MMA Is Big Business
This weekend is the first ever UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. A number of supplement companies are making an appearance hoping to tap into the MMA market. Will it pay off to target the fastest-growing sport? Time will tell.
My only concern with companies looking to make a little coin off the MMA market is in their marketing strategies. If they try to apply the same marketing techniques they use in the fitness industry, they will crash and burn. Sure some fans already workout and eat healthy but for the most part, fans don’t have a clue about supplementation. In order to be successful companies need to educate the consumers before getting them to open their wallets.
Current issue of Muscle & Fitness.
Magazines are no different when it comes to marketing to this market. The current issue of Muscle & Fitness features MMA fighter, Nate Marquardt on the cover. Other fitness magazines have also put fighters on the covers. Does it work in selling more magazines? Certainly. Just like the fuss over putting Kim Kardashian on the cover of Muscle & Fitness Hers, putting a fighter on your cover is tapping into a new audience.
I’m all for it as I think it will only help in bringing in more fans to the world of bodybuilding and fitness. The women’s side of things are still lagging behind the men in the world of MMA but it’s gaining steam.
Look to Canada’s best fitness magazine, Inside Fitness with it’s current issue. They have the most popular Canadian athlete, UFC Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, on the cover this month. The August/September ‘09 issue features a block of training coverage, featuring his strength and conditioning training program and an in-depth interview with MMA training guru Greg Jackson.
This is the right way to market to a new audience. Don’t just slap a popular figure on the cover but feature their training. Much like Muscle & Fitness’ issue, you get a look at how these fighters train and gain a newfound respect for what they accomplish.
GSP on the cover of Inside Fitness.
Think it isn’t big business? Sports Illustrated recently reported that the UFC will begin charging companies $100,000 for six months for the right to put their logo on a fighter. That’s 200k a year just for the right to put their logo on the fighter.
If you’re one of the companies or as an individual if you’re getting into the MMA world, think about how you can make yourself relevant. If you’re an MMA fan, expect to see more companies getting in the mix of MMA.
