Buyer Behaviour and Analysis: Arsenal Football Club - Case Study Example

Executive Summary Consumer behaviour in most cases is influenced by various factors and this report seeks to explore some of them and the most appropriate in influencing the behaviour of people towards the chosen brand which is Arsenal Football Club. This club is also commonly known as the “Gunners” and is a professional English football club based in London North and is a prestigious one with a very huge following. There are various factors which influence the behaviour of consumers towards Arsenal FC and some of them include the following; it is a professionally run team which often meets the expectations of the supporters and the fact that ticketing system is also affordable. However, there is need for timeous response by the marketing managers to the concerns of the supporters since they are the ones who make the game of football a success. The marketing manager also ought to consider the use of traditional colours of the team whenever targeting the consumers. It would be easier for both supporters as well as potential fans to identify the colour of their team. The behavioural theory with the greatest relevance to the above mentioned brand is the cognitive theory. Most supporters outside UK also wish to see their team playing in their countries hence it is mainly recommended that Arsenal FC can effectively harness this marketing strategy through engaging one of the top flight teams in the league of any chosen country and play a friendly game during the time they would be off season. Introduction Arsenal Football Club (FC) also commonly known as the “Gunners” is a professional English football club based in North London. According to their official website, they play in the Premier League and they are renowned as one of the most successful clubs in the world of English soccer. They have a record of winning thirteen titles in the first division as well as thirteen Premier league titles. They have also won a record ten FA cups and two League cup winners as well as eleven charity/community shield winners among others in their history and this makes them one of the most highly rated clubs in English football. The club was founded in 1886 and is popularly identified with its traditional white and red colours. According to information obtained from the Premier League’s official website, the Premier League is the world’s most watched league and the most prestigious. It attracts players from virtually the whole world and was established in 1992. The Premier league strives to attract quality players and aims to promote development and excellence in professional football at club and international level. The club has a strong fan base and the renewal rates of seasonal tickets have often been very high according to official statistics obtained from the club’s official website. Inspite of the tougher economic circumstances currently prevailing, the club is very confident that the renewal rate for next season will also be very high and it currently has 47,000 fans on its season ticket waiting list. However, there are hundreds of thousands fans residing in London. Compared to other clubs, its waiting list is very robust and has many avenues for generating revenue which can sustain its operations. Arsenal FC has got a supporters forum which represents the interests of the supporters in general and has structures to incorporate these interests in its day to day running as the fans are the major stakeholders. The advent of satellite broadcasting has made it possible for other fans across the globe to enjoy live matches and it is estimated that Arsenal FC has a global fan base of about 27 million, the third largest across the world. Factors that influence consumer behaviour There are various factors that influence consumer behaviour for this product. In attempting to outline these factors, it is imperative to highlight the meaning of consumer behaviour for easier understanding. Cant et al (2006:2) define customer behaviour as “the study of individuals, groups, or organisations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and desires.” The behaviour of consumers is mostly influenced by the fact that Arsenal is a professionally run team which often meets the expectations of the supporters by clinching prestigious titles quite often. The supporters are not ashamed to identify themselves with the traditional colours of their team because of its wonderful performance. In other words, it can be noted that the team’s consistency is the main factor that influences the behaviour of the customers who are the fans in this particular case. The ticketing system is also affordable in that there are different categories of tickets depending on the level of affordability which leaves no room for failure to attend matches to those willing as a result of expensive tickets. The concerns of the supporters are also taken into consideration as a high priority by the authorities at the club and there are various structures such as the fan clubs that represent the supporters. Indeed, when targeting customers, the marketing managers ought to bear in mind the fact that football is the world’s most beautiful game that attracts the largest number of spectators at any given match. It entertains and it is so challenging hence the supporters ought to get the best out of any match. There is need for timeous response to the concerns of the supporters since they are the ones who make the game of football a success. When there are no customers, there is no match since it would be pointless to play a match without spectators. The marketing manager also ought to consider the use of traditional colours of the team whenever targeting the consumers. It would be easier for both supporters as well as potential fans to identify the colour of their dream team hence any form of visual communication should portray the traditional colours associated with the team. The marketing managers should also bear in mind that there disabled people but very dedicated supporters whose interests need to be considered. Provision of facilities that cater for disabled people must be given priority every time as a way of showing responsibility. The managers should also initiate programmes that are meant to assist the less privileged members of the society. By being socially responsible, they would show that they are also concerned with the welfare of the people in various communities and this would inculcate a sense of trust among the fans which would even help attract more supporters. Consumer behaviour theories and models There are various consumer behaviour theories and models but the most appropriate ones to this particular brand would be discussed in the following section. A study of consumer behaviour draws principally on psychology with additional inputs mainly from sociology as well as Economics (Lancaster G &Reynolds P 1999). In this case sociological needs are concerned with love friendship, status, self esteem among others and psychological factors mainly deal with attitude as well as perception of something by different individuals. McCarthy J.E & Perreault W.D (1990) argue that an individual may have several reasons of buying a product to satisfy different needs which derive from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. However, as discussed below, there are various theories and models that help explain consumer behaviour but in this particular case, only the appropriate theories to the case of Arsenal FC would be discussed. Basically, all aspects of the individual which determine his or her buying behaviour such as perception, needs, motives and attitudes are either directly or indirectly influenced by the individual’s ability to learn (Lancaster G &Reynolds P 1999). This is a process where an individual acquire the buying and consumption knowledge about a particular product. Therefore, the behavioural theory with the greatest relevance to the above mentioned brand is the cognitive theory. It posits that a considerable amount of learning takes place as a result of the customer thinking and problem solving (Cant M.C et al 2002). This theory views people as problem solvers who gather information around them to master their own environment and this often involves creativity as well as insightfulness. This theory states that such process involves mental processing and put emphasis on the role of motivation as well as manipulation of the mind in arriving at the desired goal. In this case, reasoning takes center stage and throughout our lives we subconsciously learn the behaviour of others especially celebrities. Indeed Arsenal FC is a prestigious club and is admired by many people hence they would feel motivated to be identified with its colourful performance always. In this case there is no direct reward offered for choosing the brand but the individual’s mental capability of reasoning would motivate himself since he would be seeking to derive pleasure from a brand of such calibre. The decision to go for the brand rests with his own reasoning capacity hence the better performance of the team, the higher chances of appealing to more soccer lovers. Whilst other consumer behaviour models are primarily concerned with purchasing situations such as the buyer/decision model, AIDA model for instance, the most appropriate model to this particular case is the adoption process model. It is made up of five stages that influence a customer until he reaches the final adoption process and these are; awareness, interest/information, evaluation, trial and adoption. It can be noted that there is need for marketers to first create ‘awareness’ of their product or service and then assist the buyers through the remainder of the process. In the case of Arsenal FC, awareness of the team forms the foundation as there are also equally powerful clubs and this should be followed by creating interest which is supplemented by providing adequate information to the consumers. This can be achieved through excellent performance of the team as well as the use of advertisements. The evaluation stage is next and it is when the product or service can be evaluated against other existing products. If the product is more appealing, the likely chances of attracting more customers. The trial stage is when the consumers are motivated to test the product if it suits their needs and interests. Once they are satisfied with the preliminary results of the product, then they would move on to adopt the product. This model best illustrates how consumers can make their decision with regards to choosing a team they can support after realising its potential. Recommendations Research conducted through interviewing dedicated fans of Arsenal FC outside UK shows that most of them have no direct link with their team though they would remain true supporters. It is recommended that the marketing managers should effectively harness the new features of the new information and communication technology in the form of the internet and try as much as possible to widen its database and as well as attempt to get as much feedback as possible from the supporters from across the globe. In this case it is difficult to market this particular brand since it is not tangible like other physical products. The consumers benefit by getting the satisfaction from excellent performance hence their voices ought to be heard and this would be the most effective strategy of reaching them since they are the ones who form the back borne of soccer business. Besides using the internet to compile statistics about the supporters, there also ought to be technical teams based across the globe that represent the supporters. It is also recommendable for the club to maintain the colour blind approach in selecting quality players. Football is one game which ought to have absolutely no racial strings attached to it since it is regarded as a unifying force among different races. The marketing managers can use this strategy as a technique to spot talent from across the globe without any fear or favour. Whilst the club is based in London, it has millions of supporters across the globe and their needs and interests also ought to be taken into consideration. Being one of the richest clubs in UK and the world, it can be in a better position to acquire the best players from across the globe so as to ensure variety. It can market itself by looking for talent from other continents when they show case the important matches such as the Africa Cup of Champions for instance and this would go a long way in expanding the support base. Most fans especially from other less developed countries particularly in Africa crave to see their dream team playing live in their own home grounds. Arsenal FC can effectively harness this marketing strategy through engaging one of the top flight teams in the league of any chosen country and play a friendly game during the time they would be off season. For instance, in South Africa which is preparing for hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup has quite a number of top flight teams in the league. Playing with one of these teams in their own home would attract quite a lot of supporters as they would so much wish to see topflight English team playing in their local grounds. Indeed soccer is not only confined to one particular region therefore there would be need to visit other far away places as a way of promoting interest among potential supporters. Some fans are motivated by seeing their team playing live and this strategy would help create lasting impressions among fans in less developed regions compared to Europe. Conclusion Over and above, it can be noted that Arsenal FC is one of the prestigious English soccer clubs based in London but has a large following. Consumer behaviour is influenced by various sociological factors as soccer is often watched as a form of entertainment. However, it is highly recommendable that this top flight club ought to explore the other corners of the globe as a strategic marketing technique. References Berry T. & Wilson D. (2001), On Target: The Book of Marketing plans. How to Develop and Implement a Successful Marketing Plan. Palo Alto Software, Inc USA. Cant M.C et al (2006), Consumer Behaviour, Juta & Co Ltd Cant M.C et al (2002), Customer Behaviour: A South African Perspective, Juta. Deloitte Consulting (2008), Focusing on Customers: the role of technology in business, A Euromoney Publication. Lancaster G &Reynolds P (1999), Introduction to marketing, A step by step Guide to all the tools of Marketing, Kogan Page Ltd, UK. Strydom J. (2004), Marketing, 3rd Edition, Juta & Co Ltd, SA McCarthy J.E & Perreault W.D (1990), Basic Marketing, International student Edition, 10th Edition, Irwin, Boston McCarthy J.E & Perreault W. D. (1996), Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach, 12th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, USA. Official website, Retrieved on 06 May 2009, From: http://www.premierleague.com/page/arsenal The official website, Arsenal.com, Retrieved on 06 May 2009, From: http://www.arsenal.com/home Read More