The Marketing Power of Sports Stars

In this day and age, sports figures are becoming more recognizable than the organization they play for. Superstars in each sport are often presented as public figures and respected community leaders. This creates an opportunity for marketers to reach out the these superb individual athletes and establish a relationship. History has proved that athletes can sell products, and create future  connections between between the brand and consumer that contemporary companies consider keys to success.
Many companies have reached out toward athletes. Sure, of course you're thinking of the typical sports brands (Nike, Adidas, UnderArmor, etc.), but companies that have nothing to do with sports have had success marketing famous athletes. These brands include:

wordpress.com

• Tommy Hilfiger  
• Rolex
• Porsche
• Omega
• Audemars Piguet

When it comes to marketing, there will be risks necessary to take. Companies like these have been known to terminate endorsements with the athletes if they have not lived up to their potential, or have gotten in trouble with their respected league. When Tiger Woods began to fail as a golfer, he virtually most of his endorsements, while keeping his primary one Nike. The "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" video game stopped featuring his name on the cover and went a separate route by renaming the video game "Rory Mclroy's PGA Tour."

Many brands are targeting mass-market sports to access a broader set of consumers. This is why soccer athletes develop multiple small brand endorsements that don't exactly correlate with the sport of soccer itself. Digital content has also help establish relationships between the brand and the athlete. Fans and so-called influencers generated 78 percent of the social media buzz involved with athletes, while only 22 percent involved the brand itself. It's important that the brand is thinking about the brand, sport, and consumer all together.

-Jackson