Sports is beloved and passionately appreciated by almost everyone in the World. If you doubt this, then leave the planet during the World Cup and you can stick to your guns. It is no surprise that products desirous of attaching themselves to this passion have been evolving, growing, and thriving for YEARS. But when did sports marketing begin? What is the history of sports marketing?
Sports marketing can date all the way back to the 1870s when tobacco companies started putting famous baseball players on their cards. Why? Because they sold like hotcakes.
Sports marketing has been around for a while for one simple reason: it works. No matter if it is from the athlete side or the corporate client side, sports sell.
According to freshbuissnessthinking.com, the early years of the sports marketing industry aimed at building product credibility and product placement. Since then, sports marketing has grown and evolved into what it is today. A combination of both athlete sponsorship and corporate clients achieving goals all rolled into one.
In 1984, Nike signed with Michael Jordan. Nike signing with Michael Jordan has been a huge win and a significant statistic for sports marketing. According to Ad Age, Nike’s Jordan shoes still control a total of 58 percent of the basketball shoe market. And this is three decades later. Impressive.
It’s not just athletes that get in on the action of sports marketing. Companies want in on the action too.
Of course, sports marketing has been around for so long because of the intensity of an incredibly loyal fanbase. But sports marketing has also been around for so long because it has successfully evolved as the time goes by.
Sports Marketing has been able to keep up with the new fads and trends as they’ve been dished out. From adding TV ads to new interactive in-game promotions, and even player takeovers on social media platforms as social media has grown. They’ve been able to keep up with what each generation of fans wants and continue to break down barriers in the sports marketing world.
Here is a look at some of the promotions Knox Sports has done over the years and how they’ve changed over time:
Land O’ Frost - When we started working with Land O Frost back in 2001, we used paper coupons as a way to help bring traffic into stores and have family members save on their lunch meat products. As the time we went on, we evolved into creating an app for Land O Frost, in which you can receive coupons, and recipes, and keep track of your team's league. Keeping up with the trend of technology and acknowledging what this generation of people responds to makes all the difference.
To learn more about how we’ve helped clients in their sports partnerships over the years and how we can help you, visit us at: www.knoxsports.com