Marketing of the National Basketball Association - Essay Example

Most NBA teams are based in the United States, therefore a problem of geography will face any marketing efforts, as has happened in the past.

Different languages may describe a slam-dunk with different words, but it is still unlikely, if not impossible, for a Beijinger to cheer the Bulls. To believe otherwise is nave.2. For the NBA to enter Australia, a country obsessed with sports, may be practical in terms of microeconomic possibility, but it will still fail because NBA is an American sport. Australians have their own Australian Football League, also known as Aussie-rules football, the National Rugby League, and the Super 12s, a competition played with teams from New Zealand and South Africa, which are all keen rugby union-playing nations with a shared history of belonging in the Commonwealth.

If establishing a team in Australia is an adjustment then this is what the NBA must do to become established in Australia. Sport is highly regionalized in Australia, and the NBA must have local support to generate Australian revenue. Marketing efforts must focus on expanding from 29 teams to a greater number, just as Stern did in the past because supporters follow players. For example, Arvydas Sabonis brings NBA supporters from Lithuania, Detlef Shrempf supporters from Germany and Croatians follow Toni Kukoc.

Another adjustment that the NBA might make to improve marketing would be to support grassroots-level playing of the game. If basketball were played then players of the game would look to the best players in the world to improve their own game. This is a natural expectation.3. Stakeholders in the NBA are several. And the larger the NBA grows in terms of revenue, the more stakeholders there will be because money attracts interest. Much of the interest comes from the players, with stars such as Shaquille O'Neal recognized around the world.

These are aspirational stakeholders, and figures such as Wilt Chamberlain are remembered by young and old. To market players is unethical. Other stakeholders include large multinational corporations, such as advertisers, MacDonalds, Coca-Cola, etc. who use the NBA as a medium to advertise their products. An international expansion is desirable for these corporations because they already operate globally. To market the NBA is not their priority, however, since, they are only interested in their market share.

Community groups are becoming an increasing focus in the NBA, with groups such as the Women's National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League, who are given media exposure. The NBAP Code of Conduct is a social contract for all stakeholders and each may only influence a marketing decision within its terms.