Reference no: EM133165564

ESPN is one of the biggest franchises in sports. But perhaps more importantly, it is one of the most successful brands in the entertainment world. As evidence of that, consider that it commands a whopping $2.91 per subscriber from cable companies compared to $1.67 for FoxSports, 89 cents for TNT, and only 40 cents for CNN.

But the core ESPN channel is but one piece of a big brand portfolio that has become a $6 billion sports empire. There are now over 50 businesses making it a truly multi-platform brand. Television, radio, print publishing, and Internet are the biggest categories that account for the most ESPN products. But the company is also expanding strongly into mobile media.

As its own brand, ESPN has a large portfolio. But even more interesting (and perhaps confusing) is the fact that ESPN is part of the mammoth ABC entertainment brand portfolio. And what's more, ABC is part of the Walt Disney Company. You might think that that reduces ESPN's importance. But consider that out of all the Disney brands, ESPN accounts for almost 20 percent of Disney's overall revenues. That is one powerful brand.

1. In a succinct manner, describe what the ESPN brand means to consumers.

2. What is ESPN selling? Discuss this in terms of the core benefit, actual product, and augmented product levels of ESPN.

3. Does ESPN have strong brand equity? How does its brand equity relate to its brand value?

4. Cite as many examples as you can of co-branding efforts involving the ESPN brand. For each of these cases, what are the benefits and possible risks to ESPN?

5. Analyze EPSN's according to the brand development strategies from the text. What have they done in the past? What would you recommend to ESPN for future brand development?