What is the point of professional sports venues investing heavily in branding?
Branding: What's the Point? More Than a Stadium is a story that begins before the game! Suppose you showed up to a stadium on the day of a championship final. Suppose you went to a full stadium on the day of a championship final. The excitement can be felt before the whistle is blown. Countdowns play on the giant digital screens, the entrance gates are dressed in team colours, music plays and thousands of fans proudly wear their jerseys and snap pictures in front of iconic landmarks. Now ask yourself – what is making this experience so memorable? Just the match? Not really. Remember, people remember the entire experience, and this is where branding comes in. Professional sports arenas around the world spend millions of dollars on brand and marketing because they realize that the answer to their question is simple: fans aren't only purchasing tickets; they're purchasing experiences. Today's sports stadia are no longer "just" concrete edifices, but "tale-te...