|
|
Running head: ICE TO THE ESKIMOS Book Critique – Ice to the Eskimos by Jon Spoelstra Nicolas Waterfield 2348449 SPMA 3P95 Cheri Bradish October 31, 2002 Sport is all around; it plays a major contribution to many people. A professional or amateur sport organization is often the nucleus of many communities large or small. Moreover, sport has a major influence on the economy. It is no longer a game; it’s a business. Through the globalization of sport, sport has evolved into one of the worlds largest commercial recreational industries. However, the sports consumer has become smarter and it has become more difficult for professional sport organizations to capitalize on the external benefits that sport provides for its consumers. Several factors contribute to the ability of a marketing manager to successfully market a product, good, or service. Today’s sport franchises are faced with challenges pertaining to the marketing of their product and utilizing tactics that will help address the five “P’s” of marketing (product, place, price, promotion and public relations). One such sport franchise is the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association. Their struggles to gain market share is a predominant focus in Jon Spoelstra’s book Ice to the Eskimos: How to market a Product Nobody Wants. Spoelstra had spent over twenty years as an executive in the NBA and is considered to be one of the best at finding ways to market all types of products. In his book, Spoelstra presents principles that were utilized to help the New Jersey Nets. He focuses on both the external factors such as the fans and competition, as well as internal factors in dealing with human resource requirements and a company’s focus. Very rarely does a marketer get the chance to market the best product in the best market with the largest advertising budgets (Spoelstra, 1997). This is where the challenge lies in marketing the sport product. The core game or performance is just one element of the larger ensemble or experience. The sport marketer typically has little control over the core product and consequently must focus their efforts on product extensions. These extensions include the personnel, process, tickets, packaging, and novelties like special events. As a marketing consultant and chief operating officer of the New Jersey Nets, Spoelstra was faced with a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in terms of standings and ticket sales. In order to overcome this obstacle, Spoelstra utilized a number of marketing tactics in order to help the New Jersey Nets create a market. Primarily, he had to identify and break into a market in which success was inevitable and resulted in increased market share. Instead of marketing the New Jersey Nets, Spoelstra and his team decided to market the opponents that would be playing against the Nets. Other teams could offer an experience that the Nets themselves could not.
|
