Sports Marketing Is a Relatively New Field,

Sports marketing is a relatively new field, although sports and marketing have been around for quite some time. Sports marketing is the specific kind of marketing for products and apparel for sports exclusively. Any kind of marketing toward youth is apt to draw attention, and sports marketing proves to follow this pattern. The paper will consider the criticism of sports marketing aimed toward youth that contends that this kind of marketing for this demographic focuses too heavily upon image and is lacking in substance. The focus is too much on the image or brand identity, as well as the products being marketed and that there is little focus, attention, or support for youth to actively participate in sports. The paper will consider this criticism and respond to it.

Youth, the group that includes children and adolescents, are a powerful and influential demographic with respect to consumer taste/trends and economic leverage. In other words, though most youth do not have earn their own money to spend on products and services, they are a group that has formidable influence on the overall market. What youth find popular, is often extremely popular. The consumer behaviors and tastes of the youth might not always be wise or have long-term stability, yet their choices in consumption affect many industries. Industries that have been previously established have awoken to and are awakening to the power and logic of producing marketing campaigns that specifically target youth. Marketing overall and sports marketing in general have made this realization and market exclusively to youth often and for an array of products and services. Therefore, there is precedence for sports marketing for youth, and some material evidence upon which the criticism of sports marketing is founded.

In some instances, I would agree that sports marketing for youth focuses more on the product or the celebrity promoting the product, than how the product serves them as part of the greater activity and goal, which is the achievement of physical fitness through exercise. This is the case for many forms of marketing and for many products, not just sports marketing and sporting goods & apparel. While there are examples that should be and are criticized, there are also other examples of sports marketing for youth that do encourage and promote participation in physical exercise. There are sporting goods made specifically in youth sizes. There is apparel for youth to wear while they participate in exercise. There are even some products such as Wii and Xbox, which are extremely popular among youth, that have games and other accoutrement such that in order for the players (youth) to engage with the game, they must exercise, such as Wii Yoga, Wii Sports, and Dance Revolution. Thus, in response to the criticism that sports marketing is more hype that substance, I would respond by saying that this criticism needs to be more specific and it needs to include the awareness of counterexamples.

The focus upon activity over image can be changed. Marketing techniques could evolve and change, but that is unlikely to be a choice made by most companies, especially the most powerful or influential ones. I think in order for this to truly be changed, there needs to be a cultural change. Some of the success of marketing campaigns depends on those behind the marketing's understanding of the social and cultural contexts within which the marketing will be considered. If the culture changes such that there is a greater priority and value upon the physical fitness of youth, in some ways, the marketing will have to comply to reflect, support, and propagate the values of that particular culture.