SPORTS-NOV09-P14 Head 2 Head:SGBGolf_NEW_template 13/11/2009 09:47 Page 14
Head to head
Going Digital
Paul Clapham spoke to Paul Mace, MD
of sports PR specialists Mace Sport
You’re heavily involved with sports personalities. Do you think Apart from your own clients whose efforts do you admire in the
brand owners serve the needs of independent retailers with these business?
sponsorships? I’m a big fan of the people behind the Great Britain cycling team. In a short
Brand owners certainly make a serious effort to keep the retailer top of time they have taken the sport from a low ranking to being the best in the
mind. The key issue is that brands should focus on the authenticity of their world, with involvement in the Tour De France to come. I don’t know the
chosen ambassadors and in truth some brands don’t always get a good sales results but they should be impressive. The team itself are role models
match. As a case of how it works effectively our client Precision Training has not just on the track but off it too.
Graham Taylor, the former England football manager as ambassador who
does have the credibility to talk training requirements. He also has a Do you feel positive about the current sports market?
grandson playing sport so he is involved on two levels. Both retailers and Absolutely 100%. These are very exciting times for the whole sports world
their customers understand and value a message from Graham. I suspect and particularly here in the UK with the Olympics on the horizon. Both in
that some brand owners are seduced by the big name without researching terms of participation and support across all sports involvement is growing.
the qualities of the individual. A high profile is only part of the equation. As an example of why I’m positive, when I went to football matches thirty
Some are not engaging, not empathetic and others just take the money and years ago maybe 3% of the audience were women. Now it’s more like 25 to
run. 30%. I have no truck with the negative attitudes I hear in some quarters. I’d
say we’ve never had it so good and I invite the whingers to be quiet.
Do retailers make full use of the marketing support brands offer
them? What recommendations would you make to retailers to enhance
This is about communication. We are currently in a rapidly evolving their business?
situation. The end-user picks up a vast amount of messages from a wide As before, embrace and harness digital. But also most retailers are miles off
variety of sources. Especially amongst younger customers the impact of the mark on database building and data capture. That really is a low cost way
social networking sites has been huge and is still growing. We find that viral to build a loyal customer base. At the same time, maintain a reputation for
campaigns reach customers very effectively and create two-way good old-fashioned customer service and expertise – I would even mention
communication which is increasingly important. We see the best good manners because in the big stores you don’t get a ‘good morning’.
S
communication between brand owner and retailer as those which can be
monitored. We typically achieve over 50% ‘opening rates’ with digital
communications. That may not sound so impressive, but it is tangible
whereas with other communications you simply don’t know how successful
or otherwise your programme has been.
You’re putting heavy stress on digital issues. Is that really so
important to retail sales?
It’s vital. The good retailers already have a handle on this but others are
simply not involved. They don’t stay in touch with customers often enough.
With mobile phones, e-mail, networking sites and Twitter the rising
generation in particular are used to far more communication and any
business which is not involved with the wired world rapidly becomes
invisible to these customers.
What sales opportunities do you see for independents?
The way we buy sports goods is a changing landscape. I can see a trend which
creates a renaissance for the high quality, specialist retailer. Because of that
mass of information available from so many sources the customer is
increasingly knowledgeable. “Don’t know” from an untrained assistant just
doesn’t cut it. The independents are much better. They aim to educate their
customers; they talk with them and become involved with their sporting lives.
That said they must embrace the digital revolution or die. Apparently the
average family now spends more time online than watching TV and young
people – my 12-year-old son as a case – don’t read newspapers: they get their
facts from the web.
A shining example: Former England manager Graham Taylor
(left) is the ideal ambassador for the Precision Training ethos
14 SGB SPORT NOVEMBER 2009
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48