By: Kevin Teagle
Advertising has been done more than one way throughout the years. One of the best ways for a brand to advertise themselves now is through popular athletes to wear or show off product on social media. Over time, brands and athletes have become bigger with mutual interest and often the brand wins more so than not. In this short but simple blog I’m going to explain how athletes are needed by brands to further their advertising venture.
One reason that brands like to use athletes is because athletes are celebrities and depending in the sports figure. If we have a five-star athlete on deck like Lebron James, he has deals with brands like Sprite and McDonalds. These aren’t the best things for your body but because you have the best basketball player in the world shown eating and drinking your product people will go out and buy it. Athletes are also used because it gives off a sense of security to people that are curious and wish to buy it. Imagine Serena Williams being shown with a new type of camera and she is taking a bunch of ads and in plenty commercials for the item.
It feels more official because you think there is no way she would put her name behind something without it being official. It also seems that brands go to athletes because they give off athlete matching the vibes of what the product gives off. This also gives off a sense of an authentic partnership which makes people think “if they use it, I want it too”. That’s something people feed off as well “they must pick players that attain the physical appearance, the demeanor, and style of play that fits the brand’s image”, connected to whoever is in the ad. While brands take a huge risk due to rumors, injuries, trades, and scandals athletes have boosted sales so much over the years that they are the clear favorite in the future of sponsorships.
Besides features that align an athlete and a brand another reason that athletes come back with the brinks trunk after talking with companies is the possibilities of connections. When I say connections, I mean that one-star player can convince another player to sign with a certain brand. One example is how Lebron can convince young star players to sign with Nike who is known to give signature shoes with young stars. Another example of stars who can connect stars with other brands would be Dwayne Wade in the 2012 season. His teammate Lebron James was seen drinking Powerade and Dwayne suggested if his friend should go with Gatorade “That’s why he’s cramping,” Wade insisted. This insists that one brand is better than another and will produce his level of play on the court and that will make people buy more of that.
Finally, I think that brands and athletes go together so well and make advertising the future with this partnership because of the treatment. The treatment of the athlete makes them household names which is something that players look to do as their play begins to give them hype. It also shows that brands are willing to take care of people who works well with them and that looks good from the outside.
Works Cited
Kirkpatrick, Spencer. (2016 October 28). Endorsing Athletes that Fit Your Brand’s Image. https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2016/endorsing-athletes-that-fit-your-brands-image
Lawrence, Blake. (2013 August 13). Why Big Brands Spend so Much on Athlete Endorsements. https://opendorse.com/blog/why-big-brands-spend-so-much-on-athlete-endorsements/
Lemmons, Malcom. Why Are Athlete Endorsements So Important For Brands? https://malcolmlemmons.com/why-are-athlete-endorsements-so-important-for-brands/
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