CITY BRANDING THROUGH SPORTS: SPORTS EVENTS IN THE FUNCTION OF BRANDING CITIES AS TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Sportski marketing grana je marketinga kojoj su ciljevi privući ciljnu skupinu, poboljšati imidž osobe, proizvoda, podignuti razinu oglašavanja i ostvariti profit. Sport nudi najveću mogućnost brendiranja zbog svoje raznolikosti i velika utjecaja. Sportski marketing kao znanstvena disciplina proučava postupke koji jamče najviši stupanj učinkovitosti primjene marketinga u sportu, uz primjenu znanstvenih metoda i načela, a u svrhu napretka i razvoja sportske djelatnosti, znanstvenoga predviđanja na temelju poznate prošlosti i kritičke ocjene sadašnjosti te povezivanja ponude i potražnje na sportskome tržištu. Odnosi s javnošću često stvaraju publicitet za promociju sportskih proizvoda, no to im nije jedina funkcija. Također imaju komunikacijsku funkciju koja je zadužena za informiranje javnosti, pomoć sportašima i sportskim zvijezdama u svakodnevnoj komunikaciji u klubu, tzv. interna komunikacija, te s medijima i ostalom javnošću, odnosno eksterna komunikacija. Odnosi s javnošću i marketing u sportu mogu zajedno izvrsno brendirati neki grad kao poželjnu turističku destinaciju. Kulturna razmjena, izvoz kulture i sport čine tzv. heksagon konkurentskoga identiteta. Sport i sportaši najveći su ambasadori svakoga grada i države. Sport kao zdrav način brendiranja ponajviše pridonosi prepoznavanju i promoviranju nekoga grada. U radu se stavlja naglasak na potencijal i važnost koje sportski događaji imaju u brendiranju destinacija te na to koliko je to složen i zahtjevan proces koji obogaćuje turistički potencijal destinacije i čini je održivom na turističkome tržištu. Kao primjer uzeti su gradovi Mostar, Sarajevo, Ljubuški te važni događaji po kojima su oni poznati u svijetu.Sport marketing is a branch of marketing that aims to attract the target group, improve the image of a person, or product, raise the level of advertising, and make a profit. Sport offers the greatest branding opportunity due to its diversity and high impact. Sports marketing is a scientific discipline that studies procedures that guarantee the highest level of effectiveness of marketing in sports. Sports marketing uses scientific methods and principles that encourage the progress and development of sports activities, e.g., scientific foresight based on the known past and critical assessment of the present, and connecting supply and demand in the sports market. Public relations often create publicity for the promotion of sports products, but this is not their only function. They also have a communication function that is in charge of informing the public, helping athletes and sports stars in daily communication in the club, the so-called internal communication, and with the media and the rest of the public, or external communication. Public relations and sports marketing can work together to effectively brand a city as a desirable tourist destination. Cultural exchange, export of culture, and sport make up the so-called hexagon of competitive identity. Sports and athletes are the biggest ambassadors of every city and country. Sport, as a healthy way of branding, mostly contributes to the recognition and promotion of a city. The paper emphasizes the potential and importance of sporting events in destination branding and how complex and demanding a process is that enriches the destination’s tourist potential and makes it sustainable on the tourist market. The cities of Mostar, Sarajevo, and Ljubuški and the important events that make them recognizable were taken as an example