Why Conor McGregor is a Marketing Genius
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is as good at marketing his fights as he is at winning them. It could be easy to disregard his efforts in selling his events but the ticket sales and viewing figures tell their own story.
The Irishman knows exactly how to conduct himself and is very comfortable speaking in front of camera. That’s not to say his persona is a charade but he knows how to entice fans and interest them when the time is right. McGregor has managed to attract fans outside of the core following and many invest a lot of time into the sport. They want to know more about the elite athlete and why he’s appearing on the front of magazines, news and more.
Does McGregor Deserve the Recognition he receives?
You can’t take anything away from the featherweight champion, he’s beat the best in the division and even ended Jose Aldo’s reign within 13 seconds. Since then he climbed two weight divisions on ten days notice and lost to one of the UFC’s most known athletes in the US. But after losing he prepared for a rematch where he’d not only break pay per view records but also enjoy sweet redemption. His second fight against Nate Diaz topped UFC’s most watched event, which was, yes you guessed it- Conor McGregor v Nate Diaz 1. Both of his fights with Nate Diaz have had the most pay per views in the history of UFC with the second one reaching 1.65 million pay per view purchases. It goes without saying that the featherweight champion’s flair inside the octagon and his complete skill explain some of his fans but there have been many other skilful fighters before him who haven’t engrossed the public. So he must be doing something right?
Love Him or Hate Him?
Whether the public idolise him or despise him, it makes little difference. Both sets of fans will most likely pay to watch him. If you watch him to support him or to see him lose, he gets paid either way. He isn’t the only sportsman to realise this either, there’s often a ‘good’ guy and a ‘bad’ guy role when two people face off, Floyd Mayweather dominated boxing for over two decades. He often ‘trash’ talked and sparked anger throughout the boxing sphere but he retired as a multi millionaire believed to be worth between $400 and $600 million. McGregor’s last big press conference ended with bottles being thrown and this whole saga generated a lot of attention. It’s a possibility that this was a last ditch attempt to increase the figures. His fight’s are available to watch on Sky or Virgin via BT Sport. Find our Sky discount codes to get a package deal allowing you to watch his next outing.
Love Him
He has a patriotic Irish following who travel the world to see him fight and he makes sure that everybody knows exactly where he comes from. The passionate Dubliner carries his flag to press conferences, fights and expresses how much it truly means to him to do it for his country. In addition to his home nation, many of the British public have took a liking to him and even Americans were supporting him prior to his match up against Stockton’s Nate Diaz.
Hate Him
He also has his fair share of fight fans that dislike him and you’d expect nothing else. He slapped Diaz’s hand, took over a whole press conference full of fighters to call everybody out, snatched Aldo’s belt plus many other misdemeanours. But as mentioned, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it creates a buzz for his upcoming fights.
Using Social Media
He’s used all of the media to his advantage and that’s why you see him on the front of magazines and multiple news stories. Even after his loss, he was talked about across the globe. But his social media accounts get a lot of attention and that’s because he’s constantly posting money, supercars, training and more. It appeals to more than just fight enthusiasts, because people think wonder who he is and how he has all this money. Before you know it they’re researching his past fights and when he’ll next be fighting.
His army of fans come bearing a flag or Conor McGregor merchandise too. They’re loyal supporters and often take over a whole city in America. Get hold of your favourite UFC t-shirts or McGregor phone cases with Amazon discount codes. You can even kit yourself up in your own fight gear with Sports Direct promotional codes. There’s so much more than what meets the eye when it comes to this UFC sensation. A lot of businesses, sports stars and individuals could take a lot of inspiration from his tactics.
By Daniel Treasure, 20th September 2016