United States Sports Academy - "America's Sports University"
The Sport Journal - ISSN: 1543-9518
The Usage of the Sports Image in Advertising Sector in Selected Turkish Television Channels
ISSN: 1543-9518
ABSTRACT
This research was made to assess the relationship between advertisements on marketing sports products on Turkish television channels and sports images on the basis of products, and to get information on the tendencies of onlookers of sports products through strengthening onlookers’ sports images and remembering them later by analyzing advertisements. This research was made to determine how often sports images are used in the advertisement sector and the impact of sports in advertisements.
The universe of the research was the first four most watched television channels according to the reports of AGB (Research Improvement and Information) in June, 2001. These channels were Show TV, Channel D, Star TV, TRT 1 (Turkish Radio and Television). In this research, the books and researches on sports management and advertising, the total durations of advertisements on related channels and the ratios of sports images used in advertisements were studied. All the advertisements broadcast between 09.00-21.00 hours for one week on each of these four most watched channels were studied, and the results were shown in graphics and tables.
Observation method was used to determine the results of the research. ‘SPSS’ statistics programmer was used for the statistical analysis of this research. Frequency and percentage techniques were used to determine the results.
In conclusion, this research showed that the advertisements including sports image were broadcast more than the others, and advertisement producers showed a great deal of interest in sports images. Sports concept is used as on important tool in advertisement, marketing and image in advertisements broadcast on Turkish television channels studied in this research.
INTRODUCTION
Sport is one of the most important social concepts. Many companies use sports as tool to its popularity. The companies producing sports equipment and private sports clubs are the examples using sports. They turn the Professional sportsmen into stars and give the image that equipment used by such sportsmen supports their success. As a result, the equipment produced by them sells very easily. Today, many companies like banks, construction companies not related to sports use sports as images (Zeki,1998). For instance, a private bank can use marathon runners as an image to emphasize that this bank is forward.
In our century, sports is in a process that interfered a lot in marketing and its industrialization. Advertisements make sports more popular. All the organizations hoping for profit use concepts like arts and sports to introduce themselves (Ünsal,1994). This is the basic factor in sport image. Sports image can be used in various types in society. The basic objective of advertisements is to become part of success, and to be remembered with this image (Zeki,1998). A winner in the Olympic Games in remembered by the name of the sponsor company tries to become part of sportsmen’s success. The objective is to remembered and to be well known.
The reason for the popularity of football and basketball is the popular sport images. Companies can be popular using star sportsmen and sport image. Sports equipment producers work with famous sportsmen. Sport images often used in textile, food, transportation and popular sportsmen are remembered with such companies(Kocabaş, 2001).
Advertisement etiquettes used in sports and product introduction are (Bir,1988);
- Advertisement is a guide for consumers. It gives information on new products.
- Advertisement decreases distribution costs and helps retail sellers.
- Advertisement encourage competition, and increases the amount and quality of production.
- Increases in production and sale amounts helps prices go down.
- Advertisement makes communication tools independent.
In this study, the visage type, frequency, and effect of sports image in product presentations in advertisements on Turkish Television is analyzed.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
The universe of this research is the Turkish Television channels. These channels are Show TV, Channel D, Star TV, TRT 1, the most watched 4 channels according to the reports of AGB (Research, improvement and information: AGB Group,2001). All the advertisements on these channels were watched and studied for one week between 09:00-21:00 hrs. And the results are shown in table as 1. Pre-program watching 2. During program watching.
Pre-program advertisement are 7-10 minutes and this variation is due to Prime Time programs. During programs advertisements last 3-4 minutes. The intervals of programs can change 2 or 3 times. The duration of advertisement within the programs is 6-9 minutes. According to AGB reports the total advertisement duration is 28 hrs. a week and 4 hrs a day in Show TV, Channel D, Star TV, TRT 1. the first for channels in june 2001 and their percentages are as shown:
Show TV 21%
Channel D 20%
Star TV 19%
TRT 1 17%
Others 23%
While collecting data, necessary information were found in documents. Each of the four most watched channels were studied for one week and the results were sown in graphics.
The reason to watch every channel separately is that advertisements start and finish at the same hours.
The ratio and distribution of advertisements containing sports image were shown in percentages. SPPS statistics program was used for the statistical analysis of this research.
FINDING AND COMMENTS
The results and comments on the relationship between advertisement and sports image in the most watched channels in June according to AGB reports are shown below.
| Duration | Total broadcast Time (hrs) | Total broadcast Time (hrs) | Advertisement Time (hrs) | Total advertisement percentage |
| Daily | 48 | 100 | 4 | 12 |
| Weekly | 336 | 100 | 28 | 12 |
These tables show total weekly and daily broadcasts of television channels and the amount of advertisement in these broadcasts. The total amount of hours is very high. However, this amount shows that companies made big investments in advertisements.
Graphic-1: The frequency of subjects in all the advertisements broadcast in all channels
The reason for the high ratio of food, textile and bank advertisements is that they are the basic necessities sports image is used in all the advertisements for them to be remembered.
| Duration | Total broadcast minutes | Total advertisement percentage | Advertisement broadcast minutes | Sports İmage percentage used |
| Daily | 175 | 100 | 65 | 37 |
| Weekly | 1225 | 100 | 455 | 37 |
According to these graphics and tables, the ratio of advertisements containing sports image is very high among the other advertisements. In this table, the high amount of advertisements containing sports image in other advertisements are shown. The high frequency of the usage of sports image shows that advertisement companies prefer it to affect people.
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS
According to our research, the advertisements containing sports image are very high. Sport concepts affects a lot of people and sports ımage can be used everywhere. The high number of products are variety in advertisement sector lead to usage of sports image . advertisement companies combine every event and concept with sport.
Advertisement producers prefer sports image according to this research. Sport image is the highest among the other images. Advertisements makers use sports image because it is a concept affecting people. Sports image has become a tool to affect people. Advertisements makers use Professional sportsmen to affect young people so that they can sell their products easily.
Sport image can be used frequently in advertisements because sport affect people in various directions. Sports can be the symbol of many subjects (Ünsal, 1994).
People may like sports more through sport image. Production companies use sports image to sell their products, however, they let people like sport more. Companies should employ people who enough information on sports.
Sports influences many people. It is observed that advertisements containing sports image has been increasing. Company owners prefer using sports image more (Zeki,1998).
In this research, popular sports branches and popular sportsmen are preferred in advertisements containing sport image. For instance, football image is used many advertisements. Because football is a very popular branch of sport. Either a famous footballer is used or popular brand is used with football image in advertisements. If other branches become popular, advertisement subjects can be more various.
The images of less popular sports branches can be used so people can be interested in various sport branches.
REFERENCES
- AGB Group, (2001),(TAM- Television Audience Measurement) Haziran, 2001 kayıtları.
- Bir, A.; (1988), Reklamın Gücü, Bilgi Basım, İstanbul,
- Kocabaş, F; Elden, M., (2001), Reklamlar, Kavramlar, Kararlar, Kurumlar, İletişim Yayınları, İstanbul,
- Ünsal; Y. ; (1984), Bilimsel Reklam ve Pazarlamadaki Yeri, TİVİ; Basımevi, İstanbul,
- Zeki, A.; (1998), Reklam ve İmajları, Bilişim Yayınları, Ankara,
