Creating A Level Playing Field

How Athlete Branding Can Become The Great Equalizer

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It is of no surprise to hear that, not all sports are made up the same. Some leagues such as the NFL are compromised of 32 corporations rather than teams, that’s a given. However, many leagues, especially in Canada, are significantly smaller than these large organizations we see in the states. For example, depending on what market you’re in for the CHL, the corporate team can vary from 10-20 employees to upwards of 50+.

That’s a huge gap, and still nowhere close to the size of NFL organizations.

This is why you’ll see some smaller league teams only post the generic gameday graphics, while others, while others within the same league, will post the same but then also offer highlights or partnership activations. This not only furthers the gap from these major organizations but potentially between their on-ice rivals. All of which goes back to the size of your team which is why it’s all about money in, money out, and that’s the name of the game.

But what if there was a way to even the playing field within your league?

No, we aren't suggesting a restructuring or a complete overhaul in how business is conducted, but a tweak. Let’s call it an investment into your team’s future. I have your attention, don’t I? 

Athlete Branding Workshop.

A what? An athlete branding workshop. I’ll ask a few yes, or no questions and you answer them in your head. Let’s begin. Does your team have athletes? Are they on social media? Does content featuring players do the best? Are you still reading this? Are you leveraging them as the valuable assets they are to get into collaborative partnerships? Now that you’ve presumably answered 4 yes’s and 1 no. Let me dive into a little more detail.

Over the last 4 years, there’s only been one medium in global ad spend that has trended upwards and has now surpassed 50%, digital assets. However, you’ll see top teams, like the Toronto Raptors obtain an engagement rate of 0.003% with 10.8K likes on a post but you’ll then see fan favourites, like Scottie Barnes, earn upwards of 8% engagement with 60K+ likes. See where we’re going with this? These are metrics that are present in all leagues, from the very top like the NBA to Junior Hockey (CHL is far worse as hockey players in Canada achieve 20-30% engagement which is nuts).

This is why at white whale mktg, in 2022, we’re playing on working with clubs across Canada to maximize their potential. Ensuring athletes are developing their brand and are compensated fairly, while also helping their teams leverage them in a mutually beneficial manner.

Published: February 11, 2022 - Issue 26 of The Sport Marketeer