ME 52-33:Speaking the Global Language of Sports

Matt Van Tuinen is the founder of MVT Public Relations, which specializes in sports and lifestyle public relations. Currently, he is managing the global public relations for the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament, the most attended non-Grand Slam tournament in the world, and the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament, the final stop of the Olympus US Open Series. His depth and range of sports-related public relations crosses platforms, countries, sports and athletes and sports journalists, make him a linguistic expert in the global language of sports marketing and public relations.

Matt Van Tuinen

Founder
MVT Public Relations


What site(s) do you have to visit everyday for Marketing news?
Sport Business Daily, Sport Business Journal, Darren Rovell's CNBC Sports blog, NYTimes.com, Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab

What site(s) do you go to at least once a day for fun and inspiration?
ESPN.com, SI.com, The Big Lead, Twitter, Facebook

Greatest skill a good Marketing professional requires?

Relationship building--the greater one's network of meaningful relationship, the more likely one is to be able to tap into resources to help with success. Strong relationships internally often help build consensus. Agencies will run through walls fro clients they have a strong relationship with. From a business building perspective, the more vast your network is, the more likely you are to be in a position to capitalize on opportunities.

What is the recent "it" Marketing phrase/trend of the moment that you hear almost everyday and what does it mean for the industry and the marketplace?

Social media--in my world of Sports, it has become an integral way that athletes connect with fans. Before Facebook and Twitter, it was harder for an athlete to quickly and simplistically connect with fans. Now, if you are Venus Williams, you fire off a tweet from wherever in the world you are, and instantly update your followers with what is going on in your life. It creates a strong bond, and can be an effective marketing vehicle for that athlete's sponsors, if it's done correctly and not too often.

There have been fads in the Marketing world. In your opinion, what are recent developments that are here to stay?

The evolution of mobile marketing. The ability to connect with people wherever they are, with content specifically targeted to their interests, offers dynamic options for people to market their product or company to consumers. This area will only continue to grow exponentially in my opinion.

What is essential NOT to do when it comes to your speciality?

Fail to be current, or knowledgeable about emerging trends or latest developments in your specialty. Exploring the latest concepts and formulating thoughts and ideas about how it could, or could not be applied to your specific area or business, is vital.

What's an imminent hurdle in the Marketing world that you think will cause significant changes to the way we market to consumers or businesses?

I think this current recession is having a substantial impact and it could be more long range than people think... shifting gears from desire or want-based, to much more value/need-based happened quickly for a lot of conusmers. That isn't to say that people won't always want a new phone, computer, clothes, car, etc., but realistically the cast majority of consumer dialed it way, way back, and I don't know that it will change for the next 2-3 years. It isn't that people won't spend, even on high-priced items, but companies have to appeal to a different side of them. if a product, event or experience falls into a want category, it needs to be communicated in a way that fulfills a basic need, say happiness, instead of appealing to their desire for bigger, better or more. They are getting the same thing, but perception is vital.

Can Marketing ideas travel across continents and languages? Does globalization work or is localization more effective?
Ideas, at their core, can transcend language and continents, but if often has to be tweaked to fit each culture. Sport is a global language. Look at the World Cup, the Olympics, or the expansion of the NBA into China and other countries. The idea of sport or competition is an idea that has great commonality around the world. LeBron James, or someone like Michael Jordan, works as a marketing tool for the NBA in any country or language.

Best piece of advice you have received?

There is no substitute for hard work (Edison). Most of the very successful people i know worked exceptionally hard to get where they are at.... Sure, they might have caught some breaks along the way, but in the end, their hard work paid off.

Growing up, what was the first thing you can remember wanting to be?

Shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. If they are looking for an aging left-handed shortstop, I'm still available.

To Tweet or not to Tweet?

I love Twitter, however, I don't tweet. Twitter is such a useful tool to stay up with what journalists, athletes, celebrities, companies and more are doing, reading, linking to, etc... I think it's here to stay.

What do you think are some of the most promising models for monetization of digital content? iPad. When I first saw the demo for Sports Illustrated on the iPad, it blew me away. I think the possibilities for the newspaper/magazine/journalism industry are substantial with this device.