Previously, we discussed the SWOT analysis of ESPN. Here, in this blog, we will be giving you information about the Marketing Strategy of ESPN, Which is the largest Sports channel.
By reading this blog, you will get to know how effective and successful ESPN’s marketing strategy is. ESPN is the most liked sports channel of all time. And it is not only available in America but you can access it anywhere and everywhere you like.
There are a few related channels such as ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN News, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, and many more. ESPN operates regional channels in Brazil, Latin America, and Africa as well. It has minority stakes in J sports in Japan.
ESPN Received National Hispanic Media Coalition’s “Outstanding Commitment and Outreach to the Latino Community”, 2016.
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After reading this blog you will get an idea about the Marketing Strategy of ESPN. But before we begin with its marketing strategy. Let’s have a quick look at ESPN’s story, its goal, and many more of its aspects.
About the ESPN – Company Overview
ESPN is a sports entertainment company that was created with the idea of 3 men named Scott Rasmussen, Bill Rasmussen & Ed Eagan. Currently owned jointly by two companies, 80% by The Walt Disney Company and 20% by Hearst communications.
The company was founded in 1979 and has operated more than 30+ television networks, 90 broadband networks, and 13 websites. They have its headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. Currently, ESPN is available to 80 million people all over the world.
| CEO | Jimmy Pitaro |
|---|---|
| CMO | Laura Gentile |
| Area Served | United States |
| Industry | Sports Channel |
| Market Share/ Revenue | $994 Billion |
| Vision | To Serve Sports Fans anytime anywhere |
| Tagline | Serving Fans. Anytime. Anywhere. |
Marketing Strategy of ESPN
Here is some Marketing Strategy of ESPN and how they promote their Brand.
Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning
ESPN targets audiences who are loyal to sports, especially the Youth, and male sports fans. The goal is to increase the subscribers and price of ENSP+ by adding more content to it. To promote ESPN+ the company is using its media network which includes TV channels, social media, and many more.
ESPN is one of the best sports channels in the world. It has many channels and broadcast shows which are part of its marketing mix. It was Launched in 1995 as a classical sports network by Brain Bedol after which it was purchased by ESPN in 1997 rebranding it as a Digital satellite TV network. ESPN is using geographic and Demographic strategies to describe various segments of the business it operates.
ESPN has positioned itself in the world as one of the leading sports media entertainment networks and broadcasting. ESPN uses a benefit-based posting strategy that is to create an exclusive image of the company in the eyes of an audience.
Marketing Campaigns
ESPN started a marketing campaign with “ONE APP, ONE TAP” as a way for the viewers to enjoy sports on mobile phones. This Disney-owned ESPN is making its way to the digital platform by making the application of ESPN. The company said streaming service ESPN+ has gained 10.3 million subscribers.
This application was a success because it allows its users to watch from anywhere anytime through its application. In September total devices reached by application and the time spent was up to 15% compared to September 2019.
Link for this ad. ESPN App: One App, One Tap
Another campaign was done by ESPN that salutes resiliency teams and fans. This campaign celebrates the return of the players to the field and the undying love of Fans and cheering their favourite teams and slogan was there’s no place like sports. This campaign was successful. People liked the idea of this advertisement calling players after the pandemic.
Link for the ad.ESPN | There’s No Place Like Sports | Better Every Year
This campaign was done to promote the SportsCenter sports news that debuted in 1995. The New York office was responsible for the writing of the production of commercials till 2017, Now ESPN took the production in 2018. It was done to promote their own centre which is valued at the top and was quite a success.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing is really important when it comes to gathering the audience at large and no wonder a brand like Hyundai uses it to its full advantage.
ESPN’s strategy is “more is more” which means gaining more viewers through social media. ESPN is active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. They have more than 269 million followers and over 30+ accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These accounts contain many promotional and informative content for sports fans.
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SEO Strategies
According to SEO ranking, the number of keywords- below 500 is bad, above 1000 is good and 10000+ is amazing. And according to this graph and keywords, ESPN has 20,400,000 keywords which is amazing. That means ESPN is already at the peak of its Digital Marketing.
SEO helps in achieving your long-term goals for your brand. A good ranking and a favourable placement help in raising the profile of your brand. In short, SEO strategies are crucial for the development of the website and to provide more visibility to the relevant audience.
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Influencer marketing
ESPN has many tie-ups with huge sports celebrities and has many followers on Instagram and Youtube has huge subscribers. ESPN hired Omar Raja who is the Instagram influencer for uploading the sports videos. ESPN took control of Ballervision’s youtube channel as well as of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. ESPN’s subscribers are growing day by day and the company is becoming more active on its social platforms.
E-Commerce Strategies
In E-Commerce, ESPN has a website for the retail store online that has a complete collection of sporting goods which they sell. It provides easy access to purchase sports equipment online for a reasonable amount. It keeps the Quality of the product in mind and has satisfied various consumers across the globe.It has collaborated with GSI Commerce Inc. which is a major provider of e-commerce.
Mobile Application
ESPN has a mobile application that is free on Both Android and iOS.Its application is available on Playstore as well as on the Appstore. All the sports events are telecasted live on this application so you can watch them whenever you want, for free.
Content Marketing
ESPN is highly active on Youtube and many other social media. Its main focus is to deliver various qualitative sporting events to its viewers. It is proven to be one of the largest growing American companies that provide different information on various sporting events.
It has many sister channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and many more well-established channels across the world.
This ends the elaborative marketing strategy of ESPN. Let us conclude our learning below from the marketing strategy of ESPN.
Conclusion- What’s Unique in ESPN’s Marketing?
In the marketing strategy of ESPN, The company’s motto is to provide sports anytime anywhere. It has launched its application for mobile users so that they can watch it everywhere. It is a huge company that has many subchannels. It is still developing in the digital marketing sector for better quality.
As we are aware, Digital Marketing is growing with growing technology. There are a few perks of an online era that it is easy to learn, and anyone can access it from anywhere There are many firms that provide online digital marketing courses.
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We hope this blog on the marketing strategy of ESPN has given you a good insight into the company’s marketing strategies.
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Great Blog