Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Dražen Novak
For many in the region professional wrestling is just another channel to go through while they click through the TV stations late at night. That there is something more to it and that it’s a form of entertainment that continues to attract more and more audience, we learned from Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer of WWE, and superstar John Cena, who climbed the stage of Cannes Lions last week.
Their appearance on the stage was not accompanied by the traditional announcer and: Let’s get ready to rumble chant, but there was definitely a show in their presentation. And yet, this was by all accounts a serious marketing lecture because WWE takes their job seriously.
Stephanie McMahon at the beginning talked about the perception that the general public has about pro wrestling. Yes, they are adult women and men in costumes performing complex choreographies that have nothing to do with a serious fight. Yes, everything around the ring and in it happens according to a scenario which is on par with day time shows. And yes, all of this is a combination of forms of entertainment that are known to the human kind for centuries: ballet, theater and gladiator fights. But the mix obviously works, because WWE WrestleMania was the 5th most valuable sports brand in the world in 2015. The four that precede it are the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, and the summer and winter Olympic Games.
This means that pro wrestling is a more valuable brand than the UEFA Champions League, which is in 8th place!
This result was achieved by using a business model that is based on three things: content first strategy, content ecosystem, purpose and value.
For WWE content is the priority, and these are of course the events they organize by themselves or in cooperation with partners. Annually they hold about 350 of these worldwide. The largest one, WrestleMania, was held this year in Texas and attracted an audience of 101,000 people. WWE events are held throughout the year, and unlike other sports there is no summer and winter breaks. The season lasts 52 weeks, non-stop. This allows them to continuously provide new content for the public. And they don’t limit themselves to their own stars. Many famous athletes, actors and musicians have appeared at events. Their participation doesn’t consist only of sitting in the audience or appearing between the fights. Muhammad Ali was a guest referee, Wayne Rooney answered the insults of one wrestler with a nice slap, and Donald Trump appeared several times, from backstage to the ring. WWE planned each guest star appearance so that the content would be relevant and to open a communication channel to a new audience. This naturally attracted sponsors, such as Snickers, which introduced its You’re not you when you’re hungry platform with the help of WWE stars. This of course brought the fans new content with their favorite fighters.
The content of course is not reserved only for the fans who come to events. It is always available through the WWE ‘ecosystem’. It all starts with the events, but it continues through TV broadcasts, social networks, digital, mobile and WWE network. Organization makes sure that everything that happens comes to life through each of the segments of the ecosystem. When Shane McMahon returned to the WWE after a seven-year break and asked his father and CEO Vince McMahon to pass on the reigns of leadership, he did it in the ring, in the event, with live broadcast. The father agreed, provided that Shane wins a cage match in one of the following events. The newly created drama continued through social networks, and the organization fueled it further with various promo content distributed through mobile and digital. Fans who might have forgotten the fights of Shane McMahon could watch them on the WWE Network. Shane failed in taking over the WWE, but his ‘conflict’ with his father helped enrich the ecosystem of the organization. Thus the WWE YouTube channel is the number one sports channel, WWE Network service has 1.8 million subscribers, is broadcast in 25 languages in 180 countries worldwide, and WWE profiles on social networks have gathered 650 million followers.
The entire ecosystem is working on constant interaction with fans. As Stephanie McMahon pointed out: “More engaged, more entertained.” They treat their fans with a lot of respect. They know that what WWE shows is just entertainment and that their programs are for all ages, so they make every effort not to be discriminatory in any way. Therefore, each of the stars is a carefully developed brand in itself, with fitness, medical and marketing services that care for them. WWE and their stars along with performances, films, guest appearances in shows, also support and participate in many charitable causes. Because the main goal of WWE is to bring happiness to people.
More about happiness and how they create it was shared with Cannes Lions audience by WWE superstar John Cena. In addition to having won the championship belt of WWE fifteen times, he also made 400 wishes come true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation for seriously ill children. His appearance on the stage revealed that in addition to his proves in the ring he is also well versed in the roles of a lecturer and a businessman. At first glance, the choice of color of the two sizes too small jacket can be deceiving, but the appearance and content showed us that John Cena has the knowledge needed for successful building of business. As a true American, he did not want to waste time, so he summed up his lecture in five important points.
First: Know your business. Each of us knows what they are doing on a daily basis, but it is important to know very well what the company we work for is doing – ie. WWE causes happiness in people, and this is at the core of every action undertaken by John. Second: Know yourself. What exactly do you do and what is your position in the company, and how can you contribute? Third: Know your audience. It is important to know for whom is intended that what you do. When he first started, John in his appearance had a lot of profanity. But the WWE audience over the years more and more began to consist of young children and families. He adjusted to this in order to keep his character among the good guys of the WWE universe. It was easier to continue business as usual, but the adjustment has led him to even better results. Fourth: Never be afraid to ask questions. When we ask questions, we know more and we start to think about new things. When they were thinking of expansion, John asked why not try to breach the Chinese market. Despite the fact that they were completely unknown there. In the end, after a lot of effort and a bit of learning of Mandarin for the first press conference, this 1.35 billion people market is today crazy for pro wrestling. The fifth and final point was: Love what you do. With this approach, at a job that we really love, everything we do is not difficult.
These five points complemented with John’s personal examples concluded the lecture, but not our time with the WWE stars. It was followed by socializing with the crowd, to which two thirds of those present flocked. Stephanie and John were patiently taking selfies, shook hands and talked with anyone who wanted to. Looking at it from the side, and looking at the audience leaving the mingling laughing and chatting happily, you couldn’t but notice that the guests from WWE again succeeded in their mission: to bring happiness to people.