Strategic Marketing Analysis of Rugby Football League

This report provides a strategic marketing analysis of Rugby Football League, including external and internal environmental analysis, SWOT analysis, and recommendations for improvement.

Running head: RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Strategic marketing is considered to be a crucial aspect of any organization and every company
needs to ensure that it has a proper plan in place so that it is successfully able to perform well in
the respective domain. The report has discussed the case study relating to the Strategic marketing
of the chosen company Rugby Football League. The external as well as the internal environment
has been analyzed effectively. Recommendations relating to the marketing have been provided.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Analysis of the case.........................................................................................................................3
External and Internal environmental analysis..................................................................................4
PEST Analysis.............................................................................................................................4
SWOT Analysis...........................................................................................................................8
Barriers and Facilitators of strategic marketing practices.............................................................10
Implications and Recommendations..............................................................................................11
Recommendations......................................................................................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
The Strategic Marketing forms an essential aspect of any organization. It is very critical
for any organization to ensure that it has a proper marketing plan in place so that they are able to
ensure that the industry performs well on an overall basis and the different clubs can earn
sufficient amount of revenue (Team 2013). The report will be following a structured format
whereby the different barriers to the implementation of a proper marketing program will be
discussed. The case study will be critically analyzed, followed by the external and internal
environmental analysis. The different barriers and facilitators of the strategic marketing practices
as adopted will be discussed and recommendations for the same will also be provided.
Analysis of the case
The case study is about the sport rugby which takes place a totally new whole game
philosophy following the political review which was passed after the 2013. The new competition
format as figured out in the year 2015, provided an opportunity to reinvigorate interest in all the
games and foster the financial sustainability in all levels. The different players tend to pave path
for a promotion and relegation facility specifically for the Championship Division.
The sport marketplace in the United Kingdom is currently quite saturated because the
given industry is quite wide in nature and the different leisure offerings are available to the
different customers (Yorkshirepost.co.uk 2018). The competitive environment is very intense
and thus the different sports managers need to ensure that proper strategic marketing takes place.
Hence, the Rugby Football League laid down a strategic plan which then outlined the
vision to increase the profile of the given sports in the given domain. There are different external

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factors which prevail in the given industry and tend to have an impact on the operations. There
have been various new entrants in the given game who have a high average attendance.
However, one problem which has been observed in the given domain is that the different
rugby teams and clubs is the problem related to proper strategic marketing. After an interview
was taken from a variety of teams and clubs it was observed that the clubs do not have a proper
strategy and marketing plan in place (Stead and Stead 2013). There has been limited research in
the given domain with respect to this and the different clubs have not ever felt a need to use
extensive promotional strategy. This has caused a huge problem with terms to the viewers who
have decreased considerably over the time period.
Furthermore, the different clubs were discussing their problems as to what weaknesses do
they face in the given domain.
External and Internal environmental analysis
The external environment of any business plays a key role in the determining the
different factors which will have an impact on the given organization and the different clubs. It is
important for any business organization to ensure that the different factors are abided by and
adequate planning is done in order to ensure that the organization or the club is able to perform
well in the long run.
PEST Analysis
The PEST Analysis can be described as an effective tool which is used to measure the
different factors which tend to exist in the external environment of any organization. It becomes

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considerably easier f a PEST Analysis is performed to understand the factors impacting the
business environment from the four different perspectives.
Political
The political factors can be determined as those factors which are related to the
governmental rules and political structure as well (Morschett, Schramm-Klein and Zentes 2015).
The different political factors affecting the business organization has been given as follows;
Governing bodies
The governing body of the sport, the Rugby Football League has gone through a huge
change and the organizational has gone under a re-structure and the CEO Nigel Woods stepped
down from the given post. The new roles have been filled up with new people and hence, the
state stability of the sport is in a great question. The league structure has also been changed
accordingly and the different clubs like Bradford Bulls changed its status to League One
division. This is because it was facing financial difficulties (Loverugbyleague.com
2018).Various new entrants have been present and attracted a large audience as well.
Government pressure and rule
There are different governmental pressures and rules which the company has to abide by.
This is because the government of the organization tends to play a major role in the
determination of the different players and their rules. Hence, any rule stated b them has to be
followed considerably.
Unions

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The different unions also tend to play a major role in the determinant of the different
players who tend to play in the given season.
Economical
The economic factors can be described as those factors which are related to the inflation
rate, employment and related fiscal policies (Slack 2015). The different economic factors which
tend to have an influence on the club are as follows:
Sponsors
The different sponsors of the company also tend to have an impact on the organization.
This is because the sponsors are the parties who tend to pay for the different games and tend to
pay for the players as well (Rugby-league.com 2018). Without the sponsors the firm would not
be able to earn properly and not play well. Recently, the company has been facing problems with
respect to the funding’s and is lacking adequate resources.
Owners
The owner of the different clubs also tends to have an impact on the operations of the
club and tend to determine the way in which they will function (Lasserre 2017).
Stock markets
The stock markets also tends to have an impact on the different operations of the different
clubs and depending on this the clubs may be required to function.
Social

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The different social factors may be defined as the change in the behavior if the different
people and the viewers who are the target audience of the same (Foxall 2014). Furthermore, the
behavior of the different players are also a determinant of the social factors which exist.
Press
The press tends to have a huge impact on the viewers. It means that the way in which
media will be portraying the club and the games will have an impact on the games itself and will
have an influence on student perception as well (Skysports.com 2018).
Culture
The culture of the people in the given club or the country where the games are played
also tend to have an impact on the different games and the mannerism in which the different
games are played and the leadership is governed in the club.
Fans and supporters
The fans and supporters tend to raise the morals of the different individuals in the club
and is a major determinant of their games as well (West, Ford and Ibrahim 2015). The needs of
the different fans tends to determine the schedules of the games and the popularity as well.
Recently, the choice of the supporters have been changing and thus, the game is getting affected.
Technological
The technological factors that have an impact on the club and games are the
developments that take place in the technology.
Media

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Media tends to have a huge impact on the operations of the club and the media coverage
plays a major role on its viewership also tend to have an impact
Broadcasting Partners
The broadcasting partners also have an impact on the viewership of the different games.
SWOT Analysis
The SWOT Analysis can be described as an effective tool which is used to analyze the
different factors which exist in the internal environment of the organization (Rothaermel 2015).
The SWOT Analysis comprises of the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and the Threats.
Strength
The strength of the given clubs are the strong brand name. The Rugby Football League has been
present since a long period of time and thus for this reason, it is fairly popular.
Weakness
The weaknesses can be described as that component which tends to act as a shortcoming and
tends to restrict the club or the company from performing well in the given domain (Proctor
2014).
The weaknesses of the company have been given as follows:
Poor Marketing
The strategic marketing of the different clubs and the league is very poor in nature. The
clubs have never considered undertaking marketing and other activities seriously and that tends
to work as a downfall for the club.

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Low funding
The funding’s received by the league and the club are comparatively very low and the
club lacks sufficient resources.
Low communication with customers
The communication with the different customers is very low (Williamson et al. 2013).
They have no medium to communicate with the different consumers which is the reason for the
lower viewership.
Lack of database
The lack of databases also tends to act as a weakness for the firm.
Opportunity
Opportunities can be described as the availability of a chance in the external environment
that can work well for the club.
Marketing opportunities
The company can utilize the opportunity well and engage in proper marketing
opportunities using various strategic tools and frameworks in order to determine the successful
relationship it can have with the various customers and the viewership might also increase
considerably.
Threat
Other sports

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The different amenities which are available for the different users are the major threat for
the game.
Barriers and Facilitators of strategic marketing practices
The Barriers of strategic marketing practices can be described as the hindrances which
exists in the domain of the club and tends to restrict the club from adopting marketing practices.
The different barriers which exist are as follows:
Lack of proper knowledge- There does not exist any professional expert who will be able to
guide the club and assist them in achieving their stated objectives (Wheelen et al. 2017). This
means that these experts should be able to help the firm and the club to take them towards the
right direction and then help them in attaining the desired viewership.
Lack of funds- The club and the league lags funds as well. The main problem with the club is the
lack of resources which will then act as a barrier.
Facilitators
The facilitators can be described as those factors which will help in the proper
implementation of the marketing plan. They are as follows:
Sponsors Available -There are different sponsors which are available in the given club. As the
brand name is quite strong, different sponsors are willing to invest appropriately in the given
games.
Press available-There are various channels who are willing to invest properly in the given
domain, which can act as a facilitator.

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Changed Management-The new management can also act as a facilitator to the adoption of a
new marketing strategy.
Implications and Recommendations
The implications of a proper strategic marketing for the Rugby Football League have
been given as follows:
Customers and viewers
The primary implication of a marketing strategy will be that it will assist the league in
meeting the customer needs and increase their satisfaction considerably (Vogel and Güttel 2013).
Through a marketing strategy the characteristics of the target market will be identified and one
can easily focus on the different strategies and make the league games more positive. The
reputation of the league will also improve considerably.
Offerings
The offerings of the league and the type of games which are played will also improve in
case a strategic marketing plan is at place. A marketing strategy improves the quality of the
services being offered.
Performance
It improves the overall performance of the league. This means that if the marketing plan
is in place, the overall performance of the league will improve in the eyes of the different
customers and viewers alike.
Employees

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An effective marketing strategy implementation and plan will help in improving the
employee relationship with the league as well. The environment becomes conducive which
builds team spirit.
Recommendations
The recommendations for proper strategic marketing and implications have been given as
follows:
Documenting the strategy- The strategic marketing strategy needs to be well documented with
the firm (Zott and Amit 2013).
Meeting with the team- The team meeting needs to be held continuously in order to ensure that
the team is able to function well for the welfare.
Having specific goals- Specific goals must be set according to the vision (Chernev 2018).
Understanding the metrics- The different measurement metrics should be kept in place in order
to ensure long term success.
Estimating ROI- the Return on the Investment needs to be measured effectively.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the given analysis it can be stated that, the role of strategic marketing in
any organization or a game like a league is very crucial as it helps in determination of the proper
vision and helps the organization to achieve the same. The given report discussed the case study
of the Rugby Football League and analyzed the related external environment and internal

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environment analysis. Furthermore, recommendations based on the same have also been
provided.
References
Chernev, A., 2018. Strategic marketing management. Cerebellum Press.
Foxall, G., 2014. Strategic Marketing Management (RLE Marketing). Routledge.
Lasserre, P., 2017. Global strategic management. Palgrave.
Loverugbyleague.com, 2018. loverugbyleague.com https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/fans-
to-be-consulted-on-super-leaguestructure-changes/. Accessed 4 July 2018.
Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H. and Zentes, J., 2015. Strategic international management (pp.
978-3658078836). Springer.
Proctor, T., 2014. Strategic marketing: an introduction. Routledge.
Rothaermel, F.T., 2015. Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education.
Rugby-league.com, 2018. Rugby-league.com
http://www.rugby-league.com/article/50868/betfred-super-league-clubsagree-no-major-structure-
change-for--season . Accessed 4 July 2018.
Skysports.com, 2018. skysports.com
http://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/11201156/rogerdraper-to-quit-role-as-rfl-
chief-commercial-officer. Accessed 4 July 2018.
Slack, N., 2015. Operations strategy. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Team, F.M.E., 2013. PESTLE Analysis. Strategy Skills. Free management eBooks, p.15.

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Vogel, R. and Güttel, W.H., 2013. The dynamic capability view in strategic management: A
bibliometric review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(4), pp.426-446.
West, D.C., Ford, J. and Ibrahim, E., 2015. Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage.
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