May 2019 edition of redesigned biannual SPORTO Magazine brings fresh content from around the world. Cover story is this time marked by Dallas Mavericks prodigy Luka Dončić. Please find more about the content of 13th international issue in our announcement below.
How Luka Magic impacts NBA franchise
This time, SPORTO literally went a step further – all the way to Dallas, Texas, where we talked to anyone and everyone connected with Luka Dončić in some way. We spoke to Cynthia Marshall, CEO at the NBA Dallas Mavericks, Ryan Mackey, Sr. Vice President of Corporate Sponsorships, Alison Panasik, Vice President of Merchandise & Brand Identity, Iris Diaz, Director of Marketing, and a cab driver from the streets of Dallas also put in his two cents’ worth.
Luka’s first NBA season is a season of superlatives also in terms of the sales of his merchandise. The numbers are impressive, reveals Alison Panasik, and admits that she has not seen anything like that at any point during her extensive business career, including her time as a member of NFL Dallas Cowboys. She explains that the player related products represent 51 percent of all sold official products, “In those 51 percent, Luka represents 59 percent and around 30 percent of our overall business. That is huge!”
Sponsorship: Electric Ireland, digitalisation, women’s sport
Electric Ireland (EI), energy supplier in Ireland, won five ESA (European Sponsorship Association) Awards for their sponsorship activations, “Game Changers” with the Irish Football Association and “Darkness Into Light” with charity organisation Pieta Home. SPORTO talked to Edel McCarthy, who is responsible for sponsorships and activations at EI and who offered valuable insight into the formation and beginnings of both campaigns.
Digitalisation enabled brands to engage different target groups – from younger generations who are difficult to reach offline to employees who are reluctant to adapt new technologies. Leveraging their sponsorship rights, Gorenje (SymplyFans), Ljubljanske mlekarne (Alpsko mleko and Ilka the Superhero), Petrol (Let’s Compete Together) and Allianz Croatia (beST) managed to achieve their various goals – and win the SPORTO Awards 2018.
According to Sally Horrox (Managing Partner at Y Sport), an expert in professional and commercial development of women’s sport, the development of women’s professional sport has made such a significant move that brands have recognised it and the women’s competition is no longer seen as ‘a tax’ on the men’s game.
McLaren addicted to progress, Eurosport’s transformation
New Zealand race-car driver Bruce McLaren founded the first McLaren team back in 1963 and although since then, the McLaren brand DNA, which was always a synonym for achieving top results, has not changed very much, McLaren has powerfully expanded its operations in its over fifty-year-long history. We talked to John Allert, McLaren Group Chief Marketing Officer, about the brand’s development, the importance of creating branded content and brand extensions to esport and professional cycling.
“As far as sport on TV is concerned, it is very mature, but in comparison with other genres of entertainment, sport has a lot of catching up to do on digital,” said Kenechi Belusevic, Senior Manager Commercial Development, Distribution and Sports, leading Discovery’s business operations in the Adriatic region, Mediterranean and Israel, at the SPORTO Conference in Portorož last November. Six months later, she revealed further information indicating a successful continuation of the transformation strategy of the pan-European broadcaster Eurosport as well as Discovery’s other sports media products.
TikTok, MyCujoo, esports
Have you heard about TikTok, the mobile video app that is wildly popular among teenage users and where sports organisations’ profiles are also growing every day?
If you have not yet heard about it or you only heard it mentioned by younger people, perhaps your teenage children, do not worry. Not many have, not even those with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts who consider themselves ‘digitally up-to-speed’.
MyCujoo is a football-dedicated online streaming platform, launched in 2015, that makes technologically advanced and user-friendly streaming accessible for everyone: from non-mainstream leagues, women’s football, futsal, beach soccer, youth tournaments to amateur football teams. Last year, the platform ‘hosted’ almost 800 competitions from more than 100 countries. SPORTO talked to David Fowler, Director of Marketing at MyCujoo and former FIFA Head of Brand and Head of Strategy & Intelligence. Topics of the interview include experience and vision from the awarded start-up point of view, influence of innovation and technology on the industry and organisations with a built-in fan-first approach.
We delved into the world of esports with Malph Minns, Strive Sponsorship’s Managing Director, to see how esports is making its way into our everyday lives. In a complex ecosystem of competitive gaming, we put a greater emphasis on simulation sports games, considered a potential Olympics involvement and examined the possibility for new sports and smaller sports organisations to enter the esports market.
SPORTO Magazine brings also TV ratings for Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. Traditionally we present social media charts of athletes and clubs across social media platforms in Adriatic region.
Don’t miss column (Sport’s Kodak Moment by Carsten Thode, Aphetor) about the biggest challenges any business can face: the difficulty of moving on from a business model that is working in favour of an emerging business model.
The new SPORTO Magazine with an insight into the sponsorship, performance and trends in the sports industry is available for all SPORTO Conference past participants (this year will be held in Portorož on 21st and 22nd of November), European Sponsorship Association & Europaische Sponsoring Boerse members.
If you would like your own copy, please write to info@sporto.si.
