by Roger Pe
How many people still remember Yco and Ysmael Steel? For sure, baby boomers still do and their big followers still reminisce their unforgettable exploits on the basketball court.
The two dribbled their way to Filipino households because they had talk value. Their names enjoyed media presence and their star players’ heroics gave them word-of-mouth sizzle.
The names became not just names on jerseys, from among their ranks emerged Carlos Loyzaga, Tito Eduque, Kurt Bachmann, Robert Jaworski, Freddie Webb, Alberto Reynoso, Adriano Papa, Orlando Bauzon, Jimmy Mariano and a galaxy of other stars.
They became synonymous to the brightest in Philippine basketball that did the country proud in Asia and in the Olympics during that time.
Meralco, Crispa, Toyota followed suit and then Purefoods, Shell, Alaska. Now we have Ginebra San Miguel, Air 21, Petron, Talk ‘N Text, San Mig blazing the trail. Just like their predecessors, they enjoy round-the-clock brand presence and top-of-mind awareness from among millions of consumers.
Who would have thought Milo would eventually topple the seemingly unsinkable Ovaltine in their category war? The former, with its solid “Olympic Energy” positioning and focused campaign line, now reigns supreme as the undisputed market leader.
Credit it to relentless sports marketing and single-minded approach, the brand also made “Milo Marathon” an iconic word, eagerly anticipated by sport fans.
For decades, Marlboro basked in media glory made possible by the nationwide popularity of “Marlboro Tour” and “Marlboro Adventure”. Coke’s “Go-For-Goal” bred a lot of Pinoy footballers in the same way as soccer gave it added branding kick.
Shakeys today is synonymous to Philippine volleyball. The surging popularity of the sport is making its brand leadership unshakeable.
Alaska and Cobra are banking on the current rage - Triathlon for kids and professional athletes.
From ticket sales to licensed products, apparel, equipment merchandising and other promotional permutations, sports are a big business.
Everyday, hundreds of millions of sports fans watch sporting events, a gripping entertainment reality that brands all over the world consider as strategic marketing opportunities.
Nike, GE, Procter & Gamble, Adidas, Coke, Samsung, Panasonic, Dow, Omega, McDonald’s, Visa, BMW are just of the biggest brands queueing up to get into these events for these reasons: 100% captive audience, media and financial returns worth millions of dollars.
To give us interesting insights on the subject and real local market case studies, Business Friday interviews Ed Dames, an all-around athlete, fitness buff, martial arts enthusiast, Chairman and CEO of DTC (Direct-To-Consumer) Promos, one of the country’s leading companies specializing in sport roadshows, campus tours and women’s marketing, complementing many ad agencies’ activation programs.
One of his biggest projects was Close-Up’s “Whattamouth!”, a spectacular event with a daunting challenge: break the Guinness World Record on the largest photo mosaic in a billboard. The event easily broke the UK record and set a new high in mounting an event for a billboard unveiling.
Dames and his team literally stopped the world on that part of Makati by using the MRT as a viewing deck and deployed the legendary Air Force 505 (Search and Rescue team) to strip the billboard cover. It ended with the first-ever fireworks display on Edsa featuring the World Pyro Festival champion, La Mancha.
ED: “By associating with a particular sports or a sports personality, a brand gets instant recognition. Of course, sports marketing must be part of an Integrated Marketing Communications to optimize its value.”
BF: Does it benefit only sports enthusiasts?
ED: “No. Fans of the Olympics for instance are not necessarily sports enthusiasts. But they watch and support it because of the many things it brings: human drama, the fanfare, the celebration of the human spirit.”
BF: How do you effectively reach your target audience and keep their support?
ED: “By doing your homework as a professional marketer, knowing what keeps them excited, their habits, their aspirations, their social circle. Then matching it with the sport that best represent their lifestyle.
For example, light beers are very ubiquitous in Mixed Martial-Arts shows like the UFC. The reason is obvious: people who watch fights enjoy the show while drinking light beers with their friends.
Fights are now viewing parties. The message: drinking light gives you the ability to enjoy life more!
BF: If marketers want to use it as strategy, what advise can you give before plunging into action?
ED: “Do your research. Keep your personal bias and ego out of the picture. Find a good fit with a sports event that you can own and build a campaign around.
Compare its benefits with other available platforms. Have a clear metric to evaluate whether the sports you’ve chosen helped your marketing objectives or not. Sponsor only events organized by people with proven track record.
BF: What is its biggest advantage?
ED: The appeal of sports is universal. It cuts across social, economical and geographical boundaries. Some sports appeal to a specific sector. It’s more economical than traditional advertising.
BF: How well is it adapting to digital age?
ED: “Sports has adapted very well into the digital age. All the major sports organizations use social media as a key strategy in engaging with their fans.
Sports personalities maintain tweeter, Instagram and FB accounts where they can interact with their supporters. UFC president Dana White gives real-time updates of UFC happenings … including championship fights … with his million followers.”
BF: How do you describe sports marketing in the Philippines, in general?
ED: “It’s still not based on solid marketing strategies. Often, sponsorships are based on the personal bias of a brand manager or a corporate executive.
A case in point is the penchant for sponsoring fun runs.
While it is good to promote a healthy lifestyle thru running, no one remembers the other sponsors of fun runs apart from a chocolate drink, a sport wear and a sports watch.
Everyone else is just a second-rate copycat. Why would be brand want to spend millions just to be a “gaya-gaya”? If a brand would approach me, I would advise doing non-traditional fun runs. How about backward running?
ED: “I’m a go-getter. I get excited about big challenges. I take on a new pitch as sports competition and I prepare my team accordingly.
How do you apply sports in running your business?
Sports is about setting new goals and going for it. My personal philosophy is also our corporate credo: “whatever it takes!” For as long as it’s not illegal or immoral, we’ll do it for our clients.
We’ve set records for doing things never been done before. On hiring, we give plus points for applicants who are into sports. Athletes have discipline and focus. They don’t get sick easily and they carry themselves better.
ED: “Doing things with social relevance and eternal significance. I’m now in a legacy-building mode.”
Es Dames has over 30 years experience in Advertising and Events/Sports Marketing. He worked with McCann, Basic Advertising and Leo Burnett. He is also Director of World Team USA that is promoting “Fight for Peace”, an international Muaythai and MMA Super Fights to be held at Resorts World Manila on October 23, 2013.
