Branding in Sports

We hear the words brand and branding thrown around all the time…so what actually is a brand, and does it relate to sports organizations? Oh yea it does, some of the most iconic brands out there are in sports. Think Chicago Bears, New York Yankees, or Manchester United. Just by virtue of their name, you have an impression of who they are, how they play and what they stand for.

You may be asking, how does that relate to my organization? Well, your goal may not be world-wide recognition, but certainly a reputation in your local marketplace. Whether you are a camp, a club or a tournament you want potential customers to know who you are and what you stand for.

So what exactly DO you stand for? Do you have a single sentence or phrase that says it all? Here are some examples of what I mean.
Droid – Droid does
BMW – The Ultimate Driving Machine
US Marines- The Few, The Proud, The Marines

And from the world of youth sports
AYSO – Everyone Plays
E7sports – The Best Solutions for Managing Sports Online

Some of these lines are quite clever (well, not ours!) and have relied on expensive copywriters at advertising agencies to come up with them. But being clever is not as important as telling the story of who you are and what you do.

So some questions to ask yourself…
• What is your niche? Rec, Community travel, Elite travel, other
• What is your coaching philosophy? Are you about creativity, discipline, learning while having fun, or is your program quite serious?
• Are you small and provide a lot of attention or are you large and more systematic?

So take a stab a slogan or value statement. Let it sit a day or two, revise it, get feedback and then finalize it. And then make sure every coach and employee in your organization knows what it is and the thinking behind it.

You may be asking, now that I have it, what should I do with it. Our next newsletter will talk about how to reinforce this statement with actions and communications.

Please feel free to respond with comments or questions to Marcy@e7sports.com