The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Linas Šimonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team
Should Make
How to Raise the Popularity
of Women’s Basketball to
the Next Level
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
© 2009 by Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
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Photo by: Vytautas Gudelis, Lithuanian Sport’s Museum handler private archives (p. 6, 7); JSC TUTA archives (p. 7, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21);
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
PREFACE
About three years ago we, the authors, started to exchange
ideas about how to promote women’s basketball to the next
level. The big push to our conversations was the FIBA Europe’s decision to announce year 2006 the Year Of Women’s
Basketball. Since then our ideas evolved, our passion to help
team managers to join FIBA Europe efforts growed and all this
turned into this e-book.
Again, all this increase of popularity can be achieved without big investment
of money. On the contrary, it can start paying-off very quickly – maybe even
in the next season!
This e-book’s purpose is to show to club’s and national team managers the
missed opportunities in promotion of women’s basketball and to prompt to
action to exploit them. These actions lie not in expensive promotions, but on
the contrary, they will help to earn more money – money from advertisers,
sponsors, from selling more tickets.
Pay attention to proper execution of this plan
We, the authors, are the fans of basketball and are working together since
2005. We both are the professionals in our own fields: Linas has 17 years
experience in marketing strategy and is a member of Business Week social
media experts group, Valentinas has 25 years experience in textiles and is the
expert in women’s basketball sportswear.
We hope that it will be a useful handbook and that at least one idea of this plan
will be implemented by every team – club or national.
Two steps how to boost popularity of women’s basketball
The increase of popularity can be achieved in two steps: first, by changing
the visual appeal of women’s basketball, second, by applying proper marketing strategy and using proper web 2.0 tools to execute this strategy.
The point is when you will start these changes. Teams, that started these
changes right now in the next season can have the first results. Teams,
waiting a couple of years, will achieve the results couple years later. Or even
more later, because first movers will have the biggest attention of media,
fans, sponsors.
A very important factor of success is to execute the plan properly and resist
to naysayers.
In other sports similar strategy is working. So, there is no reason it can’t work
in women’s basketball. Just execute it properly.
Social issues, especially social issues on the internet have different rules than
in our ordinary world. Ignoring them brings big trouble. We can’t escape from
online world. But you must be very careful, executing online, web 2.0 tasks.
Proper execution will bring you excellent results. This is what we
wish to your team!
1. Increase visual appeal.
2. Choose the right marketing strategy &
use web 2.0 tools to execute it properly.
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Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Content
THE FIRST STEP
change the look of women’s basketball
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
THE SECOND STEP
choose the right strategy and execute it
by exploiting the opportunities of web 2.0 age
The reality: there is more competition for viewer’s attention than ever before . .......................... 24
Situation in women’s sport ................................................................................................................. 25
The rise of women’s basketball ............................................................................................................ 6
The winning strategy in women’s basketball . .................................................................................. 26
Where has women’s sportswear style disappeared? ....................................................................... 7
Welcome to the web 2.0 age ............................................................................................................ 27
Women became similar to men. Why? ............................................................................................... 8
Where is the future of media? ............................................................................................................ 28
Who are the fans of this kind of women’s basketball? . .................................................................... 9
The agony of print media .................................................................................................................... 29
The sex sells ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Teams should exploit the opportunities given by web 2.0 age .................................................... 30
Teams and players are already using sex appeal ........................................................................... 10
Teams should initiate more online conversations with fans . ......................................................... 31
How to attract male spectators? . ...................................................................................................... 11
Web 2.0 – it is about creating places for fans in the virtual space . ............................................. 32
Returning to feminine style . ................................................................................................................ 12
Team should establish a blog for every player ................................................................................ 33
Visual appeal – what the players think about it . .............................................................................. 13
What should be written in these blogs? ........................................................................................... 34
Solving the visual appeal problem ..................................................................................................... 14
What if the player leaves the team? .................................................................................................. 35
How to force players contribute to the marketing goals of the club ........................................... 15
Post frequency ..................................................................................................................................... 36
Europe is on the way of the femininity issue .................................................................................... 16
Offer an assistance to those who write ............................................................................................ 37
The impact of Year of Women’s Basketball (YOWB) . .................................................................... 17
Forums, photo and videosharing sites, other web 2.0 tools . ....................................................... 38
The effect of YOWB in other countries ............................................................................................. 18
The next step – an implementation of this plan ............................................................................... 39
What to do? Increase visual appeal. ................................................................................................. 19
These changes will happen, sooner or later .................................................................................... 41
The solution acceptable for everybody? .......................................................................................... 20
Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................... 42
FIBA Europe is looking for the possibility to change the rules . ..................................................... 22
About the Authors ................................................................................................................................ 43
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
THE FIRST STEP
change the look of women’s
basketball
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
The rise of women’s basketball
Not everyone knows that women have been playing basketball just as long as men. Only a
year after the first official male basketball game was played in 1892, a women’s team was
started by Senda Berenson Abbott (who was born in Lithuania) at Smith College in Massachusetts (USA) and it was as a physical fitness program for women. Signs were posted outside the gymnasium: MEN ARE NOT PERMITTED TO WATCH…because women players
had to wear tight corsets and not so long skirts typical for those days.
It wasn’t until 1896 that bloomers were introduced for women’s uniforms. In that time, it
was considered inappropriate for women’s ankles to be seen.
The first set of basketball uniforms came out around the 1920’s, when the sport became
more competitive and formal basketball leagues were formed. Contemporary women’s basketball uniforms resemble men’s uniforms to a great extent, although jerseys were considerably smaller, and some special undergarments like sports bras were added.
According to the archives at the Women’s Basketball Hall
of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee (USA), in these times the
skirts and bloomers required to wear and the rules designed
to keep them “ladylike”.
Basketball players
in Lithuania, 1925
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The first womens basketball
game in 1893
The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Where has women’s sportswear
style disappeared?
American Red Head style
impact for Lithuanian players
apparel in 1959
There was a period – short but memorable - when women wore short-sleeved shirts and skirts playing basketball. Teams like the “All American Redheads” made their mark as crowd-pleasing athletes
with super sex-appeal and over time, female basketball players have finally been recognized for the
outstanding athletes they are.
In the 1960’s synthetic fabrics became the norm and the development of the modern basketball
sportswear uniform took place.
Today, both men and women wear the standard basketball uniform consisting of a pair of shorts
and a sleeveless tank top. The shorts were shorter in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but they eventually fell on the knee in the 1990’s. The greatest basketball player Michael Jordan jerseys tend
to hang looser, shorts also hang low. This trend has moved into women’s basketball apparel as
well. And here is where the problem has started.
Evolution of female basketball
uniforms exposed during
EuroBasket Women in Italy, 2007
Red Head style impact for
Lithuanian players apparel in 1962
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Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Women became similar
to men. Why?
First of all, Michael Jordan was the top person who had a great influence in advertising market
and in the entire basketball fashion as a whole.
Second, the famous worldwide sportswear companies very quickly understood that. They have
masterly “adopted” the simplest mass production methods that are used in manufacturing in
Asian countries. Even when the sportswear for the elite teams is manufactured, usually it “happens” that “no sized” sportswear is manufactured, i.e., athletes of three different cloth sizes can
easily wear one and the same size.
This is the simplest way to “match” an appropriate size for an athlete, and nobody worries
about one or another player wearing oversized sportswear.
The same happened in women’s basketball. The styles and types of sportswear that were
used in men’s basketball, have been copied and worn in women’s basketball losing all ideas
about fashion, style, the fit. This is how women playing basketball became similar to men.
Playing style and suits imitate men’s
basketball
Step by step this method became a “rule” and later on – a fashion. The team managers became tired of fixing and changing sportswear because factories didn’t manufacture the right
sizes for their athletes.
Third, following the “Michael Jordan” trend, another problem appeared – many American
women’s players started to play in Europe. They have copied American style and implemented it here.
The styles and types of sportswear that were used in men’s
basketball, have been copied and worn in women’s basketball losing all
ideas about fashion, style, the fit.
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Men style sportswear in women’s
basketball
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Who are the fans of this kind
of women’s basketball?
Actually it is very hard to say who are the real spectators or fans of women’s basketball.
The auditorium is rather week – from primarily middle-aged women, families with young
daughters, player’s friends, pupils, to senior citizens.
The point is, what IS WRONG with women’s basketball as it doesn’t attract the same fans
from men’s basketball? Women’s tennis, golf, volleyball, figure skating – these sports all
have a much easier time filling the seats.
They’ve had their own challenges winning equal prize money and gaining media exposure
and fans. But they are also wearing spandex, bathing suits, polo shirts, and skirts. They have
sex appeal on their side. And sex sells.
The sex sells
So what makes a female athlete marketable? Or any athlete, for that matter? According to
the author of basketball sport blog (http://notafraidtoflex.blogspot.com), marketing 101
will teach you that sex sells.
Audra Gineleviciene, the Director of Lithuanian Women’s Basketball League also holds with
the idea that sex appeal sells. It’s common to amplify the femininity in this league’s events
and it being done with great enthusiasm.
Because big endorsements happen where the money is. And money comes from fans – and from
companies that pay for fan market. Female athletes aren’t getting endorsements like their male
counterparts because they aren’t pulling in anywhere near the same sized crowds or tickets sales.
Except maybe in tennis, golf. Oh, and figure skating when the Olympics are around.
The highest-earning female athletes are those with sex appeal. And their sex appeal commands attention.
This website is covering women’s basketball without any
compromises
The best-looking female
athletes, sometimes regardless
of their actual talent, tend to
be more successful than other
female athletes, where this is not
necessarily the case with the men.
The female athletes who
possess more “delicate” or
“feminine” traits will remain on
top, simply because sex sells.
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10
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Teams and players are
already using sex appeal
Recently I received from my colleague from Belarus the
link to internet page www.pressball.by, where I found unbelievable phenomenon – some artistic photos (and interview) of the nude Belarus women’s national team basketball player Tatyana Troina. It was something in that style
that is making the famous magazine Sports Illustrated.
According to Audra Gineleviciene, the Director of Lithuanian Women’s Basketball League (LMKL) in the end of
2004, the LMKL organized photo session and issued the
calendar with the sexual photos of this league players. This
calendar was snap up in a moment! And for some times after this event many people were talking about that.
Tatyana Troina posing nude
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Therefore if Tatyana Troina or other basketball players want
to pose nude, why not? Will they make more money or attention for them and theirs sport? Will their beautiful faces and
bodies appeal to a male fan population who might not otherwise pay attention to them for their athletic prowess? Might
they buy a ticket to their game just because they liked what
they saw in the magazine or internet spread, and not because
they a phenomenal basketball players?
Teams and players are
already using sex appeal
The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
How to attract male
spectators?
If the only way you can get a guy to a women’s basketball game is to add a little sex appeal,
maybe it’s worth having him there as a spectator for that reason initially because he might
start to appreciate the actual game once he watches a few, rather than focusing on the sex
appeal of the players on the court.
Maybe female just need more time in the sports industry to establish themselves as respectable for their actual talent, and not merely their sex appeal. Maybe we’re getting close to a
time when fans are willing to pay good money to watch women play basketball.
The greatest and world famous Lithuanian basketball player Arvydas Sabonis is saying that
there should be many basketball teams in small towns or regions with developed environment for everybody playing basketball. This way we will pull more spectators and guarantee
that the whole small town’s community will come to support their team.
We are ready to go further in the search of feminine style choosing
basketball dresses. It will boost great interest among the spectators.
11
Megan
the author of the blog
www.notafraidtoflex.blogspot.com
The game in womens
basketball is simply different,
and perhaps not as “showy” as the NBA. This
means that the stadium is filled by families with
little girls, or women who enjoy watching the game
played by other women, but the majority of people
in those arena’s seats are not men.
Esther Wender
the Project Manager
of the Year of Women’s Basketball
“However, federations and
clubs have learned that by
organising small events such as clinics, guest
practises etc, they can really help promote
women’s basketball.“
Iryna Zhylach – Managing Director of Belarus women’s national team
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12
The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Australian national women team
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Returning to
feminine style
An effort to return to feminine uniform’s style in women’s basketball was made last decade, when Australian and Germany national
basketball teams started to play in body-tight suits. But till now
only Australian team is playing in that kind sportswear. Why?
Why other parts of the world, where there are professional women’s
basketball players, do not play in that kind of sportswear? Why don’t
the management of these teams want to raise the look of women’s
basketball to the next level?
Two or three month before the match all
Australian national team players get into a panic.
Everybody tries to reduce their weight as soon as
possible.
Emma Randall – Australian national team player
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Visual appeal – what the players
think about it
Today the women’s basketball more and more become athletic and bodies of many players
are well bild. Why should we be afraid of more feminine sportswear?
In general most of players are against body-tight suits. Because body-tight suits are very slinky,
spectators can see every defect of your body, says Emma Randall (one of Australian national
team player).
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
13
Ilona Korstin
the famous Russian national team player
In her internet blog (www.sports.ru/basketball/
korstin/4044519.html) she tells that the minds of
the players differ.
The compromise was found for Belarus national women’s team. Iryna Zhylach, Managing
Director of this national team, believes that their team has already made a step by which the
spectators of women’s basketball recognized them as female sportsmen.
Here lies fundamental point – the company which produced our sportswear found the balanced look and feeling of the sportsmen where the player did not feel herself undressed
although the game outfit was pretty close to the body.
Lithuanian national team players – Sandra Valuzyte, Gintare Petronyte, Aurime Rimkeviciute,
Giedre Kaugaite and Egle Sulciute also were strongly positive about the Belarus national
women’s team’s game uniform in Beijing Olympic games, but negative opinion was revealed
about elastic body-tight suits of Australian players.
Australia – Belarus in
Beijing Olympic Games, 2008
Natalia Marchanka the player of Belarus women’s national team says: “too bad that the models of women’s sportswear are similar or the same like mens. Who will spectate basketball
players wearing oversized XXL uniforms?”
Tatyana Troina states that we shouldn’t forget physiological constitution of women’s body.
It is dedicated for beauty, but not for strong fighting.
Ilona Korstin is ascertained, that today’s game outfit’s
style should be between baggy and body-tight.
Natalia Marchanka – Belarus
national team player
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14
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Solving the visual
appeal problem
The next step in making women’s basketball more feminine was
done in the end of 2004. The basketball sportswear company
“Tuta” from Lithuania was the only and the first one in the world
which created playing dresses for women’s basketball.
The first basketball dresses were
successfully implemented in Lithuanian
student league
The players from Lithuanian Student’s Basketball League
were the first, who tried them in the game. Thanks to General
Secretary of this league Jonas Kursevicius the dresses step by
step were implemented into Lithuanian student’s basketball.
The visual appeal of basketball players was the main reason,
why the basketball dresses become so popular and successful.
Very quickly these dresses spread between teams of various
Lithuanian women’s leagues and even during Lithuanian women’s All Star Game.
Euroleague Women All Star Game,
Paris, 2009
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Esther Wender
the Project Manager
of the Year of Women’s Basketball
“Basketball sportswear
company TUTA approached
FIBA Europe in the spring of
2007 and offered to work FIBA Europe on
a number of prototypes for creating a European
style of game uniforms. During EuroBasket 2007 in
Italy, FIBA Europe and TUTA proudly presented the
first prototypes. After some more improvements,
a second version of prototypes was used during
the EuroLeague Women’s All Star Game in 2008
in Russia. Currently, TUTA and FIBA Europe are
working on another version to be worn by the
players in the EuroLeague Women’s All Star Game
on March 8th 2009 in Paris.”
Starting from the last year Olympic qualifying championship, and afterwards fighting
in Beijing Olympic games, our team was wearing exclusive sportswear which was
unique among other brands. We have perceived a lot of positive response towards our
team’s outer look...
Iryna Zhylach
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Basketball club CCC Polkowice in
Polish women’s basketball league
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
15
How to force players
contribute to the marketing
goals of the club
At the same time the basketball dresses were tried in Poland. The basketball club
CCC Polkowice from Polish Women’s Basketball League was the first highest division club, which outbraved to play in official Polish and European matches with
these dresses. The president of the club Krzysztof Korsak has showed a lot of efforts
in order his players, especially black, would wear basketball dresses.
In each player’s contract there was included the article which
obligated to wear basketball dresses during all games. It was a
good example how to force the players to achieve one of the
marketing goals of the club.
The femininity idea spread all over Polish Women’s Basketball League (PLKK).
Very soon new official recommendations were issued. PLKK requires to play in
alternative feminine basketball outfits among the league: either with body-tight
suits, either with basketball dresses, either with feminine basketball outfits which
approved FIBA Europe.
According to the opinion of Esther Wender, a former player at both the club and Netherlands national level, first of all we need the full back-up from the teams and players.
The Australian national team has worn the
body suit for many years. Superstars wore
that uniform because the Australian federation
decided to use them.
Esther Wender
In order to achieve the marketing goals of the club, the players need to be convinced that more feminine game uniforms can really help to promote the women’s
game. They need to be daring and try something totally new!
The players’ opinion is important of course, but it is the club or the federation that
are responsible for this change to start happening.
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16
The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Europe is on the way
of the femininity issue
In other European countries, such as Italy and France, there are clubs that independently
try to “brake the wall” in order to make European basketball even more feminine. Such
as one of the French top basketball club Bourges Basket a couple of years in the row uses
body-tight shorts and close to the body shirts.
Rutenis Paulauskas, the coach of Lithuanian women’s national team has affirmed when he
has worked in Italy, that some women’s teams have played in pretty game uniforms as well.
Keep in mind that Brazilian national women’s basketball team is devoted to close to the body apparel – they choose to wear body – tight shorts a
couple of years in a row, which was a great ideological paradigm to French Bourges Basket team.
Even in Russia, where women’s basketball clubs
are more conservative about feminine uniforms,
there was one club in Kazan, which has played in
such game outfits for some time.
French top basketball club
Bourges Basket. There are clubs
that independently try to “brake the
wall” in order to make European
basketball even more feminine.
But the most important event happened in 2006,
when FIBA Europe announced this year – The
Year of Women’s Basketball.
I have studied in USA but
till now can’t understand, why
American basketball players
choose oversized sportswear.
Natalia Marchanka
Brasil national team
in Beijing Olympic games
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The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
17
The impact of Year of Women’s
Basketball (YOWB)
Esther Wender
When I talked about this event with Esther Wender, the Project Manager of the Year of
Women’s Basketball, she explained me that the idea for the Year of Women’s Basketball
(YOWB) originated from the FIBA Europe Women’s Commission. This commission, consisting of experts of women’s basketball in Europe, suggested implementing the project in
order to promote women’s basketball.
the Project Manager
of the Year of Women’s Basketball
A large media, merchandise and advertising campaign supported the initiative strongly and
made it an event known by almost everybody involved in women’s basketball.
The mission statement of the
Year of Women’s Basketball
was about a prestigious
initiative by FIBA Europe and its member
federations to bring focus to women’s basketball
in order to improve recognition and respect for
the sport in Europe and all female participants in
basketball.
FIBA Europe was able to create a large network of local women’s basketball experts who
will continue their hard work for the women’s game.
Algimantas Ivasauskas
According to Esther Wender, the Year of Women’s Basketball really gave a boost to women’s
basketball.
Unfortunately, in Europe, women’s basketball is still considered by many to be inferior to
the men’s game. The YOWB has made the gap smaller.
Also, it has become easier for federations and clubs to find the information they need to
help them grow the women’s game from the FIBA Europe offices.
General secretary of Baltic
Women’s Basketball League
YOWB has a great impact to
the women basketball.
50% of the basketball players in Europe are female and we have a duty
to work with them as much as we do with the men. That is why we decided,
in co-operation with our Women’s Commission, to create this new project,
the Year of Women’s Basketball.
Nar Zanolin – Fiba Europe Secretary General
Ilona Korstin & Nar Zanolin
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18
The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
The effect of YOWB in other
countries
Algimantas Ivasauskas – the General Secretary of Baltic Women’s Basketball League agrees
that attention was demonstrated toward women’s basketball, which is very positive and of
course FIBA Europe wishes to raise women basketball level.
As far as I know other sport fields do not do particular activities.
Lithuanian Basketball Federation has prepared the event agenda on this issue, has made
some work advertising this project in the publications and among the basketball society. For
large scale work we were lacking the financial resources.
In order to boost women’s basketball we have to acquire properly all sport’s organization,
team and club sponsoring and marketing endeavour. There should be serious competitions
between equal teams with professional and athletic players. Meanwhile who could come
and watch the game if it ends by 70 - 80 score difference?!
But we do not pose the goal to undress women’s basketball players
to the maximum and by this increase popularity of women’s basketball
as they can not beat males in this sport by any other means. We have to
prove that it’s a real sport for women with dynamic game, where apparel
is not taken out from males, but also having its own women-like look.
Iryna Zhylach
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Iryna Zhylach
the General Manager
of Belarus women’s national team
“...you have to be sport analyst
and good at statistics, to
state that YOWB has made
a significant influence on spectators, increased the
attendance to the games or made the major impact
on recognition of the women basketball stars.
As I do not belong to any of two’s, I can only admit
that it is being done a lot in order to increase women
basketball popularity. It tells us about one significant
point – the game itself testifies to act like this.“
Ilona Korstin
the face of the Year of Women’s
Basketball campaign
It’s necessary to attract
attention of sponsors , to
invite a children into the
match in order to feel the spirit of the game in alive.
Besides, we need to organize the visits of famous
basketball players to children’s home, hospitals
and schools and make a charity.
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
19
What to do?
Increase visual appeal.
Women, wearing men’s clothes do not play worse nor are less professionals than them. But...
A good looking, elegant woman wearing appropriate apparel can even seem to be more
professional or become more popular than her colleagues men. How come?
There are a lot of obvious examples of this. Look at tennis, volleyball. I do not say that women
of these types of sports are not professionals. Oh yes, they are. But... imagine them playing
and wearing men’s type clothes, but not elegant, fashionable apparel? Feel the difference?
That is why women’s basketball visual appeal should be promoted to the next level.
The most important thing in this process is to change the thinking and thus to move all the
actions and your ideas to the next level. When the thinking changes and is directed to the
right direction, all the rest becomes rather easy and understandable.
Women’s basketball will never excel men’s basketball by the speed,
power, slam-dunks, but it can “buy” the spectators and sponsors by
elegance, femininity and specific spirit of a game. Women’s basketball is
obviously a game of strategy, and not just athletic ability. . .
Venus Williams – the famous tennis
player, who is a professional and
has a great visual appeal
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The solution acceptable
for everybody?
We have accumulated the experience and opinions of different players, coaches and basketball
society regarding women’s basketball game outfits.
But it is not one-sided verdict. It is because of different mentality and traditions of basketball society, of player’s age, influence of American players and etc.
As said Arvydas Tamasauskas – the Director of women’s basketball club TEO from Vilnius, if
somebody wants to force to change the feminine sportswear for women’s basketball players,
that should propose something interesting for every team.
Daina Staugaitiene, TEO, Lithuania
Therefore, I think the implementation of more feminine women’s basketball uniforms should
be realizable step by step.
Dalia Kurtinaitiene
We need more than three years in order to ignite the changes of visual appeal of basketball
players.
former European Champion
and now the coach assistant of
Lithuania women’s basketball team
We need more time to change the generation of present 25-30 years age players and in the
same time to educate the young generation in the direction of feminine visual appeal.
“Women seek beauty even
during struggles for awards
and “put mascaras” or other beauty products every
time they get on the basketball pitch.”
In this period we propose the politic solution – allow playing with different models in the
same team – with baggy uniforms, close to the body uniforms, body – tight suits, basketball
dresses and etc.
Arvydas Tamasauskas
the Director of women’s basketball
club Teo from Vilnius
“The clubs have theirs basketball
gear sponsors, but at the moment
they aren’t ready to change their ordinary models in
to feminine.“
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Politic Solution: in this period we propose the politic
solution – allow playing with different models in the same
team with baggy uniforms, close to the body uniforms,
body – tight suits, basketball dresses and etc.
As mentioned above, each woman wants to be beautiful and unique! We
have to respect their opinion and let them be happy and beautiful not
only in ordinary life, but also on the court. Therefore, this proposition
will help to uncover the individuality of every women player. Just as they
take it themselves!
Additionally to this, elegant outlook would be great – and of course –
more visual, and psychologically, more useful to women players. A great
feeling about how one looks would greatly add up to how the one plays.
Anyway, consolidated effort from the teams managers, the players, basketball
associations and proper marketing steps should highly increase the popularity
of women’s basketball to the next level.
Arvydas Sabonis
Solution for the teams playing in
different style outfits
the greatest and the world famous Lithuanian basketball player
I am sure that each women basketball player, no matter if she is
full or skinny, should have the possibility to choose the proper
basketball apparel according to her body constitution. If anyone
wants to dissemble something – let it be! If anyone wants or
can expose something – let it be!
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FIBA Europe is looking
for the possibility
to change the rules
According to Esther Wender, FIBA Europe is currently exploring the
possibilities of implementing new rules for game uniforms. A number
of legal issues have to be explored before implementing the new rules.
Therefore, it is difficult to estimate when the new rules will become
official. New rules could involve shorter shorts for example.
Nonetheless, FIBA Europe Secretary General Nar Zanolin in 2007 declared that in the next three years there will be new rules regarding game
uniforms for FIBA Europe competitions.
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Nar Zanolin
FIBA Europe Secretary General
“The play of European
women’s teams speaks for
itself but these uniforms help
to give our teams an identity that sets them apart.”
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THE SECOND STEP
choose the right strategy and execute it
by exploiting the opportunities of web 2.0 age
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The reality: there is more
competition for viewer’s
attention than ever before
Todays sport, especially professional sport, faces more and more competition for an average viewer. First, with the explosion of satellite TV we have chances to see more of our
favorite kinds of games more than ever before. Second, since sport has become business,
there are so many new sports fighting for our attention than ever before.
In order to win more audience, we should have a winning marketing strategy.
In marketing, strategy is a direction in order to differentiate yourself from competitors.
What marketing strategy should be chosen by women’s basketball?
How to compete for media attention?
In marketing, strategy is a direction
in order to differentiate yourself from
competitors. What marketing strategy
should be chosen by women’s
basketball?
The reality: there are more competition for
viewer’s attention than ever before
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Situation in women’s sport
There are women’s sports that are on the top of the mind when the words “women’s sport”
are mentioned. Let’s discuss only game sports – we won’t cover any athletic sports or “beauty” sports where results are defined by judges, not by scores, like in basketball.
There we will discuss only about games, where two competitors fight face-to-face for the
victory.
The most popular women’s games have their own differences:
Tennis – the most popular women’s SOLO sport game.
Beach volleyball – the most popular women’s DUO sport game.
There are not so many extremely popular women’s games sports. This is because most of
mens sports attract the biggest part of audience and women’s sports are just “little sisters of
serious sport”.
But wait... There are some women’s sports where women are no less famous than men and
their viewership are not less than mens sports. Tennis or beach volleyball, for example.
Where is the secret of these women’s sports? Why are they so successful?
Success lies in marketing strategy. These women’s sports do not imitate mens and do not
compete with them in speed, force and other masculine options. On the contrary, these
sports played the most powerful card – femininity and in the long run they have won. Right
marketing strategy of these sports gives right results.
The right marketing strategy should be found.
Women’s basketball is not men’s basketball. And never will be. We
must admit that even if for someone it seems unfair. At the same time
it can be an advantage.
Two sports, exploiting femininity
extremly good: beach volleyball and tennis
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The hard fight between great looking teams – that
is winning marketing strategy of women’s basketball
The 2 Marketing Steps
Every Women’s Basketball Team Should Make
The winning strategy in
women’s basketball
The winning strategy in women’s basketball is to become the most popular women’s
TEAM sport game.
Yes, women’s basketball has a lot of competitors. Handball, football, hockey, volleyball to name a few.
But all these sports are not established yet in our minds like “women’s TEAM
sport game”, not like tennis or beach volleyball in their own categories.
So, the winning strategy of women’s basketball is to create better visual appeal
and communicate this to all potential viewers.
The problem is that the first half – the change of the visual appeal is the easy part
of this plan. The hard part is the lack of media attention. Lack of media attention
means lack of viewers, lack of fans, lack of money.
How to fight with a lack of media attention? How to connect or reconnect to
fans? How to acquire new fans?
Now, it is time to discuss about ways to connect and stay touched with fans,
about ways to acquire new fans of women’s basketball.
Winning strategy:
Tennis is the leading women’s SOLO sport game.
Beach volleyball is the leading women’s DUO sport game.
Basketball is the leading women’s TEAM sport game.
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Welcome to the web 2.0 age
But still, how to fight the lack of media attention right now?
There are two solutions. First – become the owners of newspapers, TV stations, magazines and
promote women’s basketball using them. Because it is very expensive, we will not analyze it.
Second – use internet, the new communication channel (and inexpensive one!), use all social
tools, rearrange all standpoints to communication, rearrange entire marketing.
Internet proved to be an extremely powerful communication channel and lots of organizations achieved spectacular results when used it properly.
Famous athletes use internet more properly. Is it
because they are famous?...
Because sports have larger attention of media, all webtools, especially web 2.0 tools enter
sports marketing slowly. Ironical, but more famous athletes use it better. Superstars have
personal blogs, forums and use it wildly to stay in touch with fans, to increase fan base, to
promote sponsors, even to earn extra cash from it, but less successful teams or athletes have
dull, web 1.0 style presence on internet or do not have any at all.
It’s strange, because good presence on internet doesn’t require big money, only the commitment
from teams and players and knowledge how to arrange and manage all this presence. The biggest
investment there is in the know-how of how to establish and run these social issues. And these
investments can be quickly covered by additional earnings from those activities.
Before we jump to internet, let’s have a look to media situation today.
The biggest investment is in know-how how to properly execute all
internet moves. This costs fraction compared to big TV or other media
campaigns.
...No, famous athletes are even more famous because
they interact with fans in internet.
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Where is the future of media?
Problem: old media are more fragmented than ever
Ten years ago there was a little choice for available TV channels or newspapers or magazines. Now it is hard to count the number of possibilities.
Ten years ago the appearance on National TV on prime time was remarked by most of active auditory, today it can pass unnoticed.
This decline will be faster and faster, significance of old media will decrease faster and faster.
The problem is that new media and social media are fragmented even more than the old media.
That’s one more argument why we should establish our own communication channel.
But the fragmentation of media is not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the shifting
of power from old media to the internet.
old media users
Today media are fragmented
more than ever before.
internet users
Power are shifting from old media to the internet
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When you have so many channels, the
influence of one chanel decrease dramaticaly
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The agony of print media
The circulation of newspapers and magazines is dramatically dropping. Layoffs
among publishers are widespread. Influence decreases. That’s the reality not only
of the print media.
Broadcast media faces the same problems as well.
The power shifts to internet.
Less costs, light-speed global distribution, abilities to involve readers, the new media
makes the media of the future. And the near future, by the way.
All this agony created internet and especially the so-called web 2.0 tools – blogs,
forums, wikis and others.
Even in the players selection process club managers rely more on social media than
official data. In the next few years traditional media will remain as niche products
and internet will become the mainstream.
Print media are having tough times.
Will better times come?
Unlikely.
Blogs and other web 2.0 applications
are killing print media
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Teams should exploit the opportunities
given by web 2.0 age
Television and print media are not enough anymore. The next channel – internet will be
THE main channel of news and communication in the nearest future. In some fields internet
even now is the main communication channel.
With the explosion of web 2.0 opportunities it is a crime not to use this channel for marketing.
Sorry, but todays situation in all women’s basketball is sad. Sadness is in mens basketball as well,
but at least mens basketball has more traditional media attention when news about women’s
basketball are hard to find even intentionally.
Internet opens an inexpensive communication channel and can be more than other media
controlled by the club. Not using it and depending only on traditional, uncontrolled media
takes us to the situation where women’s basketball is now.
“Not using” means not having a simple website, some interactivity or so, but not using all
possibilities that web 2.0 opens.
And these possibilities are huge.
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The new media are growing exponentially
If we do not use new media,
our competitors will use it.
In fact, our competitors from
other sports are already using
the new media extensively.
Women’s basketball should
adopt those new opportunities
as soon as possible, later can be
too late.
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Teams should initiate more online
conversations with fans
Face-to-face conversation becomes an expensive luxurity in this crazy world. That’s why all
social tools in internet, so called web 2.0 have exploded.
When you can reach a very limited number of fans or worshipers in face-to-face conversation, you
can easily socialize with unlimited number of them through internet. Internet has one more very
important quality – distance. You can be anywhere in the world and if there is internet connection,
you can connect with your favourite team or player.
What drives me crazy, is how little number of women’s teams of Euroleague use internet
properly.
In men’s basketball a properly arranged internet communication can make the difference
of how fans interact with players. But men’s basketball is more popular in Europe than
women’s basketball, so they are not in live-or-die necessity of this. (But, if you’ll think about
the battle for attention with football fans, you should use this tool too).
Some teams have a really nice presence on the web
In women’s basketball it is crucial to start the new era of communication and to start using
all possibilities of web 2.0 tools.
Sadly, but in general women’s basketball teams are not
using the right social tools on the internet.
Do they have too many fans? Are they too rich and don’t
need any new sponsors?
And some women’s basketball teams webpages are
worse than awful
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Web 2.0 – it is about creating
places for fans in the
virtual space
Web 2.0 is all about creating places where team players, owners, managers, other staff can
take direct conversation with fans, where fans can take conversation between other fans,
where the content is mostly created not by editors, but by players and fans.
Web 2.0 is all about conversation, connection, collaboration.
Fans today are interacting with other fans somewhere in other places or don’t have such
place at all.
Why not to create a place in internet where fans can interact between other fans, but with
our players too? Why miss this opportunity for fans to spend more time with our team?
Why?
What to do first in order to start more interactions with fans?
The first step for igniting conversation and starting collaboration can be establishing a blog
for every player.
Now fans are connecting between themselves
in many other places...
... or are not connecting at all.
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Team should establish
a blog for every player
Yes, every team must create a blog for every player, coach, and in ideal case, for management of the team.
These blogs should be hosted on team’s domains, for example, www.blogs.yourteam.com/playersname.
Trust me, sooner or later most of the players will have a personal blog anyway. So, why not to
help them to create a personal blog in your team environment, inside your team webpage?
Players should be interacting more with public. So, let them do it!
Yes, for some players today it can be uncomfortable, or even inappropriate. But sorry, maintaining a blog can become a part of the players contract. The player must understand, that she
receives money, so maintaining a blog is like doing any other promotion of the team.
I am sure that after a while players will be thankful for prompting them to start maintain a personal
blog.
For a player, the maintaining of a blog is
like doing any other promotion of the team.
Player, who maintains a personal blog,
promotes not only herself, not only team,
but all women’s basketball as well.
Every player, coach of the team should have
a blog in the team’s webpage
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What should be written in these blogs?
Let the player decide! Leave it for her imagination!
Maybe a legionary will want to write about her hometown – that’s perfect. Maybe to share
some recipes – fine. Maybe about last game – OK. All topics are welcome, do not limit it
strictly only about basketball. Let the players express themselves in the best way they want,
keep their blogs their private places where they can build an image for themselves.
Or, maybe, players have a dream after their sports career to continue on other career? Journalism
or coaching, for example?
That’s perfect!
A player could write almost on
every topic on the earth. It is her
own place where she shares own
thoughts, own experience with fans,
worshippers, friends or even family.
Writing posts in player’s blog can be excellent start in journalism. In other areas you can
find many benefits too. The player could start promoting herself while she plays in a team,
while she is on TV or newspapers as team member – this appearance is huge advantage.
Blogs can help to better express player’s personality.
It can be extremly helpful to sponsors and advertisers.
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What if the player leaves
the team?
The biggest issue I hear from team management is “What if the player leaves our
team? What to do with her blog when she leaves?”
I see no problem here. As the player becomes the history of the team, her blog becomes history too. You should not delete this blog from your team history, more –
you can let the player post occasional posts on her blog to her fans, congratulating
former team with victories or so.
After ten years these blogs will become a nice and valuable history of the team.
After twenty years it will be the golden part of the teams written history.
Why miss the opportunity to document this history?
You know, how interesting are old chronickles, old
documentaries. After ten or twenty years all posts will
become history and more valuable than today. Why miss the
opportunity to document this history?
The history always draws attention.
Why not to create the history of team on internet?
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Post frequency
How often posts should appear in a players blog?
This question can be the biggest issue when discussing with players.
So, how often blog posts should appear?
Not so often like some internet “experts” are forcing us to believe. Once a week it is enough
and couple times per month is appropriate. I am sure that players and management of teams
can find time for that.
Yes, some social media “experts” will argue that in blogs posts should appear daily, but this
is false.
Do not worry about post frequency, do not push the players hard to write every day or after
every game or so...
Post quality is much more important than post quantity.
More about post frequency you can read in Linas e-book The New Rules of Business Blogs.
Download a free copy at Linas blog www.PositioningStrategy.com.
Do not worry about post frequency.
Worry about post quality.
www.PositioningStrategy.com | www.BasketballFashion.com
More about business blogs and post frequency
you can find in Linas free e-book The New Rules
of Business Blogs
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Offer an assistance to those
who write
The biggest stopper not to write is not knowing the writing technology.
Clubs and national teams should offer help to players and other writers, assist them
in the writing process.
One of the best ways – hire a blog coach. Hire a proofreader. Offer any other help.
In the beginning it will be extremely useful.
Maybe players hate to write – OK, they can create an audio or video blog – so called
podcast or videocast. Offer help to them – players fear to start because they have very
little knowledge in this area.
Some audio or video or photo content is welcome even in a written blog – it makes
a blog more funny, more attractive.
And now the best part for team managers – for blogging you don’t need an expensive
sound and video recording equipment. On the contrary to TV it can be done with
ten-Euro equipment and edited with a free software. It is really inexpensive!
More resources about blog coaching and proofreading can be
found in Linas blog www.PositioningStrategy.com
Teams should offer help to player to write and maintain her blog.
Not offering help may lead to fear and resistance to write anything.
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Forums, photo and videosharing
sites, other web 2.0 tools
Teams should be much more friendly and create other web 2.0 platforms. There are tons of
other opportunities to engage with fans, to involve them in promoting the club and all of
them are inexpensive ones.
Why let the fans discuss about team issues somewhere else, not in the team’s forum? Why
let money from advertising in this forum pass away?
Why not to start a competition “The most beautiful photo of our team”? Attention and
personal contact from team managers, players can make difference and build not only fan
base, but active base of evangelics of your team. These fans not only will be ordinary fans,
they will promote your team to others!
When done correctly, these tools can be powerful. We just need to understand them and use
them. Like I said before, not using them is not the option, is a crime.
There are many other opportunities.
The e-book format does not allow to explore all of them.
Do not stop here.
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Web 2.0
Like it or hate it.
But you can’t ignore it.
Better to start using it now
than a year later.
Like it or hate it,
in the near future you
can’t live without it.
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The next step – an implementation
of this plan
Implementation of this plan means more popularity for women’s basketball, selling more
tickets, more sponsors, more money.
Implementation of this plan means selling
more tickets, more sponsors, more money
It costs very little to implement. There is no need for huge financial investments. So, there
is nothing to lose.
What it needs – investment of time from the management of clubs or national teams, allocation of time to associate online with fans from players.
Because there are opportunities for players to become bigger celebrities, to become famous,
chances are that players will not resist to death to such a plan. More, it is an opportunity for
them to find new personal sponsors, to sign personal contracts with advertisers. If presented
correctly, in the long run most players will be thankful for such opportunity.
Yes, there will be lots of resistance – from management, from players. But there is no other
way to raise popularity of women’s basketball to the next level. Changes must come and
they will come sooner or later. The question is “who will be the first to implement these
ideas”, not “will these ideas will be implemented”.
You don’t need a lot of money to implement this plan.
You need a desire to raise popularity of women’s basketball.
You need a desire to help your team.
You need commitment and, maybe, good friends to help you.
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Sverige
Eesti
Latvia
Óêðàïíà
România
Českà
Ðîññèÿ
MagyarFrance
Âúëãàðèÿ
Slovakia
Polska
Italia
Lietuva Serbija
España
Danmark
Do you care about your national team?
Do you care about the future of your national team?
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These changes will happen,
sooner or later
We are sure that processes, described in this e-book will happen in women’s basketball.
We are not sure only when this will happen and who will be the first and who the last team
in this process.
Sure, the first mover will gain advantage. Despite some errors, some difficulties by being
icebreakers the first teams will receive more attention, more visibility than the latecomers.
This is the question for you:
Do you want your team to implement this plan now or you want be among the last ones?
Do you want to attract new sponsors in the next season, or after couple of years?
Last question.
Do you care about your team? Do you care about the future of your team?
If you do, go and start implementing this plan.
Because these changes will happen anyway, sooner or later.
So, lets go and implement this plan.
Because you care, right?
Do you care about your team?
Do you care about the future of your team?
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Acknowledgments
Our thanks go for those many individuals who helped us to publish
this e-book and who care about the future of women’s basketball.
In no particular order our acknowledgments go to:
Nar Zanolin – the General Secretary of FIBA Europe, for taking care
Arvydas Sabonis – the great and famous world basketball player, for
of women’s basketball.
his special minds about women’s basketball to this e-book.
Yannick Souvre – Managing Director of FIBA Europe Properties
Ilona Korstin – the player of Russia women’s national team, for
GmbH, for the care of the new feminine apparel project.
permission to use her minds from her blog and special opinion to this book.
Esther Wender – the Project Manager of the Year of Women’s
Tatyana Troina – the player of Belarus women’s national team, for
Basketball, for implementation of this project.
Audra Gineleviciene – the Director of Lithuanian Women’s
daring to expose her nude photos in this e-book and for her opinion about
women’s basketball.
Basketball League, for enthusiasm and efforts in order to make the
women’s basketball more popular.
Natalia Marchanka – the player of Belarus women’s national team,
Iryna Zhylach – the Managing Director of Belarus women’s national
Jonas Kursevicius – Lithuanian Student’s Basketball League
for her minds about women’s basketball sportswear problems to this e-book.
team, for implementation of the ideas of feminine game uniforms and her
opinion of this e-book.
General Secretary – for implementing the first game dresses in women’s
basketball.
Arvydas Tamasauskas – the Director of women’s basketball
Jurga Vaskeviciene – the VIP client’s manager of company Tuta,
club TEO, for his minds and proposals for this e-book.
for assistance and editing of this e-book.
Algimantas Ivasauskas – the General Secretary of Baltic
Sigita Balzekaite – the assistant and project manager of Simonis
Women’s basketball League, for his minds to this e-book.
marketing, for assistance, researching and editing of this e-book.
Valery Harelikau – the board member of Belarus Basketball
Thank you!
Federation, for the help in order to contact with the players of Belarus and
Russia women’s national teams.
FIBA Europe – for announcing the year 2006, the Year Of Women’s
Basketball.
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| www.PositioningStrategy.com
Valentinas Navikauskas | www.BasketballFashion.com
Linas Simonis
The 2 Marketing Steps
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About the Authors
Linas Simonis and Valentinas Navikauskas have been working together in basketball marketing since 2005. The ideas about how to
ignite changes in women’s basketball and how to promote women’s basketball came up in their common disucssions with managers of
teams. Their common work led them to create an e-book about how to ignite changes in women’s basketball.
Linas Simonis is a marketing strategy in the
web 2.0 age consultant, author, conference speaker
and seminar leader, the member of Business Week
social media experts group.
Linas expertise is marketing strategy in web 2.0 age –
finding ways to come to humans mind in today’s noisy web 2.0 society and
helping arrange marketing moves in battle with competitors.
His publications were printed in all major marketing and management
newspapers and magazines in Lithuania. As a marketing strategy expert
he is interviewed and quoted frequently in the media. On Lithuania’s
state positioning topic he appeared in prime time programs on National
Television, National Radio and others.
His appearances at conferences are widely praised for being insightful and
provocative. Clear and intelligent.
In his carrier, Linas worked with more than 100 companies. His clients are
from solo practitioners to Fortune 500 company’s East and Middle Europe’s
branches.
To learn more about marketing strategy in web 2.0 age, please visit Linas
blog www.PositioningStrategy.com
To learn more about Linas, to hire him as consultant or keynote speaker,
please visit www.LinasSimonis.com.
Valentinas Navikauskas is a professional of women’s
basketball sportswear and the CEO of Tuta – a producer
of professional clothing for basketball teams and clubs.
Valentinas gives seminars and consultations for teams
and their managers about feminine apparel changes
in basketball and the innovative ideas that will appear.
Valentinas Navikauskas is the author of research articles in textile, made a
number of presentations in scientific conferences in Lithuania and abroad,
is the author of fifteen innovations and patents.
Valentinas works in sportswear sphere have been approved by Lithuanian
basketball master Arvydas Sabonis.
Some European teams use Valentinas as an expert of women’s basketball,
knowing all these issues of clothing and the best possible solutions for
specific situation.
In 2007, FIBA Europe and company Tuta launched a new project with a
goal to design new style more feminine game outfits for women’s basketball
players. The project under leadership of Yannick Souvre from FIBA Europe
Properties and Valentinas Navikauskas is still running.
To learn more about women’s basketball fashion, or if you need consultations about changing visual appeal of your team, or just for an experts
insight please visit Valentinas blog www.BasketballFashion.com
If you want to hire Linas to help you to boost your team’s marketing write
a message to linas@positioningstrategy.com.
www.PositioningStrategy.com | www.BasketballFashion.com
The 2 Marketing Steps
Linas Simonis & Valentinas Navikauskas
Every Women’s Basketball Team
Should Make
Need support for implementing these ideas?
If you need the know-how how to implement these ideas, if you need support in executing
them, Linas Simonis and Valentinas Navikauskas are ready to help you.
Want to improve visual appeal
of your team?
Want to exploit all marketing
opportunities in web 2.0 age?
Valentinas Navikauskas is the expert in women’s basketball
sportswear and is ready to consult your team how to improve
visual appeal of your players. Valentinas knowledge and 25 years
experience in textiles will adapt to sportswear style of each player
and will make your team more popular and attractive for crowd
and fans.
Linas Simonis is ready to consult you, your marketing team
and help you to launch a powerful marketing program on
internet. With his help you will be able to raise popularity of your
team, to acquire more media attention, more fans, to sell more
tickets, to find new sponsors for your team.
For more information please visit
his blog www.BasketballFashion.com
or webpage www.TutaBasketball.com
or write a message to info@basketballfashion.com
www.PositioningStrategy.com | www.BasketballFashion.com
Linas knowledge and 17 years experience in marketing will make
a difference to your team popularity. That’s why Business Week
included him to the Business Week social media experts group.
Linas Simonis is also available as keynote speaker and seminar
leader in these topics. For more information please visit
his webpage www.LinasSimonis.com
or his blog www.PositioningStrategy.com
or write a message to linas@positioningstrategy.com