More Than Just a Football Team

    As Americans, one of our favorite pass times is to watch sports.  Nothing is more symbolic of that pass time than watching the big game on Sunday.  Its football season right now so the game has been on my mind a lot over the course of the last couple of months.  In my mind, no team is more of a symbol of the sport than the Dallas Cowboys.  When researching, I came across this article on Adweek about the Dallas Cowboys, and how the brand has come to outgrow just playing the sport of football.  

        The article referenced above points to the fact that in recent history, the Dallas Cowboys have not had great success when it comes to actually playing football.  However, even with that being the case, they are still considered the most valuable football franchise, with a valuation of 6.5-7 billion dollars.  This article attributes their level of success on their ability to build a brand.  Their owner, Jerry Jones, isn't afraid to take risks when it comes to branding and partnerships.  He understands better than most in the industry, that you can't stay stagnant when it comes to branding yourself.  While the NFL has had partnership deals with companies like Coca-Cola and Visa, the Dallas Cowboys have gone their own way and partnered with potential rival companies like Pepsi and American Express.  They have also expanded into other markets, such as creating a golf club, as well as owning an apparel brand called 289c apparel, who makes gear for some college football teams in Texas.  The last three sections of the article talk about the fact that the Cowboys are able to attract fans who aren't necessarily life-long fans already.  They focus on providing amenities and an experience that can attract people who aren't interested.  This would include putting themselves on social media more than others, or providing luxury services that would attract potential customers in the area.  

    The Dallas Cowboys offer value to the consumer in the form of a lifestyle.  They want people to come to their games and have an unforgettable experience.  Additionally, they extend beyond the football field and provide other brands that can be looked at as a status symbol.   The article I have referenced is relevant in marketing, because teams are realizing that more success can be achieved if you branch out from just playing football.  Especially in an age when advertisements are spreading well beyond television, it is important for brands that rely on that for revenue to get ahead of the game in securing their future.  The Dallas Cowboys have put themselves in a forward position in paving the way to stay profitable as technology changes, and teams need to seek different ways to earn revenue.   

    The challenge that the Dallas Cowboys face is the same as every other NFL team.  How does a team recruit new fans?  Additionally, how does a team stay profitable in the long term, in an ever changing world?  They do face some challenges.  Those come in the form of the NFL trying to limit what brands they can partner with, since they partner with direct competition.  However, for the most part the Dallas Cowboys are able to mitigate the trouble with the NFL.  They have the advantage that they are an extremely popular team, so they gain some advantage on competition through their notoriety.  What is really apparent with the Dallas Cowboys, is they are determined to reach as many people as possible.  Even when they haven't had the most success on the football field, they still are among the top 3 highest reached of any team on social media. They are unique for their way of utilizing social media, as well as the fact that they present themselves as an iconic brand, which further draws in prospective fans.  

    I do think that the marketing strategy for the Cowboys is far superior to any team in the NFL right now.  They put themselves out into the media space more than anyone else.  Additionally they are focused on expansion and recruiting new customers.  However, they are not without their own failings.  On their website, it can be extremely hard to navigate, and find content other than what is going on with their football team.  If I was to be presenting their website, I would put brand partnerships that draw attention at the forefront of the site.  Additionally, if they offer a lot of high quality amenities when going to the games, those should be presented clearly as well.  Some customers, such as myself before reading the reference article, might not have any idea on what they offer.   I believe that there is room to promote your brand as well as display information about your players. 

    My overall impression of this article, is that it is important to branch out, potentially beyond your industry if you wish to stay ahead of your competitors.  Additionally, the most successful franchises will need to take risks to secure the largest payouts.  This assignment has been enlightening on the focus that organizations have on branding.  It really seems as though the more they focus the more successful they will be.