Blog|Marketing sportif

Le Master Series de Monte-Carlo et la Fed Cup. Deux événements majeurs du tennis mondial qui se sont achevés ce week-end et dont la banque BNP Paribas est devenue sponsor il y a moins d’un an. Ces investissements en sponsoring complètent la large panoplie d’événements sportifs que compte le groupe bancaire dans le tennis : les grands tournois professionnels – ATP et WTA, Master Series, Roland Garros, Coupe Davis – et les compétitions internationales chez les juniors. Contrairement à la plupart des multinationales qui investissent dans différents sports afin de toucher différents publics, BNP Paribas fait le choix d’une stratégie exclusive dans le tennis qui d’ailleurs ne se limite pas aux seuls partenariats événementiels. La banque est en effet présente localement à travers la FFT, les clubs, le tennis universitaire. De plus, elle développe le volet social de son action dans le tennis en soutenant des projets tels que « Fête le mur », l’association de Yannick Noah, et le handisport.

Le tennis, élément-clé de la communication

L’engagement de la marque dont la durée (plus de 30 ans) et la puissance (« tous les tennis ») sont inédites dans le secteur du sponsoring, fait qu’aujourd’hui BNP Paribas ne se conçoit pas sans le tennis et que le tennis ne se conçoit pas sans BNP Paribas. Ainsi, en 2000, c’est à Roland Garros que le groupe présentait au monde entier son nouveau logo. Du côté des fédérations et des organisateurs de tournoi, la légitimité et l’impact financier d’un partenaire tel que BNP Paribas constituent un véritable atout.
Pourtant, le tennis pourrait à terme pâtir de l’omniprésence de la banque et d’un manque de renouvellement de ses partenaires majeurs. Mais force est de constater qu’aucun partenaire se semble prêt financièrement et humainement à investir massivement dans le tennis. Pendant ce temps-là, BNP Paribas entend bien démontrer que le tennis est sa « chasse gardée » comme en témoignent ses récentes « acquisitions ».

Le Blog du sponsoring sportif

It was her third straight win before being overwhelmed by Pennetta at Gold Coast. In Sydney, it is now her second straight loss to top-10 player Justine Henin-Hardenne.
Martina Hingis’ comeback after a three-year layoff due to numerous injuries inspires mixed feelings about her capacity to strike back. “I chose to come to know where I’m at” Hingis said. “I know what I’m aiming for now. … It’s good to know how I played, how the match went.”

For the former world number and five-time Grand Slam singles winner, managing her comeback is not an easy task all the more as women’s tennis has physically improved. Unfortunately for Hingis, power is not her best quality. However, the game and the mental force are in her favor. And according to former tennis champion Pam Shriver, “passion to play brings Hingis out of retirement” (Special to ESPN.com).

In a fast-paced and hostile environment — war within the sporting goods industry and fierce competition with outdoor and fashion companies –, Hingis’ return may certainly be a good thing for German apparel maker Adidas (remember also Zidane a few months ago…). She will join back the tennis team: Justine Henin-Ardenne, Alicia Molik, André Agassi, Marat Safin, Guillermo Coria… Today, the trend is mostly to do the right choice and no longer making huge athlete sponsorship deals. Diversification of risk, that is the word. But sometimes athletes come back to the field on their own whereas sponsors did not ask for anything. Who said “impossible is nothing”?

The Sports Marketing Blog / Le blog du marketing sportif

More info: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Hingis - Fan Community / Credits: Gold Coast tournament

One year ago, in January 2005, Sony Ericsson became the worldwide title sponsor of the WTA Tour with a landmark US$88 million, six-year global sponsorship deal. With this partnership offering significant on-court presence for its global branding throughout the season, Sony Ericsson has expected to attract large crowds and TV viewing audiences. “This past year has been an historic year for our sport on and off the court, with incredible rivalries and stars driving new fans to women’s tennis. (…) Our efforts to promote women’s tennis and attract new fans are clearly paying off, and our Web site plays an important role in these endeavors” said Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO, Larry Scott.

The partnership includes “opportunities that bring mobile technology, connectivity and content into play on a level never before seen in professional sports.” “Such developments will significantly enhance the entertainment value of women’s tennis for fans and realise new revenue-earning potential for broadcasters, sponsors and organisers” says Dee Dutta, Head of Marketing for Sony Ericsson.

Launching “Tennis on your mobile” meets the people’s demand for mobile applications such as following all the top matches with the latest scores. Other services are also available: statistics of the match, players profile, tournament’s schedule, wallpapers… This whole application works with a WAP interface. Let’s guess all this may be improved with EDGE or 3G mobile networks by offering other services such as pictures, live videos, etc.

Sony Ericsson live scoring technology may also be implemented for WTA tournaments. The scores could be transmitted directly from the umpire chair to the tournament’s Internet website. In short, the same channel will be used for mobile and Internet applications. Welcome to the new world of media convergence.

Sports Marketing Blog / Le blog du marketing sportif

More info : Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Tennis on your mobile

L’équimentier français emblématique a été repris (70% du capital) par un fonds d’investissement suisse, Airesis. Ce fonds, spécialisé dans le rachat de sociétés où il existe un décalage entre la notoriété et le CA, et qui possède notamment Boards & More (marques Mistral, F2 et Fanatic) trouve là une occasion d’enrichir son portefeuille de marques de sport.

Fondé officiellement par Emile Camuset en 1948, le Coq Sportif s’est vu racheter à de nombreuses reprises ces 30 dernières années. En 1974, l’ancien partenaire Adidas se voit confier le contrôle de l’entreprise, qu’il revendra quelques 20 ans plus tard à la Brown Shoes Company. Gallo France, un groupe d’entrepreneurs alsaciens, rachètera finalement l’entreprise en 1998.

C’est la politique de sponsoring - ambitieuse et récompensée - du Coq Sportif qui a forgé son prestige, toujours intact : équipe de France d’athlétisme (JO de Rome et Budapest) et de football, ainsi que les cyclistes du Tour de France dans les années 60. Dans les années 80, le Coq fait le pari gagnant de Noah qui remporte Roland Garros et des Verts de Saint-Etienne qui gagnent leur 10è Championnat.

Aujourd’hui, la marque est certes toujours présente dans le sport (football, tennis, running) mais c’est la gamme “vintage” ou “rétro” avec les collections d’Agnès B. ou Jean-Charles de Castelbajac qui représente le plus beau potentiel de croissance. Les produits ” mode” vendus beaucoup plus chers que les produits “techniques” bénéficient d’une marge importante (souvent 30% du prix). A l’instar de Puma, le Coq base sa communication sur quelques “coups” médiatiques décalés, tel la tenniswoman belge Justine Hénin-Ardenne, l’équipe de football du Sénégal et de Nantes.

Après Rossignol passé dans le giron de l’américain Quiksilver et Salomon dans le giron d’Adidas puis d’Amer Sport (marques Wilson, Atomic, Oxygen…), c’est une autre marque française de sport qui passe sous pavillon étranger. Le prestige et la notoriété de ces marques ont-elles été suffisamment exploitées ? En tout cas, il semble que c’est bien le potentiel publicitaire qui attire les groupes vers ces marques. Associer des produits attractifs à une plus grande force de frappe médiatique devrait avoir plus d’impact. Mais, face aux géants du secteur Nike et Adidas-Reebok, une communication “décalée”, certes plus intense, devrait être plus productive qu’une communication “ordinaire”.

J.H.
Le Blog du sponsoring sportif

En savoir plus : Airesis, Le Coq Sportif

Sources : AFP, LCS, Airesis
Crédit photo : LCS

A l’occasion de la finale de la Fed Cup qui s’est déroulée les 17 et 18 septembre derniers à Roland Garros, j’ai apprécié à leur juste valeur les bâches bleues déployées sur le Stade Philippe Chatrier.
Si les couleurs originales des Internationaux de France, notamment le logo, sont bien l’orange et le vert foncé, il me semble que l’écriture blanche sur fond bleu est plus lisible, plus efficace et également (là, c’est plus subjectif) jolie que le “noir sur vert”.
BNP Paribas, partenaire majeur du tennis, a déjà expérimenté cette couleur sur des tournois en terre battue, tels les Masters Series de Monte Carlo ou encore les Internationaux de Strasbourg. Il en ressort une satisfaction certaine, tant des sponsors et du public que des chaînes de télévision. Alors, pourquoi ne pas changer me direz-vous ? Les organisateurs de Roland Garros souhaitent sans doute conserver les couleurs traditionnelles du tournoi ou se différencier de la concurrence (US Open notamment).
Afin de vous faire une idée sur la question, je publie avec ce post deux photos des bâches de fond de court de l’ex-Central de Roland Garros.
A vous de juger !

Crédits photo : FFT/CS, Corinne Dubreuil/Fed Cup

The world’s four largest tennis tournaments – the Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open – have been attracting players, sponsors, viewers and media for years. The mix of history, prestige and emotion linked to a professional event management, an outstanding media coverage as well as tremendous business opportunities may explain this current situation.

The US Open Lead

Contrary to some major Masters Series tournaments, the Grand Slams are still an attractive platform for generating interest. That said, some of them succeed better than others. Take the case of the US Open. They have been implementing strategic actions. In order to improve visibility and unify Series Events and US Open, courts are now blue surrounded by green. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the US Open do not forget to attract players. Indeed, US Open Series winners play for double prize money at the US Open. The idea is interesting but not really fair. Why not double prize money for those who win back-to-back?

Last year the “Court of Champions” which is a ceremony honoring the greatest champions was launched with Steffi Graf and John Mc Enroe. Ivan Lendl and Maureen Connolly were inducted into the 2005 Court of Champions right before the Men’s Final. With Arthur Ashe world’s biggest tennis stadium – with a capacity of 25,000 – the tournament reached a 2004 final attendance of 631,870 which is the highest of the four Slams. As a comparison, attendance reached a record 543,873 at the 2005 Australian Open (100 years anniversary). Wimbledon and Roland Garros are lagging behind in attendance with respectively 451,208 (2004 rainy year)) and 424,876 (highest ever recorded). The question is how the US Open with three stadiums and a capacity of 39,000 does more than the Aussie Open which owns about the same capacity – 37,000 seats spread out in five arenas? The successful combination of day and night sessions is probably part of the answer. The USTA also has implemented a countrywide promotional campaign for tennis fans. This contributes to a real American show with a festive atmosphere in the stadium.

Facing the Tennis Future and Media Evolutions

In some aspects, the Australian Open has shown anticipation abilities. Thanks to its two stadiums with retractable roof it is today the only Grand Slam where the show is guaranteed whatever the weather. This is an undeniable advantage when you think a rain delay or rainy day makes you lose significant ticketing revenues. Wimbledon knows about it as well as Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows in certain extent. That is why all these three tournaments have been working on retractable roof projects.

In order to develop attendance and TV revenues the Grand Slam Committee, which gathers the four Tournament Directors, recently found an agreement on the Sunday Start. The official start will be on Sunday instead of Monday. This would have two deep impacts: First, draw a larger TV audience and, secondly earn one more day in terms of viewership and ticketing revenues.

Marketing and Communication Strategies

With a prize money ranging from $16m to $19m the Slams distribute about the same to the players whatever the tournament, $1m for the men’s and women’s winner. Regarding the sponsorships its number has been downsized in order to improve visibility. For instance the French Open limited the number of brands to 10 as follows: the major sponsor BNP Paribas and 9 official sponsors including IBM, Afflelou, Peugeot, Perrier. Same thing at the Aussie Open where only the biggest sponsors are highlighted such Kia Motors, major sponsor, Garnier, associate sponsor, and five other official sponsors.

Contrary to the three other tournaments Wimbledon’s marketing strategy is quite original. While it does not allow sponsorships around the court (e.g. back-court tarps) only 14 official suppliers share the event sponsorship. Anyway, the Grand Slams are usually ranked most valuable sports sponsorship opportunities but the number of sponsors needs to be restricted in order to maintain sponsorship efficiency as well as keeping the event’s prestige.

In terms of Public Relations the US Open’s Arthur Ashe king-size stadium seems to be especially dedicated to hospitality. Courtside boxes, loge boxes and luxury suite represent an important part of the 23,000 spectators. In comparison Roland Garros may have fewer hospitality clients but meet very high standards of quality.

Regarding the Internet strategy, IBM is managing the four Grand Slam’s websites. Information and interactivity are the two keywords. The website deals with news, articles, photos, videos, live scoring, Point Tracker, etc. and allows the management to keep in touch with tennis fans and vice versa.

Roland Garros’s Huge Growth Potential

Wimbledon’s merchandising and licensing has been showing by far the most impressive results of the quartet: 24 licensees in 7 countries, Wimbledon’s licensed products are composed of two lines: one is dedicated to tennis and casual wear, the other to luxury products (towels, sunglasses, etc.). The distribution channel not only includes on-site shops, Harrod’s, duty free outlets but also Wimbledon shops in 42 countries. Whereas the Lawn Tennis Club’s total merchandising revenues amounted £45m (2002) Roland Garros’ reached €9m. This is a huge difference. But with shops only in France and Belgium the French Open brand has really not started its internationalization yet. Licenses and shops will probably open in Spain, Germany, Russia, Japan and the USA. The brand can count on the country-of-origin image – as France is well-known for its luxury products – to develop its awareness.

Since countries such as Germany or Italy are less interested in the French Open, it faces one big challenge, the decrease of TV rights. In order to offset that decrease new revenues sources are recommended. Roland Garros has the smallest seating capacity and the worst attendance of the four Grand Slams. This year was the best though. Why so? The Roland Garros Stadium is actually saturated. Then an extension project – including a retractable roof for Court Philippe Chatrier – is a prerequisite to open up new horizons for the tournament. This project should foster a 30 per cent increase in attendance from roughly 400,000 to 600,000 spectators.

In this article we often stressed the success of the US Open. But, in a sense, all is not a bed of roses. According to the USTA Strategic Plan 2004-06 the US Open “may be approaching the upper limits of its revenues potential”. On the other hand, the French Open has got a huge development potential in the marketing and merchandising area. Let’s go back to work!

J.H.

Sources : australianopen.org, rolandgarros.com, wimbledon.org, usopen.org, latribune.fr, les echos.fr, bandt.com, usta.com
Credit: usopen.org

C’est le 27 mai 2005 que j’ai soutenu publiquement mon mémoire de fin d’études intitulé “Marketing relationnel et événementiel sportif : le cas des Internationaux de Strasbourg”

Abstract :

Ce mémoire propose le thème du marketing relationnel comme cadre conceptuel du marketing de l’événementiel sportif. A travers les notions de fidélisation et de réseau, il s’agira de montrer comment le marketing relationnel peut permettre le succès durable d’un événement. Un cas pratique est proposé avec l’étude des Internationaux de Strasbourg, deuxième tournoi français de tennis féminin.

Directrice de mémoire : Sylvie Hertrich, enseignante en marketing et responsable du DU Management d’Evénements à l’IECS Strasbourg

Deuxième correcteur : Pierre Staller, Directeur du Tournoi, Internationaux de Strasbourg

Télécharger le mémoire