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Why Athletes Need To Invest In Their Brand Before They Become Stars
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What a time it has been to be a Canadian sports fan! The Olympics. Women’s Soccer. Women’s Hockey. Men’s Soccer. And now Tennis! Both Leylah Fernandez (19) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (21) had themselves a tournament at the US Open, with their exposure and brand opportunities set to take off.
Congratulations to them both, as nothing will ever be the same, shoutout Drake see the last article, as their brands have now exploded. Not only were they invited to the Met Gala last week and as I was typing this article I received an Instagram Ad from Flair Airlines introducing both Leylah and Felix as Brand Ambassadors. If that doesn’t provide you proof that your life, and brand, can change in a flash, I’m not sure what will. But, with all of this said, it just validates our point on why athletes need to invest in their brand early. We’ll provide a quick story, followed by three points.
At white whale mktg we’re constantly speaking, with athletes, brands, and people within the sporting space. This allows us to improve and help athletes maximize their time in the spotlight. On numerous occasions, people have shared how much some athletes were making for deals that required them to post for a brand on social media. I kid you not, on each of these occasions, my first response was “is that for a single post?” and each time their response would be “no, that’s for the year”, or “no, it’s for X number of months + they need to do…”. These conversations constantly leave us without words, and to be frank, kind of scared. For many athletes, the window of opportunity is very small and if they aren’t set up properly, they’ll lose their chance.
This is why we think all three athletes, whether you’re Leylah Fernandez or you’re an unknown D1 Athlete you should start investing in your brand with these three things:
1. What message are you trying to portray? Think of Instagram as a book, when a user visits your profile and scrolls through your images, what story do you want it to tell?
2. Content is King. I don’t care if you have a whole content team, or you just have your phone. Take the time to make sure your image or video, is top-notch, and tell that story we just referenced! Show more than just you playing your sport, you and your dog, and finally you and your mom (shoutout mom though!). We all want to get to know you.
3. Know your worth. Do not chase whatever bag comes to you, it devalues your brand. Team up with brands that are authentic and are investing in you. If you’re just starting out, partner with brands you’d actually like or use. If you’re a professional, have a marketing team (aka white whale mktg) using their expertise to create a roadmap to your brand’s success.
We know there will always be a new class of athletes entering the spotlight and we cannot wait to see what they do! But, who knows maybe the next Leylah or Felix, will be joining the white whale mktg team soon.
Published: September 17th, 2021 - Issue 8 of The Sport Marketeer