A team comprised of LUISS students Valentina Cerroni, Irene Colaboni, Alessia Di Francesco, Mariagiulia Giacobbe and Lavinia Ricciolio won the Business Case sponsored by Professor Maria Isabella Leone’s course in Economics and Business Management and Dorna Sports.
The contest asked students to create SWOT analyses, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the Superbike World Championship in order to increase its visibility and audience. “Dorna has the commercial and television rights for both Moto GP and Superbike,” explains the winning LUISS team. “Through our research we learned that, despite an initial tendency to think that there is competition between the two categories, you must also keep in mind that Dorna has every intention of keeping the two series separate and taking advantage of that synergy.”
Thanks to the instruments and techniques they learned with Professor Leone and the University’s Public Speaking course, the team won the challenge launched by Stefano Pacchioli, CFO of Dorna. “LUISS participants were truly professional in their approach. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm. I hope the fact that an all-girl team won is a good premonition about the future of our female audience!”
“Some of us are passionate about engines, creating a good base for our research,” explained the team. “But there was no less interest from the other team members to get involved. Our study of the sector began with materials provided by Dorna, followed by a series of research projects focused on internet, social media and specialized magazines. We even created a survey and made contact with fans and experts and conducted interviews by phone and in person.”
Among the things we took into consideration, technological innovation and media impact were important dimensions for the project, which focused on approaching the consumer from the very beginning. “Superbike, like other motor sports, requires a great deal of technological innovation that reflects, for example, on the bikes, the uniforms and protective gear, all raising ticket prices for the fans. In Italy, there is a notable gap between the popularity of Superbike and the other two, more famous, circuits. Considering that the Italian sport scene is completely dominated by soccer, Formula 1, and Moto GP, any media impact that Superbike can have is minimum. Yet, SBK manages to find its space in specialized magazines and weeklies, full of interviews, technical explanations and championship news.”
A winning solution is to highlight the sport’s value and legends. “The things that creates loyal fans, and not just sports businessare: the championship winning team, the tennis player that fights to stay in the match, the athlete that surprises everyone with a victory in the finals. People have clear ideas and look for a combination of information and entertainment. From this point of view, social media has an important role: it’s essential to keep up with new means of communication. Using social media to publish images and short videos of training sessions, press conferences and news eliminates barriers between sports and fans.”
By winning the case, the five girls won special passes to the Misano World Circuit to see a Superbike race. “It was such an amazing and exciting prize! It allowed to to fully experience the world that we had studied and researched. SBK didn’t disappoint! We experienced 360 degrees of the spirit that characterizes the championship and makes it an event for everyone. As soon as we stepped on the circuit we experienced a mix of emotions, amazement, colors, smells and music, all accompanied by the sound of the bikes flying around the track. Even those of us who were less interested in the sport enjoyed the high-adrenaline atmosphere of the paddock and the race!”
