Social Media and Brand Promotion Strategies
Introduction
In recent days, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) a pay per view sporting event owned by Dana White and Zuffa management, has become an important brand of Mixed Martial Arts in North America and Britain (Schneiderman, 2007). Recently, the MMA and the UFC have embraced Social Media that include social networking sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and have launched their own websites recognizing the utility of these platforms, and have begun an aggressive campaign, with an attitude that reflects MMA true spirit.
Brief History
Mixed Martial Arts lost appeal in yester years chiefly due to development of other forms of athletics, and because of its image not being appealing to the advocates of humanity due to its fight unto death propositions (Hitt et al, 2012). Mixed Martial Arts Association (MMA) and UFC were able to legitimize a sport that was once considered to be little more than human cockfighting not before 1993. Ever since its initiation, the UFC has gone through tremendous developments throughout its lifetime, providing entertainment in the form of pay per view and has helped in the transformation of the mixed martial arts form from a street brawling format to athletics of a different extreme form. But social media has given it the boost that it requires to survive and grow, owing to Dana White, the president of UFC, who first understood that to get recognition with the masses, it is important to know the role of social media and how it can be used to popularize this sports form.
UFC Campaigns and Social Media
The UFC tournament initially faced problems with acceptance due to the content of such a reality show, but has so far gained fan following throughout the world. However, the brand left no stone unturned in efforts of popularizing the sport and the brand. Some achievement that UFC acquired before turning to social networking and social media include airing live matches on a regular basis that are convenient for audiences to watch. They rope in highly demanded fighters and not rely entirely on getting the world’s best fighter, along-with hiring popular show hosts for hosting matches to make their shows more interesting and attractive to viewers. UFC has tied up with video gaming and music industry and created some very sensational game titles on various platforms from Sony Playstations to Xbox games and a music title christened UFC: Ultimate Beat Downs, Vol. 1, a collection of music featured in and motivated by the UFC. (Ceranic, 2011)
However, the brand UFC wouldn't be where it is today without accepting aggressively the new age social media websites on the World Wide Web over the last few years. It has been easier for UFC to embrace social media and incorporate it in advertising, as it is free and widespread, and accepted all over the world. Social Media Platforms for example Facebook and Twitter have helped the UFC; as both the brand and its trademark events are recognized, UFC has managed to transform itself from a sideshow featuring violence to relatively mainstream entertainment. To add to it, the UFC now has more than 16 different versions of its own websites representing various geographical circles, which features content and fighters of both worldwide and local significance. The UFC’s escalation as a sports social media power can be attributed to a number of factors and radically thinking individuals. A no-holds-barred facade is undoubtedly a fitting persona for the social media, where being involving, natural and unrestrained are assets. As the UFC predicted the value of social media in time and has devoted exertions to maintain its status as a frontrunner in providing attractive and exclusive multiplatform content.
The dedication of the organization in broadcasting at social networks like YouTube, Twitter and other real time websites is phenomenal. Numerous UFC workers along with White and Adams make efforts for the company’s social media to run smoothly. For example for a recent pay-per-view bout, separate individuals were dedicated for shooting photos for posts on Facebook and Instagram, for monitoring social media commentary related to broadcast troubleshooting fans connectivity issues, for shooting YouTube and Vine videos. Unquestionably social media permeates almost all aspects of UFC in entirety, and making this entirely available online worldwide.
Evidence and Verdict
Mixed Martial Arts is an ever incrementing discipline that endures to look out for ways to grow each year. Proof lays in the fact that in 2012 the UFC organized two seasons of the Ultimate Fighter in overseas countries; presenting local talents in an effort to win partnerships with overseas sponsors. UFC and MMA are at their efficient best in promoting mixed martial arts as a sport and may continue to do so with the social media interactions and marketing strategies they apply. For this reason the Ultimate Fighter series can become popular at locations round the globe.
Proof can be found of the UFC's phenomenal success, where it struggled to survive in the early 90’s, lies very much upon the lop sided support that UFC has managed to garner on social media. For example, Dana White, the organization's President, has more than 2 million followers on Twitter far more than recognized commissioners of other sports forms and leagues with more prevalent recognition. In comparison Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, and Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, have 240,000 and 250,000 followers on Twitter respectively (Laird, 2012).
Conclusion
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has become a highly appreciated platform for developing both the sport and future generations of stars. The sport in itself is an inspiration and social media helps viewers to understand that mixed martial art is a discipline of martial arts and understanding that it is not merely a street fighting event but a self-sustained improvement, a way of life that promotes healthy sporting rather than violence. Without it, there is a fair chance that the Mixed Martial Arts form would have failed a long time ago. Presently, as new reiterations of the successions of series and popularizes with social media, success of the sport and its recognition as one is evident. Hope lies that UFC and MMA may be able to provide this forgotten sport with the deserved recognition that it must have had delivered to itself many years ago with its new foray into communication through social media.
Works Cited
Ceranic, Tara (May 26, 2011). The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Cultural Viability Source: Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation; Prod. #: W11288-PDF-ENG
Hitt, Michael A.; Ireland, R. Duane and Hoskisson, Robert E. (1 January, 2012): Strategic Management Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization, 10th ed. Publisher Cengage Learning, 2012 ISBN 1133495249, 9781133495246
Schneiderman, R.M. (2007); Ultimate fighting wants Europe next; The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/sports/09iht-MMA.1.14356429.html?_r=0; Retrieved July 13, 2013
Laird, Sam (April 21, 2012): How Social Media Gave the UFC a Fighting Chance, Mashable Inc. http://mashable.com/2012/04/21/ufc-social-media/; Retrieved July 13, 2012
