From Adweek · Adweek Staff · · 1m 10s
Athletes as Media Companies
Athletes build lasting brand partnerships through community pillars and authentic storytelling.
In brief
Athletes build lasting brand partnerships through community pillars and authentic storytelling. Athletes control narratives and partner with brands aligned to community pillars for lasting value. Originally reported by Adweek.
Community Pillars Framework
The Atlanta Dream uses three community pillars, growing basketball, empowering girls and women, and equity for all, to vet potential brand partners.
“The Atlanta Dream uses three community pillars, growing basketball, empowering girls and women, and equity for all, to vet every potential brand partner.”
Athlete Narrative Control
Athletes must control their own narratives and only partner with brands that feel personal to build lasting trust.
“Athlete partnerships thrive when athletes control their own narratives and only align with brands that feel personal.”
Pre-Contract Relationship Building
Reebok invests in trust before contracts by sharing experiences like family dinners and archive tours.
“Reebok invests time in getting to know athletes through experiences such as family dinners and archive tours before discussing commercial opportunities.”
Measuring Influence ROI
Marketers should track earned media value to measure return on influence from athlete partnerships.
“LaTecia explains why marketers should establish measurable kpis before an activation takes place using metrics such as earned media value to assess return on influence.”
Long-Term Commitment
Brands must demonstrate sustained commitment through ongoing communication and repeat collaborations.
“Shayne explains why brands supporting women’s sports must demonstrate a sustained commitment through ongoing communication repeat collaborations and genuine community engagement.”
Authentic Partnerships Framework
The Community Pillars framework helps teams vet partnerships that align with growing basketball, empowering girls and women, and equity for all.
“The Community Pillars framework teams can use to vet whether a partnership truly fits their identity”
Why Athletes Control Narratives
Naz Hillmon won’t partner with brands that don’t reflect her identity or feel personal to her audience.
“Naz explains why she won’t associate her name with brands that don’t reflect her identity and why her content needs to feel personal rather than scripted.”
The one thing
Athletes control narratives and partner with brands aligned to community pillars for lasting value.
