K League 1 Jeju United has launched a new marketing challenge that goes beyond sports boundaries.
Jeju hosted a unique event ahead of the final home match of Hana Bank’s K League 1 2024 round 37 against Gwangju FC held at Jeju World Cup Stadium on the 10th. It held the “2024 Neyoung Nayoung Jeju Sea Fresh Seafood Shoot-Discount Game” in partnership with local fisheries cooperatives in the province.
What is noteworthy is that the Jeju team directly took charge of the event. Based on the “K-League Financial Soundness System” introduced last year, Jeju struggled to find ways to strengthen the team’s fiscal soundness. Jeju found an answer from what it has always done, not unfamiliar.
First division teams hold about 18 to 19 home games a year, which lasts for about two hours. Including the events ahead of home games, the team will fill four hours with various elements of interest. Jeju has decided to use its know-how it has accumulated so far.
Since he has developed his capacity to operate large-scale events, he has challenged a familiar and new field called ‘event agency’. As an event operator, he tried to accelerate the efficiency of club management and fiscal soundness, and secure a variety of profit structures that did not only stay in sports.
According to a Jeju official, there was no significant difficulty in planning, organizing and operating the event. However, we have repeatedly agonized over the need to meet the purpose and demands of the event and the original duties of the professional soccer team.”
Jeju participated with six fisheries cooperatives in the province, including the Hallim Suhyup, through the “2024 Neyeong Nayeong Jeju Sea Fresh Shoot-Discount Exhibition.” It ran promotional booths and discount sales corners for each fishery cooperative. It is not the only one. Earlier, Jeju showed its will that it was not a one-time event by running the “2024 Jeju Black Korean Beef Livestock Products Fair” in August and the “Value Up with Social Enterprises” in October.
On top of that, he also wrote a unique record of holding all events related to meat (black Korean beef fair), sea (marine discount exhibition), and air (Jeju Air Brand Day) in connection with the home game until ‘Jeju Air Brand Day’.
“After bringing Jeju residents together in one space, I thought the impact would increase if the network of the event entity and the value of public goods held by the club joined forces,” a Jeju official said. “We analyzed that the new marketing strategy, which is not limited to the sports area, will secure a profit structure and lead to strengthening the team’s self-sustainability.”
In addition, he added, “If Jeju’s victory is added to the atmosphere and interest created in this way, it will have a greater effect of joy and local closeness for the residents.” 스포츠토토
Jeju’s new attempts have been made not only through the event agency business. In September, the company created the first K-League tour with a dog. Through thorough management and control plans, the Korea Professional Football Association has eased the ban on pets temporarily. It also conducted a campaign to adopt abandoned dogs in cooperation with the Jeju Animal Protection Center.
The Federation also recognized the possibility of a new profit-generating model for Jeju’s successful companion dog viewing. It said it is possible to review the revision of regulations to increase the share of seats in the future.
Looking back at the home game event this season, Jeju said, “I’m doing everything on the soccer field.” No one knows if Jeju’s “do-nothing” attempt will create a new “do-nothing special.” However, it is clear that Jeju’s new attempts are breaking down the invisible wall of marketing.