Sport has become an important part of people's lives in the 20th century, whether they are practising a particular sport or following sporting events, more or less closely. Today in France, 34 million people 'practice a sport' and 15 million are registered. And in terms of sports spectators, the numbers are even larger, the two biggest audiences on French TV in 2008 were football games. But before we go any further with this overview of the influence in the sports sector, we must stress that 'Sport brands' are of different types. Here, we will focus on producers of sporting goods, sport societies, and sport media. Hence, we will divide this study into three parts, corresponding to each one of these sub-divisions.
[...] Finally, in terms of expertise and analysis, numbers of journalists or experts (including several former athletes) have opened blogs or websites where there freedom of speech is not as bounded as it can be in the traditional media. Most of the preeminent sport journalists or editorialists have their online platform, usually integrated in online media outlets. Which brands have become references and why? It is interesting to see that a lot of today's leaders find the roots of success in their brand image, built in the traditional media. The “worldwide leader in sports”, ESPN, built on its online development, with access made possible on their website to an important quantity of video and written material. [...]
[...] Today, organizations like the NBA, Manchester United or Real Madrid have more customers abroad (in terms of spin off goods, broadcast rights, etc . ) than in their own country. Sport Media What structures the category historically? Historically, the coverage of sporting events was only part of the general media's activity. But soon enough, facing the success of the “sport pages”, a number of sports-only media outlets were created. In the US, ESPN sport-centric group of TV stations) is one of the most popular media. In France, “L'Equipe” is the best-selling daily national newspaper. [...]
[...] Again, the more a brand managed to be innovative, the more successful it tends to be. But another factor pops up here, that of popularity, built over decades, and based on shared experiences and stories with the fan base. If Manchester United is considered to have the best website among Premier League clubs, it is due to its digital strategy (the club started its website as early as 1997), but also to the club's popularity, which is the most important asset of this type of brand. [...]
[...] Nike has become the reference of the sector on digital action, simply because they have had a great innovation capacity and a true interest for digital communication. They were also, out of the variety of manufacturers, the one paying more attention, as a brand, to their customers, and the most customer-centric a long way down the road (“just do it” is a personal injunction). They justify their online success by this interest, and say that they simply “went where the client was”. [...]
[...] How does interactivity challenge this category? Like any given media, sport media outlets are facing the competition of internet, which completely changed the way information is produced, transmitted and consumed. The public's expectations are the same, and it raises a number of issues. First, the question of broadcast rights: a lot of sporting events are streamed live on the web, and this is a threat towards traditional media audience and the related advertising money. Classic media outlets and legal claimants need to adapt and offer new solutions for viewers or create a new generation of broadcasting rights. [...]
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