MARKETING AFRICA ISSUE 12/16 | Page 82

TO THE POINT MARKETING LESSONS TO LEARN FROM JOSE MOURINHO By Paul Mwirigi, ACIM A s management guru Peter Drucker rightly put it, “To be a manager requires more than a title, a big office and other outward symbols of rank. It requires competence and performance of a high order”. By the time you are reading this Jose Mourinho may have been appointed the new Manchester United manager. ‘May’ because it has emerged Chelsea currently own his image rights. It is now expected that Manchester United are expected to pay Chelsea a hefty sum to secure his image rights, which include his autograph and even his own name. You all know what happened to Loius Van Gaal. He was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford following the FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday 21st May. This was despite landing the club’s first major honour since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Ultimately, he had paid the price for failing to secure Champions League football for Manchester United for next season. Jose Mourinho may be regarded as one of the worlds most successful and famous football manager. From a marketing perspective, there is a lot to learn from the self-appointed “Special One”. “ Jose knows how to get the best out of his players by using positive reinforcement to perfection. Your team will do well not out of blatant criticism but also out of compliments, morale boosting, mentoring and training them. Your personal input is the best in making sure they give you the best results.” 80 MAL 12/16 ISSUE Do Not Underestimate The Power Of Trademarks (no, seriously!) When Mourinho returned to Chelsea for a second spell as manager in 2013, Chelsea took out a 10-year trademark on the ‘Special One’ to allow them to exclusively sell goods with his name attached to them. According to the UK Intellectual Property Office, that trademark covers more than thirty items including chinaware, glassware, video games, toys, shin guards, footballs and teddy bears among others. Those brilliant product and campaign names that later on become buzz words could fetch you (or your company) some extra bucks and also ensure you avoid long legal tussles. So speak to your Legal Department and see how they can add value to your work. If in doubt, ask Roman Abramovich! Marketing Leadership Is All About Influence Remember Frank Lampard before he joined Chelsea? I bet you no. But