to create brand loyalty. Nike brand users, just like myself, see the athletes using the brands and feel a certain connection to them. Brand loyalty should not only be a goal for brands because of the benefit of having their logo advertised on consumers who fit within their target market, but also for PRICE SOMETHING ECONOMY
It’s was no surprise that the momentum took place and heated up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This particular tournament is the world’s largest and most-watched sporting event with 30 billion viewers over the course of the event. From a business standpoint, it’s the most important platform for sporting goods companies to market their brands. Brands are appealing to boost their profile and sales by tapping into the passion surrounding the World Cup, but while some are official sponsors, others are just benefiting from any desirable side effect.