Athlete Branding: How to Build More Than Just Highlight Reels

5 essential questions for a brand that lasts.

What’s even the purpose?

Except for some specific sports, a high-level sports career is relatively short compared to other professions. People are often mistaken by the number of commas in the paycheck of elite performers. While the majority thinks that athletes are “set for life” when they sign that contract, it’s usually not the case. While this article is not a financial breakdown, an athlete’s personal brand shouldn’t be built only on monetary motivations.

With the boom of retired-athlete podcasts, we heard from their own words that retirement was a tough pill to swallow for most of them. And that’s totally understandable. After years and years of a high-tempo lifestyle (constant travel, training, competition, pressure, immense recognition, etc.), it should be hard to be staring at a blank page. That’s exactly why athlete branding matters: to establish something meaningful that’ll be a common thread between before and after retirement. And this personal brand construction doesn’t necessarily need to result in a commercial endeavor. Any athlete can build and use their platform to raise awareness about a specific issue or cause.

How do we connect performance and personality?

We all like sports because it’s a metaphor for life. Who doesn’t like a proper underdog story, right? And sports has the unmatched power of reflecting deep questions without using any words, only physical performance. How an athlete moves or reacts in competition doesn’t necessarily define who they are off the field, but it tells us something.

If a given athlete is very calm while performing but bold and loud outside, that contrast can be even better. It makes things more interesting and adds depth. It’s essential to own that difference to create a brand that can be trusted.

Why invent anything if it’s already there?

Athletes travel a lot no matter the discipline, even if it’s just for competition. While most of them didn’t have the time or resources to pursue higher education, a high-level sports career requires a lot of different skills, especially reasoning. They have a unique perspective on the world around them, and that alone is enough to build communities. That’s why some players have more social media engagement than the club or franchise they play for.

Unlike other brands, when forming an athlete brand, market research or conditions aren’t primary concerns, so the conventional model is done in reverse. The key to a brand that lasts is to get to the essential. What are we doing, and why? And how can we frame this so it resonates with fans, or a specific community we target? If we’re aiming for a live TV commentator job, let’s launch a podcast while the athlete is still performing to show that they are capable of breaking down plays in front of the camera. If we have a very personal story that we want to share, why not co-author a book or produce a documentary? These are the most common paths. But the job of the creative strategist is to structure these projects so they reach the right demographic that leverages the athlete’s experience.

Why not rely on emotions instead of numbers?

Every penny you spend on sports is irrational. You don’t need a new jersey, or you can watch that game at home for half the price you pay for a nosebleed ticket. But you do it anyway, because sports makes us feel something. That “something” is different for everybody, but this “irrational” attachment is what the sports business is based on, and that’s also why sports marketing is so exciting. Some like to call it the “passion of the fans”, but it’s more than that. In an era where perception is built at light speed, sports has the power to change the narrative every single day. That’s why sports fandom is perceived as so extreme: even if the results go down, it’s rare for a fan to change the team they support.

So why not use that same principle in athlete branding? Our favorite athlete means something to us that we can’t explain with numbers, but rather with emotions. That’s the reason why the brand strategy of an athlete needs to lean on these emotions rather than just “pure marketing analytics”. This approach is also a safety net for times when the athlete will face uncertainties while the on-field performance isn’t the main storyline for the brand.

Have a project in mind or just exploring ideas?
Feel free to reach out we’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Contact us.