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, the side faces Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final, hoping, once again, to be crowned the best in Europe. This comes two years after Barça (as the club is affectionately known) won a staggering six trophies – the domestic league and cup double, the UCL, the European and Spanish Super Cups and the FIFA World Club Cup.
Off the field, Barça is a well-oiled machine and ranks second (to Spanish rivals Real Madrid) in the Deloitte Football Money league 2011, which profiles the highest earning clubs. For the season 2009/10, the club recorded revenue growth in three key areas (commercial, match day and broadcast revenue), with a total year on year revenue increase of 9% to €398.1. [click to continue…]
Chris is a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) focusing on, amongst other things, sponsorship research, analytics and acquisition. 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.
Political risk effects markets. Whether we like it or not, functioning economies live in symbiosis with functioning governments. In West Africa, however, there is a third factor: football.
You’ve got international trade and businesses on the one hand, political players on the other hand…and then on the third hand you’ve got the football club.
In 2006, rebel forces in the north and government forces in the south of Ivory Coast called a ceasefire when the national Football club—nicknamed Les Éléphants (‘The Elephants’)—qualified for the World Cup. The staccato barking of Kalashnikovs which had previously punctuated the days and nights outside of Abidijan stopped. Gbagbo caved to the pleas of the Ivorian football federation and went back to the table to restart peace-talks with the rebels. For all intents and purposes—at least in the mind of Gbagbo—the civil war ended; because of a football team. [click to continue…]
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, is taking steps to improve its media image, modernize corporate communications and improve commercial performance.
While the club is battling to win a record 19th domestic title on the field, the club’s owners are extremely unpopular, the club is massively in debt and the club is ‘‘seeking a greater understanding of the international profile of Manchester United”.
Chris is a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) focusing on, amongst other things, sponsorship research, analytics and acquisition. 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.
Year after year, one of the regularly covered aspects of the Super Bowl is the high price of purchasing a 30-second commercial during the game.
Reports state companies are paying about $2.8 million to briefly expose their brand to the estimated 100 million people who will watch this year’s Super Bowl. That is a slight drop from last year but still nearly triple the cost of a 30-second spot from just 15 years ago.
That price tag is too rich for many and some companies are finding another way to leverage the cache of having a Super Bowl commercial, without actually having to pay for one.
In the weeks leading up to the biggest sporting event of the year, we frequently see stories about Super Bowl commercials that were banned from the broadcast for various reasons.
There has been plenty of coverage about the Super Bowl commercials that did air but I want to focus on the many headlines about those who didn’t make the cut. [click to continue…]
Ron Matejko is the President of Phoenix, Arizona-based MVP Media, an award winning digital publishing company. Visit the MVP website at www.mvptoday.com. Contact Ron by email at [email protected] Let’s connect on LinkedIn or on Twitter @mvp_media.
Voice of the Box‘s latest interview comes in a timely matter, as the Super Bowl is set to go this Sunday in Dallas. Joining Matt is Duke Bobber, Internet Coordinator for the Super Bowl bound Green Bay Packers. Duke travels every game with the team, running the main Packers website, as well as its social networks. In the interview, Duke shares his story about how he started his career as an intern, and worked his way up to where he is today. He also has advice for those aspiring to work for sports teams as well. As you enjoy the game this Sunday, you can also interact with him and his team on Twitter and Facebook.
If you are passionate about pursuing a career in the sports industry and want to discover how top level insiders got their start, connect with Matt today. Matt provides a unique look into the careers of many sports industry executives, revealing their success stories, advice and techniques you can put to use as part of your search strategy. Collaborate with Matt and start listening, learning, creating and executing your own action plan!
Equipped with business background and sports insider’s knowledge, Matt is ready to share his passion and knowledge with you! He delivers to his individual clients a unique process and format which gives sports industry hopefuls a unique look into the numerous career opportunities available in the sports industry and more importantly how to position yourself to break in.
We’re just two weeks into 2011, yet between NBA trade rumors, the BCS National Championship game, and the NFL Playoffs, we’ve already experienced a lot of excitement. Here are some of my early favorite tweets from the world of sports in 2011.
Blake Griffin, Professional Athlete, LA Clippers (@blakegriffin)
“I know everyone is saying this but have a safe new years don’t drink and drive… and please don’t drink and tweet!” – Dec. 31, 2010
Why Included: Good to see the young man recognize that driving isn’t the only thing that can get you in trouble after consuming alcohol. Also, have you seen Griffin’s top 10 dunks? NASTY!
Darren Rovell, Host of “Sports Biz With Darren Rovell, CNBC (@darrenrovell)
“I know they’re supposed to impartial, but sponsor Tostitos has to be rooting for a coach named Chip” – Jan 10, 2011
“Nike: Oregon’s neon socks from last night’s game are not available @ retail. Sorry to disappoint the THREE of you” – Jan 11, 2011
Why Included: Witty commentary after January 10th’s BCS National Title game. Also, I highly recommend anyone reading this site follow Darren Rovell. Fantastic sports biz commentary. [click to continue…]
Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.
A lot of us endure setbacks in life, but few are lower than what a 15-year-old aspiring athlete experienced when he heard his mother’s parting words as he walked out the door with his worldly possessions in one small duffel bag: “I wish you’d never been born.” Little did he know, those would be freeing ones.
Sam Bracken eventually forgave his mother for that comment and choices she made that hurt him as a child. He realized that her following words that day – that he’d one day thank her, were in fact, true.
The book, “My Orange Duffel Bag; a Journey to Radical Change” is a creative, uplifting work of art in words, pictures and design. It is a combination story about Bracken’s difficult childhood to his realization that he had to change if he wanted to live. It spotlights his emergence as a standout football player and honors graduate at Georgia Tech, and follows his decision not to pursue his initial desire to play in the NFL, but to help others. It is also a guidebook of sorts, with questions that provoke and challenge those who want to change in their lives. [click to continue…]
Twenty years of public relations experience, including 10 in NCAA Division I sports information during which she received national awards for her work, have helped Gail Sideman emerge as a nationally-respected publicity professional in sports, social media and publishing. She is also a veteran support staffer of sports television crews for events that include the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA regular and postseason and others. You may learn more information about Sideman's business at www.publiside.com or follow her at www.twitter.com/PUBLISIDE and www.facebook.com/gail.sideman.
2010 was a big year in the world of sports and social media, as leagues, teams, individual athletes, and sports fans alike began to truly understand and harness the power of social platforms. For me, 2010 was the year when social media went mainstream in the world of sports. There were many highlights, too many to name. But when I thought back on this year, these five moments stood out (in chronological order): [click to continue…]
Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.
The unemployment line continues to grow for NFL fired coaches this season. Locker room epitaphs might read something like, “his players gave up on him”, “he took the hit that player personnel should have taken”, or maybe even, “he deserved it.”
With the firing of Brad Childress, Wade Phillips, Josh McDaniel, and most recently, Mike Singletary, other coaches with fledgling teams are feeling just a tad of uneasiness about the future of their j-o-b.
As each team evaluates their future, and player personnel puts on their thinking caps, what will these teams be looking for in their future head coaches? Some of these teams have had several coaching changes in the past few seasons so how can they ensure they have the right man for the job this time around? First, foundational work needs to happen in the front office. [click to continue…]
Michelle Hill, the Strong Copy Quarterback for Winning Proof, is a sports and fitness copywriter. My mission is to help pro athletes, coaches, and sports agents increase their success score in their entrepreneurial endeavors with my writing expertise and creative turn of mind.I write website content, client letters, media pitch letters, sponsorship proposals, and brochures for sports-related companies. www.winningproof.com
It’s safe to say ‘Super Bowl Sunday’ has become a national holiday. As soon as the Christmas decorations are packed away and New Year’s resolutions broken, it’s time for January’s bright spot: the Super Bowl party.
Sports marketers, however, began planning for this year’s Super Bowl as soon as the Guy Lombardi trophy was awarded to last year’s winner. Super Bowl Sunday is a sports marketer’s dream, an excellent example of the symbiotic relationship between professional sports and marketing. [click to continue…]
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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.
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