ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the first of the six elements of the marketing mix: the sport product. It introduces the key components of the sport product and outlines product strategies that can be used within the marketing mix, including product augmentation, new product innovation, and sport branding. The chapter concentrates on the first of six elements, Plan the sport marketing mix: the concept of the sport product, and product strategies that can be used in sport marketing. There are four important differences between sport goods and services that are highly relevant to sport marketing. These are tangibility, consistency, perishability and separability. Sport services are likely to have more variable quality. When the issue of variability in the sport product is emphasised that sport marketers should focus their attention on the quality of the parts of the service or product that they have some control over, such as service quality, prices, food and beverages, and the venue.
