A League to Call Their Own—Premier Rugby 7s: Developing a Digital Strategy to Engage New Fans

Abstract

The Premier Rugby 7s case challenges students to consider a digital marketing strategy for a start-up professional sport league. Unlike many major sports in the American marketplace, the case presents Rugby 7s—a relative newcomer to the sporting marketplace—as the newest professional sport. In this case, marketing consultants are faced with the challenge of designing a digital marketing strategy for a “new generation” of sport fans. Drawing upon the tenets of traditional marketing, readers will explore the development of target markets, the challenges in introducing a new sport to fans, how to capitalize on new media trends, and how to differentiate their product in a crowded marketplace.