Manchester United Marketing the brand

Case studies

353????Case study 5

Manchester United:Marketing the brand

Soccer today is big business worldwide and nowhere is this fact more clearly illustrated than in the case of Manchester United Football Club.Today this team is a world-famous brand and marketers are constantly seeking ways of raising the profile of the brand ever further and using it to increase income for the company that owns the football team. In this case study we will explore some of the ways in which Manchester United is marketed, as a brand.It is important to recognise that Manchester United is a public limited company, or plc, which was first launched on the London Stock Exchange in 1991. It is, therefore, answerable to its share-holders and has to be successful financially.Currently, Manchester United is perhaps the

most successful team in any sport in the world,with supporters all over the planet.The organisation has been very successful at exploiting the brand, as can be seen from the following examples taken from the official club website:(i)A major on-site shop or ‘Megastore’ which also sells a huge range of merchandise online.(ii)An ‘Official Membership Scheme’, ‘One United’ which is described in the following terms on the website:Formation You can become a Match Member for ￡22. As a Match Member you will get the chance to apply for match tickets plus loads of exclu-

sive benefits. Alternatively you can become a non-ticket Member for ￡11, and still get some exclusive United benefits.We also offer Junior Match Memberships for ￡14 which are specially tailored accord-ing to age group, either under-10s or 11–16s.Alternatively you can become a non-ticket Junior Member for ￡11 and get the same benefits as the Adult Members.When you sign as a Match Member or Junior Match Member of One United Adults and Juniors both get:●The chance to apply for home game match tickets ●Exclusive Members’ Review magazines ●One United Membership Card for the 2003/2004 Season ●Free admission to home reserve games ●The chance to watch the team train for free at Old Trafford ●Exclusive members-only competitions to watch the team train at Carrington ●Vote for your Player of the Year and win the chance to present the trophy to the winning player ●Automatic entrance into 2 prize draws to be a club mascot.Plus, Adults get:●The chance to win match tickets and travel to Champions League away game ●Members only Yearbook and Premier League Guide ●If you take out car insurance with Manchester United Insurance we’ll take

the price of your club membership off your premium (UK only).And Juniors get:

●An exclusive Superstars book of United Player profiles ●A members-only Man Utd poster ●A United Activity Book (under-10s only)●A Members-only Yearbook (11–16s only).Member

If Match Membership isn’t right for you, we also offer the chance to join as a Member, or,if you are under 16, a Junior Member for ￡11. As a Member or Junior Member you won’t be able to apply for match tickets, but you’ll still get some exclusive benefits,including the following:●One United Membership Card for the 2003/2004 Season ●Exclusive Members’ Review end of season magazine