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Marketing in America
By Zach Arnold | February 23, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Trying to market anything in the United States, especially if you are a foreigner, is always tough. In countries such as Japan and the Dominican Republic, home country vs. the world themes sell big. It’s why the upcoming World Baseball Classic means a lot more in foreign countries than it does in the United States. MMA Snark, Dr. J, and MMA Toronto have two very interesting, critical articles about the “USA vs. Canada” theme that Dana White is using on the UFC 58 show and why country vs. country doesn’t work as a marketing tactic in America.
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The concept can work and has done so in pro wrestling & soccor. What is the Olypics if not “my country will beat yours?” The problem is not in the idea but in the execution and marketing of it. The UFC has done nothing other than half-heartedly called the show U.S. vs Canada. Where are the interviews with fired up fighters waving their respective flags and vowing to fight to the last breath for honor? Where is the UFC tv program detailing the fighters from each country with the theme of nation against nation? When they want to, the UFC produces excellent taped tv packages to build shows, like Liddell/Horn and Liddell/Randy 3. They simply aren’t putting in the effort in this case.
I would like to see more of “us against the world” shows but the UFC really doesn’t have the contacts to pull it off as well as Pride can. There is money in a Russian, Brazillian, Japanese invasion but you need credible name fighters to pull it off and not no-names. And then you have to market them and the shows–that means more than just a tag line on a poster.
There’s a fairly big difference between asking people to watch the olympics on free tv, and asking them to pay for a ppv. It worked in Pro Wrestling cause you had Bret Hart, probably the most over canadian wrestler of all time, fueding with Steve Austin, the most over wrestler since Hulk Hogan.
The other problem is MMA isn’t a sport most americans consider their own. It’s not a since of national pride, and it’s just something we like to watch. In Japan fighting is historic and traditional, families pass on the tradition of specific fighting styles for generations. Look at the olympics with martials arts. An american wins the gold in Judo and he’s just another guy who won the gold. Where as Yoshida won the gold and became a national icon, because he defended the honor of Japan.
On the whole though I don’t think Dana really believes this is a drawing card for the show. I think it’s just easier to say USA vs. Canada, and have some sort of backdrop, than to try and promote it solely on the fights. I really don’t think Kenny Florian cutting promos about how much he loves america is gonna make people buy the ppv. But then again I’m just some idiot the internet who managed to fanagel a column on a website, so what the fuck do I know.
Well, we can see the declining value of the Olympics in America simply based on the television ratings NBC has drawn. It’s been, to say the very least, pathetic.
If the Olympics, the ultimate country vs. country concept, is not a draw in 2006 in America, then expecting an MMA promoter to use a similar concept would be very curious.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t care about the winter olympics. All the sports I’m actually interested, wrestling, boxing, judo, tae kwon do, and what not, are all summer sports. So to me winter olympics are just a bunch of stuff I don’t particularly care about, but again just me.
What?! You don’t care for Curling, the sport of kings?!
Seriously, though, besides maybe Hockey and Figure Skating, I seriously doubt any of the other Winter sports have any real interest in the general public. So yeah, I don’t really think it’s that much of a shock that it’s not a big ratings draw.
I’m curling traditionilist, I don’t care for sport curling.
The Winter Olympics could be cut down to 1 weekend of nothing but womens figure skating and the skiiing events and ratings would improve.
As for us against the world, I’m ok with gimmicks in mma. I’m even curious about the team concept and willing to give it a chance. The UFC currently is pinning all its hopes on Chxck Liddell, a guy who can’t cut a promo to save his life or control his fingers. I’d rather hear Diaz cut an insane heel promo than the same old mic work by the usuals. Hopefully, Tito will fire things up and piss off the masses again. He was never a favorite, but in this era of Liddell mumbling 3 word sentences, I’m ready for some crazy rasslin style promos.