Chapter 18: Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Manchester United uses sales promotion or short-term incentives to motivate consumers to purchase their products immediately by selling products cheaper for a limited time. On Manchester United's official site, they have what they call an "online megastore," which sells all kinds of Manchester United products. A promotion that they are having now is, jersey print of name and number of your choice for 5 euros or $8 when its usually 7 to 10 euros to have your jersey printed and this promotion lasts for a month. Consumers of Manchester United Jerseys would rather want to have a jersey with either a players name and number or their own personalized name and number rather than having nothing on it, so by having a promotion like this consumers that are going to buy a Manchester United jersey will look at this discounted price and ask themselves, why not pay an extra couple dollars?  Also on their online store they have a promotion that offers a free wallet with any bag you purchase. These bags are fairly small in size and run from $10 to $20 so from a consumers perspective it can seem to be a win-win situation but do these consumers really need this bag? Probably not. All of these promotions are available for a limited time only so consumers will act on impulses rather that thinking about it thoroughly.

Chapter 17: Advertising and Public Relations

Manchester United as a global brand, advertises in many different ways. Manchester United receives a lot of television air time because they do well throughout the season. Man United has to consistently win the title of the English Premier League and preferably win the Champions League in order to keep their television air time. General Motors has revealed that close to a billion people watch Manchester United games all around the world. At the moment Manchester United is not looking to well because in their last season they lost their title to rivals Manchester City and also Chelsea has won the Champions League so theres a lot of attention being diverted to other teams in the same league.

Nike has been Manchester United's kit manufacturer since 2002 till today. Their shirt sponsorer changed from Vodafone, AIG, and to Aon. On July 30, 2012, Man United signed a seven year deal with General Motors and the new deal that will feature Chevrolet as the shirts logo. General Motors agreed to pay $559 million from 2014 to 2021, which is more than double of what they have been receiving from Aon. Through various sponsorships Manchester United is given the opportunity to advertise, especially in the United States. Soccer in the United States is increasing at an exponential rate and in having General Motors as their sponsorer, Americans will be more aware of the sport of soccer and Manchester United as well.

Chapter 15: Retailing

Manchester United has a partnership with the company Nike and therefore receive a huge amount of publicity. Nike has chain stores worldwide so Man United will not miss the opportunity to promote their brand. In going to the Nike store located in Uptown, Manhattan, I found a section where the store sold all kinds of products advertising Manchester United. The store sells replica jerseys, training wear, jackets, hoodies, backpacks, and t-shirts all with the Manchester United badge on them. This Nike store is open seven days a week allowing consumers to visit at their convenience. Nike stores have an expectation to be clean and have great customer service, where in my experience I've never received any less.

The layout of the store is unique in its own way, it has five floors all consisting of its own identity. They separated men and women's merchandise very well where when you enter the store, you wouldn't have a hard time finding your way around the place. They have escalators throughout the five floors which is located in the center of the store, making it more easy to find and use. Products are separated either by sport and different brands they have in Nike. Also in the different sports and brand sections they have gone another step further in separating men, women and children merchandise into different sections. As soon as I went into the store I noticed they have a lot of employees. The atmosphere of the store gives off a vibe of a place to hang out, making it comfortable to customers. In all the five floors they have, they have employees everywhere making themselves available for help.

Chapter 6: Consumer Decision Making

Manchester United has become a mascot in the soccer world. The sport of soccer has already integrated  with many cultures all over the world. Sports in general is looked upon in a positive manner. By playing sports an individual, especially at a young age, tends to keep a healthier lifestyle compared to individuals who do not participate in a sport. Sports can also keep children, or young adults out of the streets, where you may find gang violence and drugs. Also in playing a sport that is team oriented, an individual can improve their teamwork amongst their age group, where teamwork is essential in our society today.

Manchester United, with its deeply rooted history, has one of the most loyal fan bases in the world. With the current manager, Sir Alex Ferguson who has served Manchester United since 1986, gives Man United a strong foundation. From their history and foundation fans can find security in cheering for this team. Old Trafford, Man United's stadium located in Greater Manchester, England, had to expand their stadium due to the demand from fans, where there was an increase of approximately 8,000 seats allowing a capacity of 75,765. Old Trafford is the second largest soccer stadium in the world.

Fans of any sport have the sense of obligation to support their teams. Manchester United in having the biggest fan base in the world, fans want to see their team succeed. Competition now goes from the field to the stands. Fans will do whatever it takes to make rival team's fans look inferior to them. If you are a loyal fan, one will go out of their way to purchase a Manchester United shirt. Consumers of Man United's jerseys can feel confident in what they are representing. Once a Consumer wears the shirt of Man United they have joined a community for 'good.' Man United is the most respected team in the world and a consumer of their product can find unity from the clubs name itself 'Manchester United,' fans becoming 'united.'