Nowadays, people have become quite health-conscious and are looking toward a healthier lifestyle and opting for a healthy living. That is why there has been an increase in sports or physical activities as well. Many brands are coming up with sports-based sections to boost their business further.

And in order to diversify their product range with health and wellness, they must also capture the people who can influence such buying decisions. That is why you will see a rage about athlete marketing in the present times.

Athletes have become such popular influencers owing to the powerful role they play in inspiring today’s customers, especially the youth, that they not only endorse sports deals but have extended business in automobile, technology, telecommunication, hotels, beverages, and so on.

Athletes from a wide range of areas like base jumping, wrestling, motocross and even some unconventional sports have collaborated with many brands.

Social Media and the Influence of Athletes

The marriage between social media marketing and sports celebrities is not new. The historical success of the Jordan-Nike partnership which has later become the role model for many successful sports campaigns indicates that this kind of promotion for your brand can prove to be very useful.

We witnessed the $1 billion deal of the FIFA superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, with Nike as well which made him the highest-paid athlete across the globe in 2017. The compelling deal not just capitalizes on the popularity of this soccer star but also the reach he has on social media platforms.

This amazing partnership between social media platforms and athletes has even created a new field of competition among brands, big and small. What is even more exciting is that all celebrity sports stars and influencer athletes are into this business.

Everyone, from pros in this influencer marketing format to even the amateurs, is now being used by the brands for business marketing.

The Added Edge of Athlete Influencers

On one hand, hiring athletes for social media marketing can be seen as pop culture icons, on the other, they are incredible operators of social media marketing owing to the direct channel of communication they have with their fans and followers.

Athlete influencers have created a niche fanbase because of the constant exposure they have from their league, the team as well as sponsors. These athlete influencers tend to get more attention and are able to increase their followers further on social media when they get media coverage for something, win a championship or when breaking records.

The Voice for a Social Cause

This partnership between social media and the athletes is also their own broadcast channel for many social causes. Many athlete influencers make the most of an opportunity whereby they can speak out on social issues and causes that they find of relevance. Grand slam record holder and four-time gold medalist in the Olympics, Serena Williams is known for being vocal about police and racial violence.

Also, known for their social media presence on sensitive subjects like political criticism is LeBron James, the four-time NBA MVP and the two-time gold medalist in Olympics. These influencer posts on social causes receive an array of online responses from fans, journalists, eminent political leaders, and so on.

With the #EqualPlayEqualPay campaign, the Women’s National Soccer Team in the US used social media platforms to increase awareness of equal pay in 2016. Colin Kaepernick, the NFL free agent quarterback, became the iconic image of athlete protests on refusing to stand during the national anthem.

Originally published at https://www.nativesnewsonline.com/why-is-athlete-marketing-so-effective/