International Football For Aussie Rules: Marketability And Exportability Via Internet

Discussion

Discuss about the International Football for Aussie Rules.

Australian Rules Football, also otherwise popularly known as the Aussie Rules or AFL, is a very popular physical contact sport played in Australia. Although the sport activity has achieved enormous fame and recognition in Australia, it is yet unknown to a major part of the world. Further, the sport activity is not being able to receive more than lukewarm response from the other parts of the world. While the sport has succeeded in occupying a significant position in the field of sport, as far as countries such as Britain or New Zealand is considered, the AFL is still unknown to countries excelling in football sports, such as Argentina and Brazil. Hence, it is necessary, and it can prove to be beneficial as well, to introduce and market the sport in a foreign country, so that its sportsmen can actively engage in a new sport activity (Getz et al., 2015).

The existence of a sport activity named AFL is absolutely unknown to a majority of people, and hence before introducing the sport activity to the other parts of the world, it is necessary to exploit the internet marketing opportunities fully. The social media platforms form an effective communication tool, and hence before introducing a sport event, updating the viewers about the history and rules of the sport, can help in arousing interest among the potential consumers (Taks et al., 2014). The AFL is a new sport activity for most of the sport lovers, and hence it will be easily attracting the fans, by employing effective interaction with the fans. It is needless stating that on-line membership drives, and guest book registration can easily help in creating an online fan database. Further, while expanding the sport in a foreign country, it is quite expected that the foreign residents will have the least knowledge about the rules or the players involved (Kristiansen et al., 2015). However, with the social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, it is easier to inform and keep the football lovers updated about the newly introduced activity. Publishing online fan newsletters, initiating contests for the sport followers, or giving out free merchandise such as sports apparel or jerseys, can create a true craze for the upcoming sport event in Brazil.  Further, even apart from the social media platforms, creating sport apps and fun games related to the AFL can also create such interest and enthusiasm among the sport followers (Barnes & Ballou, 2014).

Selected Country and Justification for Selection of the Same

It is important to note that Brazil holds maximum number of football tournaments, and in fact the country has recorded the greatest number of victories as far as the sport activity is concerned. Hence, the country that should be selected for hosting AFL is Brazil. It is needless to state that the country has always been known for offering exciting spectacle as far as the football tournaments are concerned (Preuss, 2015). The government of Brazil is already investing billions of dollars for upgrading the infrastructure of the country, and hence as a result larger number of football stadiums are expected to be renewed, which can easily add the elements of glitz and glamour, to the AFL sport event, once it is introduced in Brazil . The Brazilian government, currently is planning to boost its sport tourism sector, and consequently is inviting various foreign investors for investing and staging new and grand sport events.   Hence, the marketing potentiality of promoting a new sport event in Brazil is remarkably high. As far as its BRIC competitors of Brazil is concerned, Brazil is relatively more westernized that any of the other countries, and hence this is the reason why there has been an unprecedented growth in the revenue derived from the Brazilian football tournaments (Gursoy et al., 2015).

It is to be noted that nowadays a large number of sport event tournaments are being hosted by Brazil, and thus as a result of the increasing number of advertising and marketing agencies that has set up joint venture in Brazil, the level of professional expertise of the workers working in the sport agencies has remarkably increased as well. It is also required to be noted that the sponsorship and the commercial culture of the sport industry of Brazil has remarkably increased over the years. The country has been hosting a variety of important sport events, such as the FIFA World Cup or the Olympic Summer Games that has been largely helpful in improving the marketing expertise of the country. Further, it should be noted that Brazil has a huge number of skillful and highly professional football players, who are usually underpaid in Brazil. Hence, paying an enormous amount of money to the Brazilian football players for participating in the AFL event can be a highly beneficial idea. The AFL is a recent, emerging sport event that is yet to be introduced to the world, and hence hiring the Brazilian footballers while hosting the event at Brazil will be beneficial in creating greater thrill and craze among the sport fans and followers (Mielli & Mantovani, 2014).

Competitive Strategies to be Adopted for Introducing AFL in Brazil

There is no gain stating the fact that AFL is an emerging sport event that a very few people are aware of, and thus it is highly important to ensure that the most effective competitive strategy is being adopted for promoting the same ,in Brazil. In the field of sports, effective promotion and interesting advertisements have emerged to be the fundamental tools for generating revenue. First of all, a new promotional campaign has to be started, whereby at least three to four commercials must be broadcasted on television, and social media tools, such as Instagram and YouTube, explaining in an entertaining way the football event, and the sportspersons associated with it (Supovitz, 2013). It is also important to introduce the game and the rules of the game in an engaging way, and setting up the team’s website or creating a page on Facebook, can at least acquaint the people all over the world, about the existence of a sport event that can be as amusing as any other sport activity. Posting the videos of the game being played, or of the players practicing the same can create an immediate inquisitiveness among the public about the game . Arranging sport related contests and online quiz games can also help in engaging the football followers. The winners of the contests, exhibiting maximum knowledge about the football sport, can be rewarded with sports apparel, or free sport event tickets, that can help in engaging the players. As far as the promotional strategy is concerned, involving and engaging local media can be very useful. The journalists and the editors of various Brazilian newspapers and popular magazines, are looking out for new stories, and hence building rapport with the Brazilian journalists (Mullin et al., 2014).

The penetration price should usually be low, and since the AFL is a recently introduced sport event, the price charged should not be very high. In order to grab the attention of large number of consumers, it is discreet to offer tickets at low cost to the sport followers. Once sufficient enthusiasm is created among the masses, it would be easier to move from the penetration pricing approach to the premium pricing approach (Desbordes, 2012) . Once the sport event gains sufficient recognition and publicity in Brazil, and worldwide, the price can be increased, considering the competitive advantage the sport event would be going to enjoy. The promotional expenditure of the sport event is going to be high, depending on the kind of promotional campaign chosen. For example, for social media advertising, the expenditure will be relatively low. However, for the newspaper advertisements or for launching PR events, a huge amount o expenditure will be incurred (Abeza et al., 2013).

The place of promotion is also a matter of great significance. As it is already being discussed, Brazil has been chosen for hosting the AFL, simply because of the fact that the nation is being able to draw a huge number of visitors, being itself popular among the masses, as a result of its popularity for hosting famous sport events. There is innumerable football stadiums located in Brazil, and hence selecting the right one is highly important. Stadiums such as Marcana stadiums are very popular, and yet these stadiums are also very cost-intensive. Hence, introducing a new game, in a highly expensive stadium would be an indiscreet idea. Thus, hosting the sport event in SC Internacional, would be profitable. Though the stadium is a popular one, it is not very expensive, and hence arranging various sport events in the stadium would be profitable. Further, the surrounding area of the stadium would be decorated with placards and banners announcing the important dates of the event. Further, the sport event would also be promoted by arranging various promotional events in the sport clubs of Brazil, that would be offering opportunities to the youths for participating in the games hosted for the purpose of entertainment. This would be helpful in increasing the awareness among the public about the event. Street marketing of sports, whereby placards and billboards on the streets would be hung around different showrooms, would also be adopted (Pedersen & Thibault, 2014).

Conclusion:

The effective promotion of sport events in Brazil is important, as it will play a vital role in making or marring the future of the sport event. As a new sport activity, AFL has a great potentiality in Brazil, and hence the proper marketing of the team and suitable sponsorship of sport teams and events is important.

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