BRAND BUILDING

Submitted By Amit SainiPGP31131

BY

• The X Games is an annual sportsevent, controlled and arranged byAmerican sports broadcaster ESPN

• X stands for Extreme, focuseson extreme sports

• It happens biannually (Summer andWinter games)

• Participants compete to win bronze,silver, and gold medals, as well as prizemoney

• It is defined by various forms ofskateboarding, snowboarding, surfing,and BMX biking

ABOUTX GAMES

HERE's "Generation X" and "The X-Files," "Madame X" and X marks the spot. Now, ESPN Inc. hopes to

add one more name to that list: the X Games

- The New York Times

GROWTH STORY OF X GAMES

• Started off in 1995

• Continue on a growth trajectory interms of legitimacy, participation,public interest, and sponsor/business investment

• Have become increasingly profitable

• Skate, snow and surf gear, apparel,and accessories jumping from a $5billion to an $11 billion market inthe last eight years

• Getting evolved and involved,globally

“The ‘X’ in X Games stands for Extreme—and the name is no

exaggeration. The fans are as diehard as they come, the courses are state of the art and the event showcases some of the most jaw-

dropping athletic stunts known to mankind”

- eventmarketer.com

X GAMES OFFER A POOL OF OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD A BRAND

• Grew into a franchise that with more than 65events attended by more than 2.5 mn fans

• Successfully launched a variety of brandextensions in consumer products and homeentertainment

• Touches all seven continents

• Positioned it well in terms of:

1. Brand perception and relevance2. Live event attendance3. Record-setting broadcast viewership

and ratings4. Increased sponsor investment5. Overall popularity and incorporation

into the mainstream

HOW THE MARKETING STRATEGIES ARE DECIDED?

• Sports marketer identify and manipulatethe youth culture consumption habits ofGen Y

• Accordingly, position brands with thelifestyles of action sport stakeholders

• They look for marketing the youthfullifestyle, apt for the X games audience

• This eventually opens avenues for researchinto how X games market itself to attract acertain lifestyle

D I G I T A L A D S

S O C I A L M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G

P R I N T A D V E R T I S I N G

HOW SPONSORS ARE MATCHED

• Based on perceived fit and common objectives

• Advertisers specifically requested X Games

• Advertisers wanted to target a certaindemographic (males 18–34) and asked theESPN sales team for recommendations

• Advertisers wanted to conduct apromotion/push a certain product or aircommercials within a particular time, andX Games event timing matched

• Advertisers had a certain budget/amount ofmoney to spend, and the ESPN sales teamoffered the X Games property based on thatbudget and the perceived fit

LIST OF OFFICIAL SPONSORS

S o m e r e t u r n e e s p o n s o r s a r e A T & T ; N i k e ; G e n e r a l M o t o r s , f o r

C h e v r o l e t t r u c k s a n d P o n t i a c , a n d P e p s i C o , f o r M o u n t a i n D e w s o f t

d r i n k s a n d Ta c o B e l l f a s t f o o d

BFGoodrich

Ford

Shark WeekAmerica’s Navy

Red Bull

LIST OF EVENT SPONSORS

Casio G’zOne Commando

Shark Week

Shark WeekMobil 1

Sony

HOW PREVIOUS SPONSORS HAVE MARKETED THEMSELVES

• challenged consumers to take the “tucktest” by riding a mechanical bull whiledonning the redesigned, stay-tucked men’sundershirt

• Partakers competed with others to make itonto the leader board with the top ridersfor the weekend

• Received a free pair of boxers forparticipating

• Anyone walking past the booth couldn’thelp but stop and stare at the spectaclebefore moving along

F R U I T O F T H E L O O M

• offering different activities in each room of thedollhouse-like structure

• Attendees could get a temporary tattoo in oneroom, shred on “Guitar Hero” in the next, thentake photos using a whole host of silly propsand cap it off with a cold beverage from one oftwo bars inside the footprint

• A well-placed viewing balcony atop the houseoffered a VIP-esque experience

• brand ambassadors flooded both the footprintand the event at large, using iPads to recordconsumers’ bucket lists

B U D L I G H T

HOW PREVIOUS SPONSORS HAVE MARKETED THEMSELVES

• In addition to sponsoring the inaugural Flat-Track Racing competition, the brand offeredLiveWire Jumpstart riding experiences, whichgave consumers a chance to take a simulatedride on Harley’s new electric motorcycle

• hosted appearances by X Games athletes andoffered a photo engagement in front of theXR-750 racing motorcycle

• Fans could additionally enter the Choose YourRide Sweepstakes to win a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle of their choice viavarious iPod stations sprinkled around thefootprint

• A variety of bike models on display appearedto increase consumer dwell time, although thescores of booth babes probably didn’t hurt

H A R L E Y D A V I D S O N

HOW PREVIOUS SPONSORS HAVE MARKETED THEMSELVES

SUMMARY

• We discussed about facts about what X gamesare and its growth story

• We also discussed about how a great pool ofopportunity, X games provide, for companiesto market and position themselves

• We then talked about various marketingstrategies for X games with respect to print,digital and social media ads

• There are 5 different criterions that areconsidered while matching a sponsor

• The official sponsors for X games includeBFGoodrich, Red Bull, America’s Navy and Ford

• List of event sponsors include Mobil1, Casio,Shark Week and Sony

• Lastly we talked about how differently,previous sponsors have build their brands via xgames

D I S C L A I M E R

Submitted by Amit Saini as part of

PGP Brand Management course taught by

Prof. Sameer Mathur at IIM Lucknow.

T H A N K Y O U .