Miller Brothers Marketing Analysis
The Assignment:
My Principles of Advertising class was asked to research a campaign. At the end of October we will combine our findings into a ten-minute presentation where we analyze and critique the company’s campaign. I chose to look at the Miller Brothers. Below you will see my understanding of the Miller Brothers’ marketing strategy and what they are doing well and could do better.
The Company:
The Miller Brothers
Slogan: “Prepare yourself for the most unpleasant pillowfight of your life.”
Target Market: 18-34 year-old-men
Problem Statement: What’s the problem?
Jim and Dan Miller need to stand out from every other fighter that graces the cage. Their career is based on not only how well they fight, but also whether or not they have a fan base and if they can keep their fan base.
Situation Analysis: What would happen if we did nothing?
If Jim and Dan Miller didn’t monopolize the “Miller Brothers” reference, they’d be competing against each other. One brother’s career may take off and no one would know who the other one is. Instead the brothers need to promote each other and put on a good show equally as well. Promoting separately is not only more expensive but also more time consuming.
There’s no formal research to support this claim. There were three sets of brothers who fought in the UFC. Ken and Frank Shamrock fought early in the UFC’s beginnings, but are no longer with the UFC. It’s no secret that they hate each other and often talk about fighting each other. Simple speculation suggests that such animosity hasn’t helped their careers. Nick and Nate Diaz are both brothers but never fought in the UFC at the same time. Aside from Jim and Dan Miller, the only brothers to ever be under contract with the UFC at the same time, until recently, were Joe and Dan Lauzon, but after one fight Dan Lauzon was cut. Joe won a “huge upset win” then went on and stayed on Ultimate Fighter. Dan Lauzon was placed on a card not too long after his brother’s fight, but lost and was cut. He went on to work for Affliction, a hopeful UFC competitor, until the company folded in the summer of August 2009. Dan has been with the UFC since then and was placed on a UFC 103 card but couldn’t fight because he got hurt. The Miller Brothers have been the only pair to consistently fight under contract with the UFC at the same time. Although both Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira have been fighting for several years (and quite successfully), they have not been with the UFC consistently at the same time. Before the UFC they were contracted with Pride until the company folded. Minotauro’s first fight was in 1999 and has been with the UFC since 2007. Minatoro’s first fight was in 2001 and signed with the UFC in September 2009. His first fight is suspected to be in November. While the Nogueira brothers are identical twins and have very successful careers it’s difficult to determine how their relationship with each other has affected their careers.
With this information in mind, it is difficult to say what would happen if the Miller Brothers didn’t work together because there’s no situation to base this on, however the above conclusion is the most likely scenario: promoting the Miller Brothers separately would be more costly and would take longer to reach their goals and objectives. Could the Lauzon brothers have a better shot at furthering their careers if they worked together?
Here’s an example of how marketing each other is effective: Dan’s second fight was taken at short notice, and he did very well. When Dan has a fight, there’s a shout out to Jim and always vice versa. At any rate, a month later, Jim takes a fight at short notice and also does very well. An announcer commented, “That’s what I love about the Miller Brothers – they’re always ready to fight!”
Marketing Objectives and Goals:
Goal: To raise awareness about their name and skill, which will raise their popularity and, in turn, help their career.
Objectives: To be on broadcasted fights consistently (Pay-Per-View pays more, but getting airtime regardless is great). Jim has been in three broadcasted and in two un-broadcasted (or dark) fights, while Dan has also been on two broadcasted and two dark fights.
Importance of broadcasts and how they get on there: Slots for broadcasted fights don’t always showcase the most skilled fighters. With typically five fights in a night the top guys who are probably fighting for a belt will be in the number five slot, which is at the end of the night. The number four slot will go to close contenders for a title fight. What about slots three to one? Number one has to be very exciting, and typically goes to lightweights, because it’s the first fight of the night. Dan tends it be in the three or two slot, while Jim tends to fight in the one slot. They market themselves as entertainers and people who love and appreciate what they do. Based on the above information, one would think that slots two and three would range from entertainment to skill, but that would be slightly incorrect. In UFC 102, the number three slot went to Jake Rosholt, who Dan Miller quickly submitted in Roholt’s first UFC fight at UFN 18. Why would the UFC give such promotion to a guy that lost decisively? “He’s a D1 national wrestling champ thrice over, so he’s marketable, and his opponent, who was only a mediocre 8-4 (3-4 in his last seven) in the UFC, was a guy named Chris Leben who is a well-known fighter.” Leben was also a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter. Below the fourth slot, the slots go to who the UFC thinks will entertain the audience and put up a good fight. By marketing a fighter, the audience becomes aware of who they’re watching and can enjoy the fights more thoroughly. Again this circle aids how many broadcasted fights they receive and how well they can progress with their careers.
Raise their fan base. Results for this tend to be difficult to measure statistically. Historically, success is usually measured by whether or not you’re name is being talked about in forums and blogs, and how willing organizations are to book or promote you.
Facebook: On September 12, 2009, Jim Miller had 274 fans and Dan Miller had 252 fans. Chuck Liddell, a real fan favorite and a fighter making an appearance on Dancing With the Stars, has achieved 13,554 fans. The UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, reigns with 32,166 fans. Another measurement can be seen in the UFC’s page, which holds 623,494 fans.
Example FB pages – Liddell: http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=chuck+liddell&init=quick#/video/video.php?v=527774743269&ref=mf
Increase financial opportunities, such as having paid appearances, being in video games, and being idolized as dolls and bobble heads. The UFC video games have eighty guys in it and the makers are choosing from a total of about 200 to 300 fighters. Dan and Jim will both be in UFC Undisputed 2010. They are also in the Topp’s UFC Trading Cards
Tactics/ Action Program
Image:
Personality: “Primarily, they are known as humble guys, who don’t badmouth their opponents, always mention that they’re looking to have an exciting fight and push it from start to finish… because they aren’t trash talkers, they try to make people excited to see them by producing exciting fights and letting their actions speak for them… and they’ve embraced the ‘anybody, anytime’ attitude, since it’s just who they are naturally, but it’s served as a great tool for building a fan base, as they’ve both taken fights on super short notice to the extent when Dan did it again this time most of the articles made sarcastic comments about ‘somebody is hurt, time for Joe Silva to call a Miller boy’ and their willingness to do so, and still look good and be exciting, has grown their popularity,” says Bobby. The Miller Brothers’ manager, Mike Constantino, explains they purposely accept all fights so the “UFC knows they can count on us for last second replacements so that helps.”
Constantino also admits, “I push the guys to be as personable as possible when dealing with fans, autograph and picture requests, etc.” Being a nice-guy “is a much slower market.” Bobby also suggests, “You won’t skyrocket as fast as the same fights with an abrasive, trash-talking swagger. But at the same time, some of the most beloved stars ever are noted for being very humble, so it’s the kind of thing where if you have the fighting to back it up, there’s a long-term benefit in not talking trash just to do it, when you’re not that kind of guy.” An example of this is Randy Couture. “He fights because he loves to challenge himself and try and find a weakness in the opponent’s game.”
In terms of advertising, the Millers’ personality is just perfect. Spike holds “special sessions with UFC athletes at gyms and training centers, all in the name of quelling [the advertisers’] skittishness. We’re constantly trying to [promote] the UFC as a good vehicle to get in front of a young male audience and we thought we hade to make a concentrated effort on selling it,” reports an article on http://www.broadcastingcable.com.
“When some of these advertisers go to the fights, the training center or the gym and they meet these fighters, they realize the guys are pretty cool and smart and there’s an opportunity there,” says Brian Diamond, the senior vice president of sports and specials at Spike TV. “What I hear 99% of the time after advertisers see a fight is, ‘Oh, I didn’t think this was what I thought it was going to be.” Larry Novenstern, executive vice president, director of National Electronic Media at Optimedia, which has bought spots for several clients says, “It took some time for us to warm up to it, but just seeing the quantity of the viewing audience was enough.”
Analysis: Although broadcasted fights are “solely at the UFC’s discretion,” says Constantino, it helps that they the Millers accept each fight. Building credibility is just as important as building reliability. As for advertising, the brothers should take advantage of the UFC’s unruly past. The scene changed since White took over the business but most Americans don’t know that. As Novenstern and Diamond mentioned, they want to reach out to young men and help the UFC’s image. Jim and Dan are perfect for achieving those goals. What advertiser could ask for more than two UFC-contracted brothers from Sparta, New Jersey, who love a challenge and came from a good home? Advertisers may not come to Jim and Dan, so something Constantino might want to think about is pitching the brothers to advertisers. Maybe Spike would be interested in using them in a show or for a product.
Company: There’s a benefit to being contracted with the UFC, which enhances the Miller’s image as well. “Zuffa [UFC’s parent company] is the gold standard, the NFL of MMA,” said Versus senior vice president of marketing Bill Bergofin. “They understand what they have as entertainment and recognize the value of the whole experience from top to bottom, from the time they come on the air till they go off.” The UFC was founded in the 90s. The company’s “vicious, apparently lawless nature appalled and enthralled in equal measure, but marginalized the sport and made appealing to sponsors a struggle. Last year [2007], with a new owner and altered rules, UFC grossed more from pay-per-view than WWE Wrestling or any boxing event,” says Marketing Magazine. And according to http://www.broadcastingcable.com, “The UFC has grown to be one of the biggest televised sports ever.” Spike is also a reputable channel for the brothers to be on. According to Multichannel News, Spike is “one of the basic cable’s main MMA purveyors.”
Analysis: With these presented statistics, it is only fitting that the Miller Brothers stay with the UFC and Spike.
Website for more specific information: www.millerbrothersmma.com
Note: In the MMA community not many people go to individual fighter’s websites. MillerBrothersMMA.com receives 50-60 hits a day on average and 300-400 hits on a fight day.
Randy Couture: http://www.randycouture.tv/
Chuck Liddell: http://www.icemanmma.com/photos/
Analysis: Web design could be more professional. Big names like Randy and Chuck should serve as a sort of model. The coloration for the Miller Brothers is perfect. The design and coloration should be uniform throughout their media (see their site, twitter, myspace). The site’s layout needs to be reorganized. Too much text can be overwhelming. Also, when you search for Jim or Dan Miller on google you’ll get the most random Jims and Dans. If you type Miller Brothers MMA or if you mention “mma” in the search their website will pop up, but I think it’d be really effective for the Miller Brothers’ website to pop up in any search with “Jim Miller” or “Dan Miller.”
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums
Investigate blogs and forums
Analysis: Content needs to be more personal. Fans don’t go to twitter to see when a fight is coming up or what their weigh-in is. They want to get inside their “idols” mind. Otherwise they can just go to ufc.com. A lot of MMA websites have their own blogs, but I think it’d be cool if the Miller Brothers had their own on their website. It’d also be neat to see how the brothers interact with each other, or get a perspective from their manager or family. Maybe put tips on their site or social media.
Manager: Mike Constantino
Duties: Constantino reviews and negotiates contracts for opportunities such as fights and endorsements. Constantino says, “I basically do anything that I can do to let them just concentrate on fighting.” The Miller Brothers’ manager also makes sure the fighters have the best trainers, and chiropractic and wellness care.
Along with contracting and providing tangible assistance to the brothers’ career, Constantino assists Jim and Dan with a strategy for progressing their careers. “I also get them press through MMA websites,” Constantino admits. He works hard to network and get Jim and Dan the best fights, appearances, sponsorships and fans.
Connections: “Networking is essential for the growth of any business or brand,” Constantino says. Although he’s his own boss, Constantino still works with a few key people.
Dean Albrecht: He’s “the best in the business of that type of work,” says Constantino while talking about is sponsorship partner. Albrecht and Constantino assist each other in finding sponsorships and endorsements.
Joe Silva: Silva is the official UFC matchmaker. This relationship is absolutely vital for Jim and Dan because Silva needs to be convinced that he can rely on the brothers for last-minute fill ins as well as holding their own on their own cards.
Credentials: Constantino has been in martial arts his whole life. “I set a plan to build a fight team here at my martial arts school and I packaged everything and offered it to various fighters and built my team from scratch,” the manager explains. Constantino has been working with the Miller Brothers since 2007.
Banner:
The banner is hung behind the fighters before the fight, but is prohibited to be displayed inside or outside the octagon at anytime after the fighter’s introductions. Although the banner doesn’t advertise the Miller Brothers specifically, the banner is intended to advertise the fighter’s sponsors for that fight. On that banner, however, the fighter can put their website on there. There are a few regulations regarding the make and layout of the banner.
Regulations for the banner:
Must be checked the morning of weigh-ins
May only display one banner
The UFC will provide a sticker with the UFC logo and the fight venue when you bring the banner in at weigh-ins. A blank spot should be saved 13” from the top. 3” must be left around the edges.
Banner must be black vinyl, 6X4
Sponsors:
Sponsors are found fight-by-fight. For Jim and Dan, they had a contract for their shorts with Ecko for their first few fights then switched to Hayabusa. Different fighters will determine their sponsors and how they contract with their sponsors.
Set Objective:
Awareness
SWOT Analysis:
Strengths
Image: Since the changes White has made to the UFC, having two brothers who were raised in a small town by a loving family and just love a good challenge is arguably the best thing that could happen to the UFC. Advertisers have been hesitant because of the seemingly uncontrolled violence, but the Miller Brothers’ image is perfect for both advertisers and the UFC.
Jim and Dan are good at what they do. They don’t have to rely on being entertaining or a pretty face. They have the skills to back up their “anyone, anytime” attitude.
Being brothers helps because they can train together, gain fans together, and promote each other.
Weaknesses
Could improve and strengthen the website and social media.
Opportunities
Social Media
Spike reality shows
While it’s unrealistic for the Miller Brothers to be on The Ultimate Fighter, it may not be unrealistic if Spike creates another show or mini-series. Admittedly this opportunity isn’t exactly a current opportunity it is something that could be pitched.
Blogs and forums
Advertisements and commercials
Nike, Gatorade, etc.
Threats
Other fighters
Being “nice” will take longer to gain a fan base but will be better in the long run
Stigma from UFC’s past image
PDF Forms of this document, key terms, and a visual reference sheet are available below:
