Woven within last week’s announcement that toymaker Jakks Pacific will create UFC fighter action figures is yet another way in which the UFC is looking to maintain market dominance: through market saturation.
Perhaps the greatest thorn in the side of relatively new promotions like EliteXC, the IFL and Affliction, is how most MMA fans use the term “MMA” and “UFC” synonymously.
It’s nothing new really. Sometimes the branding of a single product becomes so powerful and so colloquial it supercedes the product’s generic name in everyday conversation. For example, gelatin desserts are usually referred to as Jello. Bandages for minor cuts and scrapes? How about a Band-Aid. And if you need to blow your nose, you might ask for Kleenex, instead of facial tissue.
Now the UFC is leveraging its brand power and becoming the only promotion that can cater to its fanbase by giving them branded products that incorporate fans into the MMA lifestyle. Whether its a UFC-branded punching bag or a UFC licensed “Iceman” t-shirt, MMA fans want it. And the UFC’s recent marketing arrangements will make those products availabe in brick and mortar retailers like JC Penny and Walmart.
So while many promotions are trying to compete with the UFC, it’s clear that the UFC is the still the 800 pound gorilla in the room. However, these new marketing deals are allowing that 800 pound gorilla to pack on more muscle than Barry Bonds before a home-run derby.
And who knows what tomorrow’s announcement will bring? Or then again, if that announcement will indeed happen tomorrow.
We’ll all just have to stay tuned to see what the 800 pound gorilla rolls out next.
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