Communication
Introduction
The National Football League or NFL is a professional American Football organization which consists of 3 teams that are equally divided between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference (Jozsa, 2004, p. 270). The organization was found in 1920 and was named as American Professional Football Association before it renamed itself in 1923. They agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966 and after that, the first Super Bowl was held. The Super Bowl is considered to be one of the biggest sporting events in the world and the games organized by the NFL accounts for the many of the most watched sport television programs in American (Harris, 2010). The regular games of the NFL happen during the four-week preseason and the seventeen-week regular season. The regular season stars from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas and culminates on the Super Bowl which is the major event in the NFL. In the Super Bowl the game will be played between the champions from the teams of NFC and AFC. How does the NFL promote this major event to attract more audiences with the use of modern practices? The organization uses the latest technology in order to reach out to their audience and promote the event. With the use of broadcasting through airing live events and connecting to the people in social media, the organization makes sure that it gives the audience around the country updates and experience of the games.
Description
The major event the NFL holds every year is the Super Bowl. To make sure that the people look forward to it, they hold different games every season so that the Super Bowl will be between two good teams. This is one way the NFL communicates this event and promotes it as the event comes closer. They also talk to different artists and working with them to perform in the half time game which is also one of the happenings that people look forward to. NFL is one of the organizations that use sport marketing in order to promote their game and events and even the teams that are playing the events. The goal of this strategy is also to promote the sports and create enthusiast and fans that will follow the events that the organization is working on. NFL’s sport’s marketing usually involves a wide variety of sectors particularly in the sports industry and this also includes broadcasting, advertising, and other digital platforms aside from social media and ticket sales (Mullin, Hardy, & Sutton, 2000). One of the major platforms the organization use is broadcasting since it has different television contracts with four networks namely, NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN. This is the most important aspect of NFL’s strategy is to be constantly present for the fans thru their shows and also thru social media. By constantly giving updates and game schedules, fans around the country will be able to follow the events and also other information about the athletes.
Interpretation
Marketing is the major strategy for an organization like the NFL communicates with their target audiences which are the sports fans. Being present in social media and televising games paved the way for the people to appreciate the games and anticipate the events of the organization. The organization is making a point to be updated with the latest trends in technology and on how people receive information, in this case through the internet. May believe that the power of social media has changed how sports organizations like the NFL communicate to their fans. Having a YouTube page will give easy access to game highlights and commentaries on athletes and analysis. When people follow their favorite athlete in social media, they feel closer and connected to them. The organization started on forming different teams from different states and cities in the country in order for each team to have their own fan base and to make sure that on every area, there is a football fan.
Evaluation
The marketing of sports events just like what the NFL is doing can be defined as designing an activity to promote a product, the teams or the organization itself. The Super Bowl is the culminating event from the 17 week season and it looks to promote not just the event itself but also the sports and the football teams. Through local, national and social media, the event is promoted not only in the country but also internationally. What can be learned through the marketing process of the NFL is that, multiple platforms should be used in order to reach the number of target audience. Aside from live telecasts, the organization also gives updates on social media. The culminating event is also one of the marketing strategies of the organization where they even invite famous artists to perform in the half time show. This is a good way to communicate or promote the said event because it ensures that the fans will enjoy the game and also look forward to the half time shows.
The experience of the event also exhilarates the fans and this makes them look forward to it every year. The Super Bowl is the championship event and this ensures that the game should prove who the better team is. Just like other physical sports, football is all about who is the strongest and who is the smartest in terms of incorporating strategies in gameplay. The experience it gives to the fans is good that is why people would always want to watch it in the stadium or live on their television screens. What can be realized from this is that, through constant broadcasting and through promotions through social media, the NFL has ensured that they are known not only in the United States but also around the world.
References
Harris, N. (2010, January 31). Elite clubs on Uefa gravy train as Super Bowl knocked off perch. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/elite-clubs-on-uefa-gravy-train-as-super-bowl-knocked-off-perch-1884429.html
Jozsa, F. P. (2004). Sports Capitalism: The Foreign Business of American Professional Leagues. Surrey, United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing.
Mullin, B. J., Hardy, S., & Sutton, W. A. (2000). Sport marketing (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
