The ESPN Brand - Assignment Example

1. The augmented product is ESPN’s continuous improvement related to its contents as well as delivery. This means that the customers can trust ESPN for getting them deep insights and sports news from a new perspective.

2. ESPN has strong and dominating brand equity. Over the years ESPN has not only strengthened its customer base but also has been able to instill enviable brand loyalty, as is clearly reflected in the fact that ESPN is able to charge a premium that is well above its competitors’. This strong presence of brand equity readily translates into ESPN’s brand value as is evident in the statistics shown in the case: that it is not only is a $6 billion company but also contributes a significant 20% amount to its parent company, Walt Disney’s kitty.

3. Some of the important co-branding efforts of ESPN brand are as follows:
a. ESPN with NBA launched ‘Fantasy Basketball’ game.
Benefits: It appears to be a win-win situation for both brands. Fantasy basketball is becoming increasingly popular and will only add to the image of ESPN (Fisher, 2009)
Risks: the only risk is that the traditional consumers who love watching ‘live’ sports action might get confused with this kind of brand extension promoting ‘gaming’ and not a real ‘sport’.

b. ESPN partnering with ABC.
Benefits: With this partnership of ESPN with ABC, consumers are able to watch premium sporting events without the extra cost (Associated Press, 2010). Also, it helped ESPN to reach a wider audience.
Risks: It might lose its ‘Premium image.
c. ESPN and AOL
Benefits: The AOL website reaches out to a very large consumer base, including those who do not have time to spend in front of their TVs (Dempsey, 2008). By streaming ESPN videos online, the channel can target this whole new consumer base.
Risks: Risks could include the regular risks associated with online streaming like ‘denial of services’ slow connections etc. These may wean off some consumers.

4. ESPN has done very well in developing its brand through a variety of clever strategies. It has successfully explored a large bouquet of media to reach its consumers. From traditional television through cable, radio and print media to DTH, telephony, mobile services, internet, ESPN has been able to have a wide reach in its audience. Also, its co-branding strategies have been very effective and mutually beneficial for all partners.
As far as possible future brand developments are concerned, I think that ESPN should make its presence even more prominent in developing gaming software for various available platforms, such as tablets, mobiles, etc. Also, it should make better use of its social media platforms.
Also, ESPN should look into its global marketing strategies and provide content that suits a variety of audiences belonging to different cultures. Read More