Question: Manchester United - the case continues - what makes people buy?
A football game is not a tangible product. A regular and significant intangible purchase by a Manchester United football fan is the £27-£49 ticket to see a home game at Old Trafford or £10 on a pay-per-view TV basis. There is no guarantee of satisfaction and no exchange or refund. No promotional advertising is needed and the ticket demand is relatively ‘inelastic', i.e. prices can increase without sales volumes necessarily falling. An important question for a marketing manager is ‘how does a fan reach the decision to buy this experience and how is value measured?'.
The buyer behaviour framework described above can help: domestic UK fans are typically lifelong, acquiring perceptions of and loyalty to the Club at school or in the home. Influencers would include peers and older pupils. Although football was formerly maledominated, young females are an increasing part of the market. Most fans travel in groups of two or more, so this is a segment attribute that can be managed in raising awareness and favourability. Publicity photos can depict fans celebrating or commiserating together and the whole emphasis of attending a football match can be positioned away from ‘did we win?' to ‘did we have a good time?'. This approach is one of MU's declared marketing strategies.
Case questions:
1. What customer demands were MU seeking to satisfy at the time of the case study?
2. What other demands does the business have to satisfy?
3. What marketing tools are mentioned in the case?