This month three of the four major sports leagues in North Americ.NHL, NBA and NF.will make their annual pilgrimage across the pond to court fans, build brand and extend what is hoped to be a more global reach in the coming years, when the economy improves and the time becomes right for leagues to play on both sides of the Atlantic. Two, NHL and NFL, have taken the regular season route for games, while the NBA continues its preseason schedule of games, this year in London. All three have their basic effectiveness and have slightly different goal.the NHL looks to markets that have a built in understanding of the sport and a strong professional bas.this year Finland and Stockhol.while the NFL uses the game as a one week showcase for American football for expats and those who watch on TV.
However, as with most things global, the NBA still does it best. Granted the business of basketball, as positioned by the league for over 20 years, is truly global these days. Other than soccer and baseball, which ironically may have the best stories that are least told, there is no sport that has more elite, marketable international stars than hoops. The buzz and global appeal of the NBA, whether it is following players or just.the spectacl. is well positioned, well messaged and well delivered from products to video, and the live game experience again takes the fan of the sport and transforms him or her into a fame of the NBA.
So can others follow the NB.s lea. Good question. Socce.s appeal is global, and the.friendlie. played in the States featuring global power.clubs as well as national team.are always well attended, well supported and well covered. The World Baseball Classic this year again showed the basebal.s country by country approach can pull in fans, draw media attention and give great added value to current and new brand partners. Even with the specter of challenge the KHL presents to the NHL in Europe, the top players remain tied to the NHL, and with that level of play comes the ability to grow those stars maybe not globally but in places where the game is played on the grassroots level. Even with all those steps, the business of sport, and the brand of the NBA, is on par with no other on a global basis. The ability to generate an effective in game experience is as strong in Beijing and Barcelona as it is in Oklahoma City and Chicago. On top of that, the ability to effectively create unique, multiplatform year round sponsor activation programs on a country by country basis is a business execution that the NBA has mastered and is without parallel.
Why are they so far ahea. History is one reaso.they really were the trailblazers in global licensing and media, and other brands are catching up. Another, and most important, is the conscious effort made by the NBA to make global branding and licensing a priority from step one. The business in North America is the core, but the attention to detail, and the growth and cultivation of fans and partners around the world is a close second to what goes on in home markets. Growing pains around the world for the business of basketbal. Of course, but rarely at the expense of massive progress.
So the question remains, can the NBA global business be replicated in other sport. Soccer has many of the tool.huge presence outside the States, a solid and growing business here in MLS, great grassroots support and a four year platform, the World Cup, which makes the sport transcendent of every boundary. Baseball too has the ability to do s.a growing interest in emerging countries, a billion dollar marketing outlay, telegenic stars from over 30 countries, and a growing platform in the World Baseball Classic. Hockey has it obvious challenges globally, but the ability to make it a stronger European brand also exists. Ironically the NFL probably has the most to spend and least to gain from a global push, but can still use its annual overseas events as added and extended value for TV partners, core fans and brand partners. However for any to get near where the NBA is on a global basis would be a stretch. Yes, boundaries have narrowed, technology has given us the ability to communicate more effectively and there is a push to find brands looking to activate on a global level instead of just on a regional or continental one.
However to just assume a visionary global position in this economy now has bigger challenges than ever before, and with the issues with sponsor and the disposable income of the fan in the home market now in flux, the risk might now outweigh the reward, giving the NBA the chance to work of a position of strength and expand their lead globally like never before.
Some other good reads…another great positioning piece for the NBA was in Tuesday's New York Times…documenting the number of players going back to college and the experiences they have had… the LA Times had a good piece on boxer Manny Pacquiao's efforts to help typhoon victims…and Yahoo's Kevin Rogers has a look at the Mountain West Conference's efforts to build off their recent success on field.
