Building a brand portfolio: the case of English Football League (EFL) clubs

Abstract

Research question: Professional sports clubs (PSCs) may diversify by marketing a range of products that extend beyond sport. Using brand architecture as a framework, the research aims to examine: the brand names they adopt, markets they serve and the hierarchical relationship between the leagues and PSCs in the branding of the product ranges of both organizations. Research methods:Set within the context of the English Football League (EFL), club websites were reviewed to examine brand names that are used when marketing activities unrelated to sport. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the commercial staff of 21 PSCs relating to their branding strategy. Results and findings:Leagues and PSCs may market a number of brands in addition to their core products of sporting competitions and teams. EFL clubs have developed brands independently of the league, primarily by branding their stadiums as a multi-purpose venue to stage events not related to matches. Within their venues they have also developed a category we term 'stadium sub-brands'. These include business clubs, comedy clubs and restaurants. Some of these services are co-branded with partner organizations. Implications:2 Devising a typology of the brand architecture of EFL clubs illustrates how sports organizations can diversify into markets other than football and add to their product portfolio by making use of their resources, in particular their stadium.

Understanding the importance of sport stadium visits to teams and cities through the eyes of online reviewers

“…Yet satisfaction with the stadium experience could also generate benefits for the team (i.e., better brand image) without necessarily being advantageous for the city (i.e., no link to destination image). These findings bolster the literature on destination image (e.g., Lugosi & Walls, 2013;Pike et al, 2019), consumer satisfaction (e.g., Oliver, 1993;Yoshida & James, 2010) and brand spillover effects (e.g., Pritchard et al, 2020;Su & Kunkel, 2019) by showing that experience is of differential importance for service providers (teams) and associated entities (cities). In essence, although increased visitor satisfaction is crucial for service providers, corresponding benefits do not seem to transfer to related entities.…”

“…Therefore, although these brands do not belong to the same entity, spillover effects may apply from the team to the city and vice versa. Favourable mental associations towards the team may thus benefit the city's image as an appealing destination (Pritchard et al, 2020), representing an important aspect to consider by destination leisure managers. Against this backdrop, and given that sport stadiums often become iconic structures that draw a broad audience (Uvinha et al, 2020), we propose the following: H3: Team brand image has a positive impact on the host city's destination image.…”

English Brands And Slogans In The Korean Language

“…We have identified areas of human activity by the method of continuous sampling, which particularly affects the standard of person living. These areas include: clothing footwear and cosmetic brands (Pritchard & Cook 2020).…”

Branding governance in international recurring sports events: the World Rugby ‘Sevens’ Series

“…Kenyon et al (2018) dissected the 2012 London Olympics and concluded that while the International Olympic Committee's and the London Olympic Games Organising Committee's brand values and messages were aligned, public perception and media portrayal of these events were incongruent with the messaging and values. Moreover, the EPL, one of the most globalised and sophisticated sports league brands offers fascinating ironies (Manoli, 2020b;Pritchard et al, 2020). On the one hand EPL teams elaborately layer subbrands under the core brand (Pritchard et al, 2020); on the other hand, advanced brand management capabilities are confined to less than half of the league (Manoli, 2020b).…”

“…Moreover, the EPL, one of the most globalised and sophisticated sports league brands offers fascinating ironies (Manoli, 2020b;Pritchard et al, 2020). On the one hand EPL teams elaborately layer subbrands under the core brand (Pritchard et al, 2020); on the other hand, advanced brand management capabilities are confined to less than half of the league (Manoli, 2020b).…”