Sport Development in South Africa, Essay Example

There is a considerable limitation of research that seeks to establish the importance of sports marketing as a distinct unit of the service sector. The limited research is also a reflection of the general low interest that the service sector has received from academics. The question that should be asked is why there is such a conspicuous policy lag in the service sector if indeed it posses such a huge economic potential.

It is against this background that this paper essentially seeks to look at the health and fitness industry as an integral part of the service sector in South Africa; with the view of how the industry can be effectively marketed. The health and fitness industry in South Africa is manned by staff with very basic academic and professional training. According to Keep and Mayhew (1999a) the reason for this trend is the presumed assumption of players in the industry to place premium on cost-based competition at the expense of other vital market indicators. In their view the most credible approach to reversing this anomaly is to redefine their policies to reflect product market strategies.

There is very little academic interest in the area of sports marketing and its related disciplines, hence the little attention given to it in contemporary marketing journals. Sports marketing is not also seen within the context of a formidable force that should be incorporated into the corporate strategies of stakeholders in the industry (Heerden, 2001; Dibb et al, 1994; Adcok, et al 1995; Wilmshurst, 1995; Siegel, 1996).

A look at some of the main works such as Pride and Ferrel (1993), Kotler & Armstrong (1997) and Strydom et al (1996) shows the conspicuous lack of mention of sports as a service that can be marketed in their works. In the same way, Bovee (1995), Dibb et la (1994), Van der Walt & Machado (1992), though did not address sports marketing in principle but did make some basic indirect references to it. Solomon and Stuart (1997) as well as Dib et la (1994) mentioned sports marketing but in a very basic form. Dibb et la (1994) sited sponsorship as an medium of implementing a promotional mix. Other writers such as Furlong (1994) and Meennaghan (1996) also concur with the idea of using elements of promotion to market sports.

Sport marketing as described by Cannon (1992) is a set of commercial applications of promotions on the media. Most of the works reviewed in this paper all lay emphasis on promotions as an integral part of the marketing process. It is also explains why, Belch & Belch (2001) define event sponsorship as “a consumer-oriented” sales promotion. A number of the writers also reviewed in this paper seem to suggest that sponsorship and public relations are primarily leading to the same point (Hill, 1994; Kotler, 1994, Zikmund & d’Amico 1996).

What is Sports Marketing?

Till date there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes sports marketing in the field of academia (Stotlar, 1993). There is a generally tendency to directly link sports sponsorship to sports marketing, which some scholars disagree. In the view of the opponents of the generalization, the field of sports has its own set of marketing mix. The nature of the mix is such that it simply uses the basic marketing principles to achieve its ends.

In a pioneering and canonical study, Kesler (1979) defined sports marketing as “activities of consumer and industrial products and service marketers who are increasingly using sports as a promotional vehicle for their products and services.” Unfortunately, this view presents a rather basic and one sided view of marketing as “promotional vehicle,” thus making it difficult to make a clear distinction between sports management and sports marketing. It is also clear that much of the published work on sports marketing does not tentatively address this issue, and thus leaving it speculative (Brooks, 1994; Blackshaw & Hogg, 1993; Mullin et al, 1993; Mullin et al 2000; Schaaf, 1995; Wensley, 1999; Graham et al 1995)

Besides Mullin et al (1993) most writers and researchers have always treated sports marketing within the framework of the conventional marketing mix (Pope and Turco, 2001). The difference in Mullin et la (1993) is the deliberate inclusion of the conventional marketing mix into what is said to be a comprehensive sports marketing strategy. Nevertheless, others like Shilbury et al (1993) and Shank (1999) advanced their work to inculcate some aspects of approaching sport marketing strategically.

To this point, the question about what really constitutes sports marketing remains unanswered. In this light sports marketing according to Evans et al (1996) includes but not limited to the following:

• The strategic adoption of sports to facilitate the promotion of consumer goods or services;
• the process where sports institutions are rightfully positioning to remain very competitive amidst stiff competition in an industry;
• Reaching out to sports consumers with goods and services which they need.

In relation to the foregoing, Van Heerden (1998) makes a more lucid presentation that examines vivid circumstances that conceptualizes what sports marketing is.

In the first circumstance, the argument being advanced is that any form of marketing sports related goods or services that will be consumed by sportsmen and women can constitute the act of sport marketing. In the second circumstance, an organization may be motivated by the need for more publicity and therefore choose to be identified with a particular sporting event or sports personalities. This process by itself can justifiably fall within the broad description of sports marketing. The third part presents the case where sporting organizations engage in marketing by attracting sponsorship and participants.

Developing a sports marketing Mix

In view of the progress in conceptualizing the concept of sports marketing notwithstanding the glaring lack of consensus in the field of academia as to what constitute sports marketing, in this part I will be narrowing the analysis from the core theoretical concepts to how it is being applied in the contemporary market setting.

A major difficulty in the industry is the inability to define and apply the essence of marketing communication within the context of sport marketing. It is in the light of this that, Belch & Belch (1995) have proposed an integrated marketing communication as a credible alternative to the conventional marketing communication.

Still within this milieu, the question of the role of public relations as part of the overall sports marketing mix has also engaged the attention of a number of scholars.

Hitherto, public relations was never part of the mainstream promotion mix, until recently when a number of scholars became convinced that there is the need to add it to add it to sales promotion, advertisement and personal selling (McCarthy & Perraeult, 1990). In any case, there is no doubt that marketing and public relations represent two varied and distinct entities within organizational structure and management. Due to the increasing convergence and interrelations between marketing and public relations, a new concept dubbed marketing public relations has become the reconciliatory factor in this debate.

Finally, there is a school of thought that agitates for the inclusion of public relations into the traditional marketing policies of sports institutions. In their opinion, it can be a source of attraction to potential customers due to the close similarity between marketing and general public relations (Coakley, 1994). According to Mullin et la (1993), the regular public relations activities in the form of media interactions in it self can be a viable marketing tool (Chu, 1989). According to Cutlip et al (1994) “the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends.” This definition in its absolute form touches on the general form of public relations without necessarily linking it to field of marketing. It should be noted that the field of public relations is a representation of a broad array of academic and professional disciplines. Basically, the function still remains the same, that is, the representation of the firm or organization with its clients and the public on the one hand and the public and the organization on the other hand. In order words, the public relations practitioner can be said to be a liaison officer between the organization and the public (Pasqua et al, 1990).

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