Sports Management Marketing and Target Audiences – 2Q08

With the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics rapidly approaching, people around the globe—united under the “One World, One Dream” theme—are preparing for a colossal media event. The opening ceremony, which begins at precisely 08:08:08 P.M. on 8.08.08, kicks off over 3,600 hours of television coverage on six U.S. networks through August 24th. Primetime coverage of the 2004 games garnered views from over 15% of the U.S. population, with an average of 45 million viewers. With comparable audiences around the globe, companies with considerable brand recognition, including General Motors, McDonald’s, Budweiser, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, Samsung, UPS, Adidas and General Electric, are investing a combined $1 billion in television advertisements.

News from Inside Articulation

Articulation’s writing team worked extensively in developing, branding, positioning, and creating web content for one of the world’s largest insurance and financial services firms. The efforts are part of an overall initiative to refocus and reposition the company’s core content, web properties, and cohesive messaging strategy to maximize reach and connection across target audiences. The websites will serve to strengthen overall brand recognition and will be used for both client retention and client generation. The major web initiative is set to launch at the tail end of the second quarter and includes all the content for investor education, product positioning, and advisor tools across all their investment and retirement business lines.

Inside the Industry

Every marketing strategy—no matter how large—should incorporate significant and careful consideration of its goals and target audience. As companies place great importance on effectively communicating their skills and competitive advantages, the true needs and best interests of target audiences are sometimes neglected. Marketing materials that place primary emphasis on client benefits, and secondary focus on company experience and expertise, can help strengthen client relationships and increase reach. By plunging yourself into the minds of your consumer or partner, you can better develop copywriting and design that can truly reach and connect with then end user. Remember it’s not always about what you do; it’s about what you can do for your clientele.

Current Projects

During the second quarter, Articulation completed both a strategic and creative design project, working on a corporate identity brochure and mock ads for a major sports management agency. The brochure used large action-based imagery to visually convey the firm’s A-list basketball clientele, as well as their expertise, services, and management capabilities. As a follow up project, the team conceptualized, designed, and created a series of mock advertisements displaying several talented athletes, and potential clients, as the focal points of high-profile promotional advertising campaigns, print ads, gaming packages, and billboards. These mock ads were used in marketing presentations and helped the firm sign new clientele projected to be drafted in the upper part of the first round.