Think out of the Box! go for a Diploma in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship

Do you like sports? Does traditional education tire you out? If the answer is yes, then you can go for a course in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. A diploma in the subject is a bare minimum.

Why sports Marketing is needed?

As the name implies, it is a marketing activity; a marketing activity where the central theme is sports. The purpose is to promote a particular sport; it can be a team/club or a sports event. The clubs/teams/events through Sports Marketing get funds through sponsorship. When a brand sponsors an athlete/player, then the fund eases the financial burden. The athlete/player can use the fund to cope with the training and other expenses. Sponsorship is two-way traffic. It adds up to the brand value of the sponsor and adds to the earning of the incumbent.

The merits and the demerits of sponsorship

The merits of sponsorship are that it relieves the incumbent from i). financial insecurity; ii). could plan their future project; iii). promotes a particular brand of sport.

But sponsorship is a two-edged sword. It has certain disadvantages.

The main disadvantage of sponsorship is i). over-dependence on sponsors; ii). sponsors can dictate terms; iii). sponsors can back out for various reasons. Withdrawal of sponsorship can break a team in a big way.

Once ITC was a big sponsor of Indian Cricket. The 1996 World Cup cricket was known as Wills Cup after the Wills brand of cigarette of ITC. Then came a time when the advertisement of tobacco products in visual media was banned. ITC withdraw its sponsorship. However, BCCI was then growing and could withstand the blow. Therefore, too much dependence on the sponsor can spell financial doom.

The job of a sports marketing manager is to feel the pulse. That's the job of a marketing manager in every sphere of business. Feel the market trend and assess it in advance is the magic wand of marketing. Sports marketing is no exception.

What is the career Prospect?

If you search for the salary of a sports marketer, the mean salary is $115000/-. Which is good. Moreover, if you are above average and exceptionally qualified can get more. Here is a caveat. The career prospect is a variable term and very much contextual. It depends upon your passion, grit, innovation, and of course, on your training and education. Have you heard of Milton L Humason? He was a staff of famed Mount Wilson Observatory, without a Ph.D. against his name. He was not even a school pass out. Yet, he was famous for his keen observation of redshifts of distant stars and charts on Astronomy. The basis of Edwin Hubble's theory of the expanding Universe were charts, redshifts measured by Humason.

But alas! Those days are gone. Now at least a diploma in Sports Marketing or a degree in Journalism is the starting point. So, that's the minimum. Take care to get admission in an Institution wherefrom degrees and diplomas are accepted by the authorities. The Institute should have tie-ups with overseas Universities/Institutes and visiting faculties from professional clubs/institutions.

Challenges

The very first challenge is to acquire specific skills. You can search for the details on the web. Let's see the challenges waiting for you in this profession.

Let's discuss the challenges.

The oft used term in sports marketing is sponsorship. Now, there is a subtle difference between the term sponsorship and advertising. An advertisement is a blank announcement, 'Look, I am here, better and cheaper than similar products and more value for money to You, the consumer.' But sponsorship is more of a mind game. Let's take an example a company is sponsoring or endorsing a player/team/sports-person/event. Why? Because the company projects its image identical to the player/ team sports-person/event. It has no call to action like buy/use my product. The company is merely establishing a link between the values attached to the sponsored, consumers, and the company itself.

Now, for each segment of the consumer market, the clientele is specific. The target segment for a plasma TV and a popular toilet soap is not the same. That's why the golden rules of sports marketing are: Perception, Positioning, Planning, and Packaging. It's a game, and if you do not know the rules, you won't get the desired result.

Similarly, in the Indian market, cricket gets the highest viewership and patronage. Though football is a popular game in India, Kabaddi is second to cricket in corporate sponsorship.

Summing up

Therefore, merely being a sports enthusiast or a Diploma in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship is not enough to ensure a shining career path. You must understand the sports market locally and globally. You must equip yourself with the emerging market and its followership. The pandemic has seriously affected the sports market, especially football. On the other hand, the field of e-sports expanded exponentially.

If you want to shine, you must turn the problems into opportunities.

There lies the seed of success. Everywhere.