Contemporary Marketing Communications Framework for Football Clubs

Abstract

Sports marketing communications (MCs) theories have stemmed from orthodox marketing concepts; and though they have naturally adapted to the differentiators of their very nature, they increasingly portray elements of stagnation. The sport core product is still being regarded as essentially on-location or media entertainment, limiting researchers and practitioners to a correspondingly pre-defined MCs approach that fails to incorporate the true spectrum of sport value offerings. This paper provides an innovative perspective on sport MCs, through an extensive review of classical theories and their infusion with contemporary consumer-focused MC research. The findings indicate a need for a more holistic and value-based approach to MCs, with an expanded range of both elements and processes.