A career in marketing invigorates the creative potential of marketers. Their agencies or clients expect them to deliver a marketing campaign that not only positions the product into the limelight but drives sales as well. Now imagine if the creative aspect of marketing blends with the thrill of watching sports. Yes, we are referring to sports marketing!
If you are crazy about sports and wish to make a career in this field, you can pursue a career in sports marketing. You will be eligible to work in this field after completing your MBA in Sports Management from one of the best colleges for sports management. But what exactly does this field offer? Here’s everything you need to know about a career in sports marketing.
1. What is sports marketing?
A highly profitable subdivision of marketing, sports marketing focuses on promoting teams, athletes, brands, and sporting events on a profound scale. The aim is to promote the client’s business or personal cause through sporting strategies, which can make a positive impact on the fan-base. How do sports marketers carry it out? By following a unique set of sports marketing P’s, apart from the original four P’s of marketing - Planning, Packaging, Positioning, and Perception.
Since sports marketing encompasses broadcasting, advertising, social media, etc., it is divided into three sectors.
The first sector promotes sports and its associations, such as cricket and IPL, respectively.
The second sector promotes teams, athletes and sporting events.
The third sector focuses on advertising the other two sectors to the public for interest and revenue generation.
As of 2018, the global valuation of the sporting industry is nearly $488.5 billion. An astonishingly high but not a surprising figure.
2. What are the duties of a sports marketer?
As a sports marketer, you will be either working for a sports marketing firm or directly in the sports organization. You will be responsible for promoting sporting events, teams or products of sporting brands. They will expect you to come up with unique ways to market themselves or their products. It will help your clients stand out from the rest.
Also, you will develop a marketing campaign and blend traditional with online marketing techniques to meet the following goals -
Reach your target audience
Promote merchandise
Increase ticket sales
Improve the brand image of your client
3. What are the career prospects in sports marketing?
While securing a summer internship from one of the top sports management colleges in India gives you a glimpse of the ground reality, you can land lucrative job profiles after completing this course. They are -
Athlete’s Manager - Manage your athlete’s personal and professional commitments. Be their right-hand person.
Franchise Operators - Manage the sporting operations of a team in a franchise league.
Sports Consultant - Be a sporting consultant to teams around the globe with regards to their marketing, operations and on-field performance.
Venue Operators - Manage iconic sporting venues.
Event Managers - Manage sporting events on a grander scale.
Sports Marketing Manager - Handle the marketing operations of teams or sporting brands.
As a fresher, your starting salary will range between INR 5 Lac per annum and INR 9 Lac per annum, depending on the job profile and organization.