Bullets invest K10m in marketing drive
Big Bullets have invested K10 million (US$30 303) in a marketing drive. The team will intensify their SMS campaign, the sale of replica jerseys and holding live band performances.
The club intends to raise K150 million (US$454 545) in five years.
The TNM Super League giants unveiled their strategic plan, which runs from September 2013 to August 2018, on Wednesday during a press briefing at their clubhouse in Blantyre.
During the event, Bullets officials also disclosed that they have linked up with Malawi Savings Bank (MSB) to introduce banking service opportunities to their loyal supporters.
Bullets FC head of marketing Geoffrey Tamutamu said the raising of K1.3 million (US$3 030) in two months from their SMS campaign that registered over 27 000 fans and the other K1.2 million they obtained recently from the TNM Sapota Mapeto Promotion have fired them up to go ahead with their marketing drive.
“If we could raise over K1 million through SMS campaigns within two months, what more if we do this for five years? We want to move away from being beggars to being self-reliant and intensifying of our marketing drive is our only way out of poverty,” he said.
According to Tamutamu, they will register and employ Bullets ambassadors or work in partnership with shop owners in all the country’s 28 districts to sell their branded products.
He, however, said they will put in place strict measures that will discourage supporters from buying counterfeit products.
He added they would also introduce promotional programmes on various radio stations to interact with their fans who will be winning fabulous prizes after answering correctly to questions about the team.
Currently, they are also discussing with the Blantyre City Council to allow the team bring back live band performances at their clubhouse in Mandala, months after they were banned for causing noise in the residential area.
“But if that fails, we will probably settle for the Blantyre Youth Centre where we would be holding our fundraising live shows,” said the Bullets FC marketing head.
So what is the meaning of Big Bullets? Why not name the team Blantyre Bullets and make it sound more like a professional franchise? Whoever named the team like that must have been out of his mind,or maybe it was the executive or Ndirande supporters who had an influence in it ,it was still a wrong choice of name.You have to name a team with an intention of making it have an appeal to potential investors and the corporate world not forgetting the international football community.Even if I was interested to contribute or invest into the team, I wouldn’t be obliged to do so because of such a bad name,everybody wants to be associated with the good things.
The team is already known to have a large following so why waste time with the word “Big”? Always the name of a city or place when associated with any team makes people get curious about it and indirectly attracts tourists.Why not emulate Manchester United or AC Milan or any other city name teams? A name like Blantyre United is very attractive because it puts Blantyre city in the spotlight;the owners have to only work hard in making their team a commercial franchise.They should invest in the youth or create structures for them. Alternatively,Blantyre United owners can create links with European clubs and lobby for support which I believe they can succeed.