Consumer Perceptions of UK Football Clubs in China on Marketing Strategies

Introduction

Sports represents leisure or relaxation doings for most individuals across the globe. However, due to its dominance in the contemporary society, it has been recognized that sport is also a commercialized operation. Football is one of the most popular game in the world. Footballs have their origin in the mid-19th century where most of the UK clubs have been in existence for more than a hundred years. Since football is an international, activity the popularity of the sport in the global market beyond the Europe region is accounted for the club’s investment in marketing. In this context, different marketing approaches such as television and social media are relied upon as the leading tool that effectively creates awareness and familiarity of the conducts and existence of the teams. As the world’s population is growing, so does the need to penetrate in the emerging market, to not only expand the club’s presence and also reach more consumers. In other words, it is worth noting that the supporters of the different clubs are considered to be the consumers and thus their perception matters. Most of the participating clubs have mainly invested in marketing to attract an extensive consumer range. Also, these clubs utilize different branding strategies which are primarily responsible for creating positive images and perception in the market.

The current Asian football markets such are China characterized by the continuing globalization which is responsible for increasing the engagement of the media, and the expansion of the industry in general (Leng & Hsu, 2015 p.14). It is without a doubt that the UK has acquired the most significant football market share in the world and it owes its success to the use of digital marketing approaches.  The aspiration by the global companies to triumph in the emerging markets shows the need for the clubs to acquire a substantial share in the market. To Begin with, Asia comprises a third of the world population with the leading country being China (Liu et al., 2017 p.3). The clubs are focused on gaining popularity in such countries to boost their market. However, it is worth noting that China has a slightly different culture when equated to the European one and the most effective marketing approaches that preserve the values of the audience is essential. China is one, of the rapidly growing economy globally and the expertise football clubs such as EPL and UEFA are fully informed of the norm (Roll, 2006 p.6). This report seeks to establish the strategies that are implemented by the EPL football clubs in the international market to create awareness and attract a new set of consumers.

Research Question

            What are the effects of marketing strategies on the English Football Premier League’s reputation and popularity in China?

Aims

            The main aim of the research is to determine the most suitable and effective marketing strategies for UK Football clubs in the international market particularly in China.

Objectives

In order for the study’s aim to be addressed, this research has the following objectives:

1. To determine the popularity and reputation of the English Premier League in China.
2. To establish the top EPL teams regarding popularity in China.
3. The presence and dominance of social media as the football’s marketing strategies in China
4. The perception of the EPL clubs among the football fans
5. To determine how the use of social media helps in increasing football popularity in China

Theoretical Context

Brand identity is the primary determinant of the consumer’s perception towards a given brand. The norm is not different when it comes to football because the spectators being the consumers tend to value the clubs based on their performance and branding (Bodet and Chanavat, 2010 p.9). In other words, with a definite brand image, the ability to attract more consumers is natural since the audience does not necessitate much of convincing. In the international market particularly in Asian countries branding of the football clubs is essential as it does not only seek to attract new fans but also to arouse interest within the markets that have not been explored (Olson et al., 2016 p.56). Consumer perception refers to a marketing model that incorporates the impression, awareness, and conscious of the organizational offerings by the respective consumers. According to, McCarthy et al., (2014) Consumer perception is usually altered by certain aspects such as evaluations, promotion, personal tastes, social media, and public relations and so on.

To succeed in the highly competitive market where the EPL is mainly dominated by well-established clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal among others brand awareness is necessary in offering the professional teams a competitive edge (Yu et al., 2017). The objective of brand awareness lies on expanding the presence of the company and heightening its sales. In the football context, the approach mainly seeks to attract a new set of consumers by changing their perception and convincing them to believe in the brand that the club has created. Branding is highly used in sports and particularly football which is responsible for the kind of loyalty. In most cases, the fans will demonstrate the highest level of loyalty to their respective clubs which most of the brands might not acquire in the short run (Chadwick and Hamil, 2010 p21). Despite the fact that footballs fans tend to perceive their preference clubs as a unique brand that is exclusive from the commercialized norm, in the rather competitive surrounding today, the consumers have developed a pragmatic perception towards the need to brands the clubs and the significance to the success of the respective clubs in the future.

The increasing trends of the leading clubs being bought by wealthy stakeholder’s best demonstrates the importance of the dominance of these clubs in the global market. Due to the performance of the EPL clubs the ability to venture into the international markets has become an obvious particularly in the Asian countries (Ratten and Ratten, 2011 p.615). Indeed, Manchester United has been the leader in this trend. The club has launched a number of strategic marketing activities that incorporates the development of club retailing stores on the international market that seek to sell its own branded football items such as t-shirts. Through this the club has created the opportunities for building more strategic relationships with the fans which is a form of marketing that is strengthening the brand. In addition, the club currently, boasts of the superior level of brand awareness within Asia. However, due to the high rates of profits that are to be sourced from the markets most of the competing clubs have begun to implement marketing models in the region that permits them to compete fully against the well-established clubs. The existence of such stiff competition creates the opportunities for the clubs to redesign their marketing approaches in order to create differentiation (Giulianotti and Robertson, 2004 p.546). Field performance is one of the needed approach but informing the consumers of the company’s moves would work better. The perception held by the consumers regarding the football clubs tend to increase their interest and trigger their willingness to offer unending support to the chosen teams. The football consumers are not only attracted by the performance of the team but the manner in which the clubs presents themselves in the market.

Football clubs mainly rely on media advertising and social media marketing. Having an established existence within the online and social media platform is essential. The EPL clubs are not just competing to acquire a substantial market share in China, but they are also seeking to create a positive image on the internet setting to increase the followers (Mullin, Hardy and Sutton, 2014 p.6). One of the primary challenges that the clubs have been facing in trying to create brand awareness in the country is language Barrier and censorship constraints. In that, the fans are unable to follow their preferred teams on the social media platforms since they cannot understand the posts. However, the organizations have realized the hurdles that the challenges have created and had, in turn, opted to transform their ventures. Some of the leading clubs in online marketing include Manchester United and Arsenal representing the EPL (Da Silva and Las Casas, 2017 p.37). Manchester is more committed to the commercialization in China when equated to the competing clubs. It is without a doubt that EPL has a reliable connection in China and has even asserted on enhancing the professional sports in the state by creating a formalized partnership with China’s sports league. Through the relationship, the league will be providing the EPL members with increased opportunities in relations to marketing and advertisement throughout the country through operations (Kerr and Gladden, 2008 p.61). The clubs mainly utilizes Weibo accounts which have been useful in overcoming the language barrier challenge.

Concerning media marketing, it has been proven by research that most clubs prefer to utilize the services on rare cases because despite being expensive, they are not able to reach a broader populace (Mullin, Hardy and Sutton, 2014 p.8). The most effective marketing strategies are the use of social media which is convenient, flexible, cost-effective and capable to inform the audience consists of the operations and football-related activities. Through this approach, the clubs can seek to create a positive reputation and desirable brand that meets the needs of the consumers in the market. It is because branding is the most important aspect of brand equity which seeks to increase awareness while building a favorite image (Kenyon and Bodet, 2017 p.372). In other words, for loyalty to be gained in the market the consumers’ needs to be convinced adequately not only regarding the positioning of the clubs but also their commitment to satisfying their entertainment needs.

Methodology

Introduction

This chapter offers a descriptive analysis of the study’s methodology. The chapter highlights the study philosophy, research methods, data collection and analysis, ethical issues and limitations.

Research Philosophy

According to, Vogt et al., (2012) research philosophy is the development of information through investigative procedures.  Integrating a research philosophy in any research is vital. This is because the research strategy that is acquired by the examination comprises of the study’s expectations and norms. It is from such outlines that the most suitable approach is established as well as the strategies that the researcher chooses. The effectiveness of research is mainly determined by the followed philosophy which is similar to a plan for conducting thorough research.

The research will mainly be carried within the interpretivism paradigm. The approach was selected because it outlines the ability to generate meaning from the acquired findings. This implies that the study will follow qualitative research. Based on Tavakoli (2013) the interpretivism approach knowledge is reliant on interpretation, and the truth is multilayered which is driven by the manner in which individuals view different occurrences. For this approach, the subjective consumer’s insights and understandings will be the primary considerations which are directly linked to qualitative research. From the ontological view of the paradigm, the study will seek to establish the manner in which different individuals perceive different brands which leads to their perception of the football clubs. Consequently, the truth will be generated comparatively from the subjective views of the participants and previous literature. However, it is worth noting that this approach has its limitation. The researcher might develop biased conclusions due to the influence acquired from the subjective views which leads to the creating of generalized findings.

Data Collection

The qualitative method will be used to determine the perception of the consumers concerning EPL football clubs. Surveys and marketing analysis will be relied on. In that marketing, the investigation will be conducted on the club’s websites and social media platforms to assess the number of followers, activities, revenue and so on (Lim, 2013 p.2) On the other hand the consumer surveys will aim to establish the level of awareness among the consumers. The study was selected based on its convenience, flexibility, the speed of collecting information and ease of use. The use of qualitative data will best fulfill the needs of the study. The qualitative method is usually suitable for the small samples, but the results cannot be measured or enumerated (Antonisamy, Solomon & Prasanna 2010 p.4). The main advantage of the approach is that it leads to the carrying out of a quantitative study which offers a comprehensive description of the subject under investigation without restricting the focus of the research. However, the efficiency of this approach is mainly dependent on the capabilities and skills of the investigator even though the results can be accounted as relevant and accurate if the researcher does not incorporate their personal bias.

Data Analysis

After gathering qualitative information coding will be necessary. This refers to the process of establishing the common themes. After analysis will be performed following a thematic analysis model. The approach is appropriate for analyzing data acquired using the qualitative method given that the information will be contextually based. The data will be grouped into conceptual and thematic sets which will help in summary and description of the findings.

Ethical Considerations

Ethics is the moral standards that shape the conduct of an individual. In carrying out, a good research standard is vital to guard the rights of the participants. Since the study will involve conducting surveys, the participants will be informed that the activity is voluntary and that they can decide to withdraw their responses at any given stage. Also, permission will be acquired before beginning the process by ensuring that a consent form is signed. The received information will not be used for any other purpose except for the academic reasons. Confidentiality will be adhered to by ensuring that no personal details will be collected.

Structure

Project structuring is essential in the management of large projects. The project will be carried out in divided sections to the end. Thus, the structure of the final report will be as indicated below:

• Table of Content
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Research Background
• Dissertation Structure
• Review of Literature
• Research Methodology
• Description of Findings and Analysis
• Discussions
• Recommendations and Conclusions
• References
• Appendices

Conclusion

Football is one of the famous sports across the globe. Due to the commercialization of the games, the involved clubs are finding it necessary to market their brands within the international scope especially in the market that are not fully exploited such as Asia. It is evident that the utilization of digital or social media marketing is effective in attracting more consumers and creating a positive perception in China.

 

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