He has worked for two years at Sportizen, a sports consulting enterprise.
How did you get started in this field?
After graduating from university I was working at the Korea Foreign Trade Association, but I realized that the job was not for me. So, I quit and started working in sports marketing, which I had become interested in.
As an expert in the field, what do you think the sports marketer is?
The sports marketer is a creator who adds value, whether that is existing or new value... Well made products are not the same as good selling products. We cannot be sure that well made products will sell well. Sports is a product, too. A sports marketer strategically uses events, advertisements, and promotions to promote sports on a commercial scale. In other words, he or she adds good value.
There have been a growing number of people hoping to become a sports marketer. What skills do you think are necessary to be a sports marketer?
You cannot become a sports marketer out of simple interest alone. To begin with, you need to understand the whole context and all the external influences on the sports market. For example, if you do marketing for a pro-baseball club, you have to offer solutions which consider not only players but also supporters and the outside environment.
Moreover it is also important to understand the cultural code. To give a specific example, a few years ago Burger King and KFC moved into Chamshil Baseball Stadium. This was only possible because marketers understood the cultural code, specifically a change in Korean people’s dietary culture.
Finally a requisite factor is the ability to think outside the square. Marketers have to acknowledge these customers’ need and reflect them in marketing.
What do you think is the potential for the domestic growth of sports marketing?
The sports industry ranks 11th among all the US industries. Considering the fact that the motor industry ranks 17th and the film industry ranks outside the top 20, we can see that the sports industry occupies an important position.
And the sport industry’s share of GDP stands at around 3.5% in the US. In Korea, by comparison, it takes up around 2.3%. With this simple calculation we can see there is additional potential for growth of 1.2%. This latent market growth is equivalent to 7 billion won and exists in all sports fields.
Do you have anything to say to people who want to be a sports marketer?
You have to keep in mind that the visible values of here and now are not everything. You need to foresee and place specific importance on future values, and see your work as investment to achieve these future values.
The UOS Times
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