Watching Football

Watching Football

Emotions run high at sporting events and in particular football (soccer). As we see more brands understanding that emotional rather than functional and financial factors influence consumer behaviour, are there lessons to be learned from watching football?

Fans turn up week after week, season after season. Even the fan rarely seen at matches has an ongoing attachment and loyalty to the club – the team – the brand. In this domain there is no brand switching or comparison shopping, your team is your team for life.

So what is with this loyalty that is not seen in many other domains. Maybe some of the answers are in the ‘logo’  better known in football as the crest or ‘the badge’. Operating in the branding sector, too much emphasis is placed on logo and visual identity in my opinion ( that is not to say it is not important) and as a sector I think we possibly underplay the importance of the sociological and psychological factors behind logos which drive emotions.

I believe that the way brand representatives – employees, founders, players, whoever – BEHAVE is a more important focus for brand managers.

Sport and football more than others is more than a game. Not simply red against blue or green against maroon but tribes, not in terms of warriors but in belonging, following, acting collectively, this is heightened when it is connected to a place, a specific community and then by history and heritage 1875! The history of Edinburgh and Leith, the iconic Edinburgh Castle. The heritage of the sea and the Port of Leith. The connection with Hibernia and the Irish community of Victorian Edinburgh.

However the challenge for commercial teams in sport is to convert the loyalty and passion into transactions while finding a balance. Maximising profits to support success and sustainability but not exploiting the fans’ loyalty and the brand . Football brands stretch well, this is not simply about season tickets and strips but media, content, events, tourism – destination management.

Other brands looking in can be jealous of this loyalty, passion and emotion. They can try to recreate it in their own brand activity or they can connect with it through sponsorship and partnerships with sporting brands and events.

#Sponsorship #Sports #Event #Drama #football #HFC #Hibernian