For those of you unfamiliar with Jon Jones, he is the youngest Light Heavyweight champion in the history of the UFC. In September 2013, Jon Jones became the first UFC fighter in history to have two blue-chip companies sponsoring him. “To create a masterpiece you have to immerse yourself in everything” – Jon Jones. It is this winning formula that can inspire marketers to achieve excellence.
“To create a masterpiece you have to immerse yourself in everything” – Jon Jones
Utilize Strengths
Jon Jones knows his competitive advantage lies with his reach and height advantage. He utilises this with unprecedented success. Like Jon Jones, know your competitive advantage and exploit it to stay ahead of your competitors. For example, Apple are renowned for creating innovative products and continue to utilize this strength to stay ahead of the market.
Planning
Jon Jones ensures he prepares for his next fight wisely. MMA Trainer Greg Jackson, stated ‘part of the reason Jon looked so good and is able to dismantle these people the way he is, is he’s very well prepared’. It is important your marketing team places emphasis on monitoring competitors regularly. This can allow your brand to respond accordingly to competitor threats including: rival marketing campaigns, product pricing, technological advancements and others.
It is also important to analyse your Micro and Macro environments effectively to ensure you remain competitive and gain a higher market share. For example, when Microsoft released their X-Box Console, Sony didn’t respond effectively. Had Sony conducted a thorough analysis and acknowledged and responded wisely to the threat the X-Box posed; Microsoft wouldn’t be the major players in today’s console market.
Winner Mentality
Jon Jones has a winner mentality which has not only enabled him to become the youngest Light Heavyweight Champion but he has also defended the belt the most amount of times in the Light Heavyweight division. It is important your Marketing Manager and his/her team have the ‘Winner’ mentality which can enable them to innovative and create marketing campaigns; that not only delivers high ROI, but also delivering memorable marketing campaigns as well.
Strive for Excellence
As a raw twenty year old, Jon Jones was rejected the opportunity to take part in The Ultimate Fighter the TV series by UFC president Dana White. Jon Jones perseverance enabled him to become a UFC fighter and win the Light Heavyweight Belt without appearing on the Ultimate Fighter show. Just over four years later, he returned as a coach on the show boasting the Lightweight Belt. Despite setbacks that are inevitable in business, it is important your Marketing Team consistently aims to strive for excellence. This can enable your brand to continue to be perceived highly by the target markets. For example, during the recession, Next Plc refused to compromise the quality of their products despite making annual losses. Their strategy of maintaining their brand identity of delivering quality products at an affordable price remained intact and their sales have risen since.