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How to build a sporting brand ... US style



Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,325
Uffern
I know nothing about basketball but this was an interesting read.

The article doesn't go into much detail about the sport itself - we're left wondering what the hell "smart smart ball" means - but you can see elements of what Barber's trying to do. He's obviously been very influenced by his time in North America and I just wonder what the Albion experience will be like in the future
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,575
Back in Sussex
Paul Beirne and Tom Gorringe are forming an excellent partnership and seem to excel when it comes to engaging fans in ways beyond those we have experienced before (camping on the pitch, Calde phone call, fixtures day breakfast event, random birthday cakes to fans, thanking season ticket renewers on the pitchside hoardings at the end of last season etc)

I get why more 'traditional' fans cringe a bit at these new-fangled marketing and business development strategies, but we are a broader church now and we have to attract and retain new fans of all demographics. Their pounds are worth the same as everyone else's and the equation really is as simple as more money coming into the Albion gives us a greater chance of success on the pitch.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,325
Uffern
I wasn't being negative posting it. I can see the financial benefits: what the article does show is that the customers should be fans first and foremost.

I was sent that article as a response to a FB post I made about the Harlequins, who have tried to welcome me to the "Harlequins family" in the crassest way possible. I think Brighton has got the balance between fans and customers about right, although I know some disagree
 




Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,383
West west west Sussex
Paul Beirne and Tom Gorringe are forming an excellent partnership and seem to excel when it comes to engaging fans.
But aren't to hot with their ITK knowledge :wink: :wink:
 




Seasidesage

New member
May 19, 2009
4,467
Brighton, United Kingdom
God I hope that's not what they are trying to do. Two very simple elements to building a club, simple to say less simple to achieve.

1. Great facilities - Done. This will always need incremental improvement, but the main part has been achieved.

2. A great team, constantly reinforced - this is the tricky bit obviously, both building the team and being able to spot the next generation of stars ahead of your competitors.

If and it's clearly a big if, you can achieve this, your 'brand' will grow. Man Utd, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich etc etc weren't suddenly parachuted into major world class club status.
They didn't achieve their status by having a good website. They have consistently succeeded with both 1 and 2 over decades and reinforced success at the right times.

Everything else is just window dressing IMO.

If the Albion are consistent winners season in, season out in 50 years time we will have coaches of fans arriving from all over europe. Christ even Leeds manage that and they have been crap for years!!! Why? Because they used to be regularly successful. There are no meaningful shortcuts to greatness, it still revolves around winning. People want their sports teams to win, especially football clubs, the more they do, the more people want to watch...
 


gregbrighton

New member
Aug 10, 2014
2,059
Brighton
I think it's a bit of a pity that sport has been dumbed down as a mere 'commodity' ready to be commercially exploited.

Phrases such as 'customer experience', 'fans as an asset' and 'emotional connection to a brand' just makes me see red, to be honest.

In my opinion, following a football team is a 'spiritual' experience, not in the religious sense but something that brings people to assemble together. It's about a football team we love and have an emotional attachment to for many different reasons. I don't believe following our football team should be treated as if we are buying a car or a 4k TV. It's something much deeper and personal. I would be very wary of a club management seeking to manipulate a fan base in the way that was described in the article. If the motivation is purely on commercial terms, I really don't want to ****ing know because we are not cash cows to be milked and I would doubt the sincerity of such an approach.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,383
West west west Sussex
God I hope that's not what they are trying to do. Two very simple elements to building a club, simple to say less simple to achieve.

1. Great facilities - Done. This will always need incremental improvement, but the main part has been achieved.

2. A great team, constantly reinforced - this is the tricky bit obviously, both building the team and being able to spot the next generation of stars ahead of your competitors.

If and it's clearly a big if, you can achieve this, your 'brand' will grow. Man Utd, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich etc etc weren't suddenly parachuted into major world class club status.
They didn't achieve their status by having a good website. They have consistently succeeded with both 1 and 2 over decades and reinforced success at the right times.

Everything else is just window dressing IMO.

If the Albion are consistent winners season in, season out in 50 years time we will have coaches of fans arriving from all over europe. Christ even Leeds manage that and they have been crap for years!!! Why? Because they used to be regularly successful. There are no meaningful shortcuts to greatness, it still revolves around winning. People want their sports teams to win, especially football clubs, the more they do, the more people want to watch...

But who will be supporting the Albion after decades of winning?

You can't have it both ways.
Either we're a local club for local people to pass their passion and commitment about down through the generations, irrespective of success.
Or
An all encompassing club capable of reaching and being supported by everybody on the planet.


No club can be successful and parochial, sadly that ship has well and truly sailed
No club is going to be able to find genuine success without grasping every single penny.

Without one man The Albion wouldn't have Great facilities - Done so let's not get carried away.
 




Not Andy Naylor

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2007
8,787
Seven Dials
But who will be supporting the Albion after decades of winning?

You can't have it both ways.
Either we're a local club for local people to pass their passion and commitment about down through the generations, irrespective of success.
Or
An all encompassing club capable of reaching and being supported by everybody on the planet.


No club can be successful and parochial, sadly that ship has well and truly sailed
No club is going to be able to find genuine success without grasping every single penny.

Without one man The Albion wouldn't have Great facilities - Done so let's not get carried away.

As a club outside a major national or regional capital, I think we will always be a local club for local people.

And I disagree with the implication that if you're not a global mega-brand then you can forget about sustained success. Athletic Bilbao are the definition of parochial, yet are competitive most seasons. You don't see many Atletico Madrid replica shirts around, but they don't do too badly.

Equally, I don't think we have to worry that we'll be overrun by glory-hunting foreign fans after our first Premier League title win. It was never a problem for Blackburn ...
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,383
West west west Sussex
As a club outside a major national or regional capital, I think we will always be a local club for local people.

And I disagree with the implication that if you're not a global mega-brand then you can forget about sustained success. Athletic Bilbao are the definition of parochial, yet are competitive most seasons. You don't see many Atletico Madrid replica shirts around, but they don't do too badly.

Equally, I don't think we have to worry that we'll be overrun by glory-hunting foreign fans after our first Premier League title win. It was never a problem for Blackburn ...

With the exception of the 2012 UEFA cup Athletic Bilbao haven't had success since the early '80's.
They are basically Aston Villa.

The Albion can be Aston Villa, no problem at all. (now Tony has emptied his bank account)
Soccerball is a completely different sport to those naive rosy specced days of Blackburn's win.

Like it or not (and let's face it none of us do) we are the last people the Albion want supporting the team, and I'm sure in comparison we do bloody well by the club.

But me and the kids rocking up at 2:50 to sit in our discounted seats for 2 hours, before leaving as soon as the ref tells us too, isn't going to push Brighton up the pyramid.
The club needs the fans who'll happily spend £200 in the shop, just like Utd, Arsenal, Chelski, Barca etc all do too.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,265
I wasn't being negative posting it. I can see the financial benefits: what the article does show is that the customers should be fans first and foremost.

of course they are. fans are, literally, people who are fanatical about you and your product. its the holy grail of any brand. it occurs to me that commercial exploitation of brand fans has been developed by looking at how sports achieve that devotion, so eventually that would reflect back onto sport by those seeking to increase revenue and size of the sports club brand. people do get a bit tetchy about being treated as a "customer", but shirley thats better than being taken for granted?
 




Frutos

.
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
May 3, 2006
35,494
Northumberland
Like it or not (and let's face it none of us do) we are the last people the Albion want supporting the team, and I'm sure in comparison we do bloody well by the club.

I've read that half a dozen times and still have no idea whatsoever what it is supposed to mean.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,383
West west west Sussex
I've read that half a dozen times and still have no idea whatsoever what it is supposed to mean.
You do realise you have to read everything to get the context?

How much money will you spend at the AMEX this season when compared to a weekend taking in a game at say the Nou Camp?
Even taking into account the club listening to it's customers and providing us with the beer and pies, we asked for.
 





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