Owu Licensed to Dress Football Clubs in Nigeria [The Business Review]

One of the things that made the 2018 Aiteo women's Federations Cup an unforgettable experience for thousands of fans that attended the match at Samson Siasia Stadium Yenagoa was the glamorous outfit of the two finalists. Rivers Angels clad in their traditional all white and bold blue stripes while their opponent Ibom Angels, in all orange and white patches, gave the game a world class outlook. The apparels were produced by Owu Sportswear.

Owu is perhaps the only sportswear company using licensing of local clubs as its marketing strategy to penetrate the Nigerian sports market. Owu has previously produced uniform for 3SC, MFM, Sunshine Stars, Rivers United...and currently worth about 39 million naira (200,000 U.S. dollars).

The CEO Owu Sportswear Tunji Brown has finally warmed his way into the sports world, but there's still lot of ground to cover. We have not seen significant number of fans wearing the Owu replica shirts of those clubs on match day or on the streets of Nigeria.

What Makes Licensing Work?
Sport marketing consultant  Benson Chukwueke spoke on.the impact  of club uniforms (Jerseys) on fans, during the sport marketing round table in Lagos this December; noting that many popular clubs today (such as Barca, Gunners, The Blues...) got their nicknames from their distinctive  apparels (Colors and logos).

 "Uniforms serves as expressions of club sentiment, of fraternal feeling and pride. These uniforms create a sense of belonging and defines who is really a fan and who is not."  Chukwueke explained

a. Sport products are distinct from most mainstream products partly because they are intangible  and experiential.

b. Sport marketers understand that most sport fans and followers are highly vested consumers and are more strongly drawn to their favorite team than they are to, say their favorite toothpaste.

c. Many fans and participants are drawn to football because of its social aspect and enjoy being able to nuild personal affiliations by attending events, following team or participating in club activities.

It is these three factors that defines the sportwear licensing. Since so much of what is called a football experience  is intangible, the ability to buy, display or wear a club branded product that attempts to capture or to rekindle a  football experience  in an alluring prospect for these highly vested team followers.
- Buying a club shirt or other licensed product allows fans to take the experience home after a game or  event.

- Buying a club shirt or other licensed products all fans to transmit their affiliation  to others who might identify with it and share it, thereby building a sense of a social community of fans.


1. License Clubs with More Number of Active Followers and Fans
In strictly making business decisions rather than emotional attachment, Owu should move to license local clubs with more active followers and fans in Nigeria. Clubs like Kano Pillars, Enugu Rangers, Enyimba... Imagine, the Aiteo Cup finals for men, between Enugu Rangers Vs Kano Pillars, fans turn out and the excitement it generated all around the country. It would have been an opportunity to sell the clubs replica jerseys out there.

2. Distinctive Designs and Quality of Club Apparels:
 It is Important Owu come out with distinctive designs that captures the aesthetic emotions of the fans, just like what Nike did in the design of Super Eagles 2018 World cup shirts that spur many Nigerian fans to identify with it. And the result, Nike got over 3 million order just after launching the product and sold over 30 million units in 40 days or so.


3. Sell Club's Replica Shirts on Match Day or In Stores Around Club's Home Stadium
its major retail outlet at Ojuelegba in Lagos. So fans of these clubs hardly find the replica jersey of their darling team to buy, unless, of course, they come to Lagos.