Move Aside Influencers—Athletes Are Becoming the Faces of New Brand Strategies

Now, however, there seems to have been a shift in approach. Brands are no longer using such figures to simply catch the eye of their audience but instead focus their attention on finding stars that truly align with, represent and share their values.

Here are three brands who are successfully incorporating sports personalities into their marketing strategy.

Lucozade Sport: “The Next Move” with Anthony Joshua

The nine-minute documentary follows heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua as he surprises a 19-year old volunteer coach from B-Active with a training session.

Give your audience something to take away beyond their fandom

When using a celebrity as part of your content strategy, it’s essential not to be lazy and simply expect people to watch because their favorite sportsperson is involved. You want people to not only watch but enjoy your content, remember it and come back for more. In this documentary, Lucozade goes beyond creating a simple sales pitch video. They collaborate with Joshua to achieve a much bigger, more wholesome goal of inspiring people to be active.

Decide whether you want to establish a long-term or one-off partnership

It’s crucial before you start a partnership to determine whether it is going to be solely for one piece of content or if it’s a long-term investment that you want to nurture and incorporate into your brand’s personality. Lucozade Sport partnered with Joshua in 2016 and have not looked back since, with the boxer becoming an official brand ambassador and fronting their new FitWater launch as well as the ongoing “Made to Move” campaign.

Adidas: “Imma Be a Star” with James Harden

Narrated by the basketball pro’s mother, Monja Willis, the one-minute spot chronicles James Harden’s journey from playing in his driveway as a child to his being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.

Embrace an athlete’s story

One of the biggest marketing trends of this year is storytelling. Audiences not only want to be taken on a journey, but they want to connect with the brands they purchase from. With this ad, Adidas ticks off both of those boxes.

Just as with Joshua and Lucozade, Harden and Adidas work together to create something with far more impact than a basketball player scoring a few points with the right shoes on. Harden, who to the casual observer of the sport may be better known for dating a Kardashian and being criticized for his somewhat lethargic approach to defense, reminds us that beyond the headlines, his journey to MVP is the product of hard work, talent and support from his number one fan: his mother. This leaves audiences not only inspired but intrigued to see more from the partnership.

Pinpoint the “why” behind your partnership

Finding the perfect celebrity face for a brand is only half of the battle. The other half is undoubtedly money. Sports personalities, after all, do not come cheap and any brand who embarks on a partnership should think hard about whether a celebrity really coincides with the brand’s image. For Adidas, Harden was the perfect fit, not only because of his notoriety and talent, but in their own words, “he epitomizes who we are” in terms of style and personality.

NBC Sports: “Best of U.S.” series with Lindsey Vonn

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