About Chris Conway

Chris is Strategy Manager at the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU). Previously he was a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union. He holds a MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Business (AGSM). Chris took part in the school’s exchange program by completing a semester at Stern business school, NYU where he studied sports marketing and sports economics. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Author Archive | Chris Conway

Driving Brand Engagement for Sports Teams through Facebook

By on May 17, 2012 in Social Media in Sports

Wallabies Brand Engagement and Reinvigoration Faced with falling levels of interest and attendance, rugby in Australia needed a reinvigoration in 2011. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU), the governing body for the sport in Australia, decided to leverage the annual Tri-Nations tournament as a platform to shake up communication and drive engagement with the Australian public.Read more →

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Digital Advantage to the Australian Open

By on January 25, 2012 in Social Media in Sports

The Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, which has reached half way stage as I write this,  has built on the progress of previous years to establish a strong, recognizable and credible online brand. According to Sam Laird, in a recent post on the US website Mashable, the Australian Open ‘may just be the mostRead more →

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The Greatest Show on Turf – The Rugby World Cup

By on September 8, 2011 in Social Media in Sports

The biggest sporting event on the planet this year – the Rugby World Cup (RWC) – starts later this week. The RWC is now big business and is the third largest sporting tournament in the world (after the Olympic Games and the FIFA Soccer World Cup). As many of our readers are based in countriesRead more →

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The Powerful Reach of Sports Marketing

By on August 30, 2011 in Sports Marketing

Today’s media environment is highly fragmented. For brands, the challenge of reaching consumers is becoming increasingly difficult. Even if a brand can reach its consumers, making them sit still and pay attention to the message is key. This is where sports is so powerful. Sports generates so much free publicity. Due to its live andRead more →

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The ‘Beautiful Game’ Goes Scientific

By on June 30, 2011 in Sports Business

The beautiful game, football (soccer), has been undergoing a quiet revolution in the land of its birth – England. English clubs have always sent football talent scouts the length and breadth of the country and further afield too. Decisions on footballing matters and transfers were once based on nothing more than a hunch, a gutRead more →

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A Sports Brand is More Than a Logo

By on June 20, 2011 in Sports Marketing

A brand is so much more than a logo and name and this applies to all organizations, sports or otherwise.  One good definition of brand is by best-selling American author and marketer Seth Godin who states: “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decisionRead more →

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5 sports marketing lessons from Lady Gaga

By on May 31, 2011 in Sports Marketing

Lady Gaga created a phenomenally successful web spectacle  for her recent album Born This Way, which was launched on May 23. Utilizing a host of inventive methods, Lady Gaga has leveraged digital marketing and social media to create a deep engagement with her fans and promote and sell her album.  It looks like these methodsRead more →

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5 Business Lessons from FC Barcelona

By on May 24, 2011 in Sports Business

FC Barcelona’s success both on and off the field speaks for itself. There are at least 5 important lessons that modern businesses can learn from the Catalan football (soccer) club. On the pitch, the Catalan club recently won the Spanish First Division La Liga for the 21st time, its 3rd consecutive title. On May 28th,Read more →

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The Success of World Team Tennis

By on May 17, 2011 in Sports Business

Sportsnetworker often features stories and posts from the multi-million dollar global sporting industry. The last few entries have looked at massive sporting brands such as the NFL, NBA and Manchester United. There are, however, many successful sporting properties that have carved a niche for themselves– even without big budgets. These properties function not necessarily offRead more →

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Seve’s Spanish Sporting Legacy

By on May 10, 2011 in Sports Business

On May 7th the sporting world lost of one its finest ambassadors. Golfing legend Severiano ‘Seve’ Ballesteros sadly passed away at his home in Pedrena, Cantabria, Spain. Ballesteros, diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008, was aged 54. Seve’s golfing record speaks for itself. The Spaniard won five Majors – three British Opens (‘79, ‘84Read more →

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Manchester United Modernizes Corporate Communications

By on May 3, 2011 in Social Media in Sports

Manchester United last week confirmed that it has appointed Jon Tibbs Associates (JTA), a leading PR agency, to assist with its communications. You might wonder why the highly successful soccer club has made such an appointment. While United is still enjoying success on the pitch, all is not well off. The club, realizing this, isRead more →

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Is 3D Technology Here to Stay in Sports Broadcasting?

By on April 19, 2011 in Sports Technology

Two recent announcements would suggest that 3D technology in sports broadcasting is here to stay. Last week, rugby union, which stages its seventh World Cup in just over 140 days’ time, appointed 3DLive as Official 3D Broadcaster for the New Zealand tournament. The Auckland-based company will deliver a live 3D feed of the Rugby WorldRead more →

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