CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

BUILDING ATHLETE ENGAGEMENT TO CREATE THE BIGGEST MARKETING RETURNS

PART 3

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

According to research conducted by Opendorse, the top 100 athlete endorsements were valued at over $924 million last year alone.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

THE SIZE OF ATHLETE FAN COMMUNITIES RIVALS THAT OF MANY TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS

Instagram Audience

0 4.667 9.333 14

Tony Hawk Transworld Skateboard Magazine

Facebook Audience

0 2.333 4.667 7

Lewis Hamilton USA Today

Combined Audience

0 11.5 23 34.5 46

Valentino Rossi NY Times

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

FAN ENGAGEMENT SHOULD NOT END AFTER THE BIG DAY, IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE ON ACROSS CHANNELS

Athlete EventSocial MediaEmerging Technology

TWSNOW.com

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

ASSIGNING VALUE TO AN ATHLETE’S ONLINE PRESENCE IS EASIER THAN EVER

ENGAGEMENTHow many people does the athlete reach and how engaged are their fans

ADVERTISING EQUIVALENT Market cost of overall impressions athlete created.

LIKELIHOOD TO CONVERT Likelihood the exposure will lead to a new customerX ÷ = RETURN

ON ATHLETE

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

SHIMANO MTB ATHLETE ACTIVATION

Dispatch launched an athlete-led social campaign to stimulate repeat online brand engagement and build the #ShimanoMTB community.

The campaign doubled the number of authors using branded hashtags, increased reach from 100k to over 1.3mm and

impressions from 140k to over 7mm.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

ENGAGING HONDA SUPERCROSS FANS WITH INSTAGRAM

The Dispatch team is constantly creating experiential fan engagement in-person at motocross and supercross races as well as digitally

across Honda Powersports social media channels - sharing unique opportunities for fans virtually and in-the-flesh. Whether its experiential

fan engagement initiatives like Team Honda HRC rider autograph signings and social photo kiosk activations at races, or virtual

engagement through behind-the-scenes social media content, the storytelling and engagement is consistent and uniquely Honda.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

5 WAYS TO GET MORE MARKETING VALUE FROM ATHLETES

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

“Marketers are increasingly integrating sports into their broader campaigns, often featuring elements of gaming, music and live events.”Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, senior content manager Mark St Andrew

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

1ESTABLISH CLEAR

GOALS From day one it's critical to set expectations for what you hope to achieve through the partnership with your athlete.

Creating a simple brief for your athlete partners will allow you to quickly onboard them while providing them a set of

guidelines in which they can be creative.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

2CO-CREATE WITH

ATHLETES Don't assume you have all the ideas. Bring your athletes into

a brainstorming session and give them some creative freedom on ways they would like to engage their fans in a

manner that is relevant to your product or service.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

3HELP THEM GROW THEIR AUDIENCE

Athletes realize they are not only evaluated today by their results but also by the size of their fan base. Have your marketing teams package up a social media toolkit that

includes what to do, who to call and tips for sharing. You could take this one step further by hosting immersion

sessions with a group of athletes or depending on their schedules sending someone from your team to meet them for

a 1:1 session.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

4DEVELOP THE

SECOND SCREEN

87% of people use more than one screen at a time; this lack of attention can actually become an opportunity to create

new ways to engage during live events. The second screen experience is not just limited to TV watching, arenas are transforming their environments with wifi and sensors

allowing teams and sponsors to take fan engagement to the next level with integration. 

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

5MOVE BEYOND SOCIAL MEDIA

As you begin to plan for 2017 explore ways to bring fans up close and personal with an experience that allows them to

see what it is like to take a turn at 180mph or challenge their physical abilities using sensor technology.

CONNECTING BRANDS WITH ACTIVE PEOPLE.

Billions of dollars are flowing into athlete endorsements, and if you have not done so already, it is time to rethink how you partner with athletes and create new ways to engage fans.  

Learn more: www.dispatchco.com/athletemarketing