Popping up on athletes from the beach to the hardwood, KT Tape is an emerging product that provides a unique look and takes on performance wear. With a latex free adhesive solution to braces and wraps, there is a reason why athletes are jumping on board with the product. However, delving deeper, the growth of this company and product are the result of a multi-layered sponsorship strategy that will be on full display at the Summer Olympics in Rio. Various aspects of this company’s increasing prevalence can be connected to the sponsorship chapter in Principles and Practices of Sport Management. Gaining an understanding of the company’s beginnings in beach volleyball and its development will validate this connection and outline various forms of
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Since the 2012 Olympics in London, KT Tape has increased its retial locations from 13,000 to 35,000. Similarly to the sponsorship strategies outlined in Principles and Practices of Sports Management, KT Tape originally entered the sponsorship field with athletes and has since progressed to governing body and event sponsorship As they have grown, their sponsorship strategy has grown as well. Before, KT Tape only had deals in place with a few athletes. However, now the brand has secured governing body deals with multiple sports. The Olympics will be a perfect transition into event sponsorship and the international field. In addition to the benefit that this opportunity has on KT Tape, some of the new sports to these years Olympics, such as wrestling, desperately need funding which the new sponsorship category provides. This new relationship created by the Olympic rule change has a symbiotic relationship for the sports and companies that are willing to shell out money in exchange for exposure. Widening their reach and incorporating these different levels of sponsorship to maximize their exposure is an integral part of this sponsorship deal that KT Tape has taken on and it will be interesting to examine if the return on investment will be enough to justify the money
Since the 2012 Olympics in London, KT Tape has increased its retial locations from 13,000 to 35,000. Similarly to the sponsorship strategies outlined in Principles and Practices of Sports Management, KT Tape originally entered the sponsorship field with athletes and has since progressed to governing body and event sponsorship As they have grown, their sponsorship strategy has grown as well. Before, KT Tape only had deals in place with a few athletes. However, now the brand has secured governing body deals with multiple sports. The Olympics will be a perfect transition into event sponsorship and the international field. In addition to the benefit that this opportunity has on KT Tape, some of the new sports to these years Olympics, such as wrestling, desperately need funding which the new sponsorship category provides. This new relationship created by the Olympic rule change has a symbiotic relationship for the sports and companies that are willing to shell out money in exchange for exposure. Widening their reach and incorporating these different levels of sponsorship to maximize their exposure is an integral part of this sponsorship deal that KT Tape has taken on and it will be interesting to examine if the return on investment will be enough to justify the money