10/1/2013
Soccer franchise Manchester United is one of the biggest and most profitable sports franchises, except in the U.S. Now, company executives feel 2014 is a perfect time to capture the 12-to-24-year-old consumer. “It’s under-penetrated, very, very big media market, the most developed sports market in the world,” says Manchester United’s Ed Woodward. “I think in particular from a merchandise perspective that stands out as the biggest in the world relative to Europe when you compare it to other metrics like media or sponsorship.” Woodward adds that soccer is the second most popular sport to watch on TV for 12-to-24-year-olds.
Manchester United will reach U.S. youth via sponsorships, traditional TV deals, and social media. The franchise has more than 659 Facebook fans and one million Twitter followers and is the most visited Premier League club on Instagram. Yet, one basic element remains unanswered: whether to micro- or macrotarget teens and young adults. “You can look to the U.S. market as one whole market. You can look at it as a regional market within the U.S. or even by city which clearly is how the NFL teams monetize their brands on a restricted 75 mile radius of their cities.”
SOURCE: Manchester United Limited, Maria Golovanova, Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK M16 0RA; 011-44-0-20-7054-5912; maria.golovanova@manutd.co.uk; www.manutd.com.
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