Brand extension nelle imprese di servizi sportivi: opportunità ed implicazioni manageriali nel caso del calcio

The aim of the work is to define the opportunities and managerial challenges of brand extension strategies adopted by service sport firms. The interest regarding the brand extension strategies results from two consideration: on the one hand sport sport firms need to diversify their own activities in such a way as to reduce the effects of the results on the field on their economic performance; on the other hand sport teams have established themselves as brands which might be exploited in order to strengthen and to widen the competitive position of those sport firms. Firstly we analyse the achievement of sport teams as brands and we emphasize the need for sport firm management to adequately select brand exploitation strategies. Secondly we identify the typologies of brand extension, that is line and category, about which we outline objectives, terms of fulfilment and risk associated; subsequently we introduce a literature review about brand extension in service sport firms which is affected by a low interest by researches. Finally we recognize the opportunities to adopt those brand strategies and the resulting impacts on managerial dynamics for service sport firms, in particular soccer firms.