8 Lessons from Sports Marketing for Brands and Athletes resisting move to Digital

This Forbes article explores the various ways in which the digital age has influenced the relationship between brands and athletes over the past few years. Generally, consumers who encounter a brand via social media are 78% more likely to develop a positive connotation when recollecting. Given that, the overall tone surrounding the influence of social is positive, even though the opportunity isn't void of risk.

The article specifically leverages interviews with 8 sports marketing executives to formulate a point of view on the subject. Here's a summary of the main takeaways:

• Social media has given created a direct line of communication between athletes and fans, so socially engaged brands recognize that the size of an athlete's social following is crucial to maximizing the value of the their relationships
• As lucrative as these huge social followings may be, brands also recognize the risk involved with an athlete tweeting an unpopular message that may have a detrimental effect on the brand's equity
• Authenticity is key in terms of consumers being able to tell when athletes' messaging is consistent with who they are. Hence, smart brands figure out when it makes sense to naturally become part of the conversation, as opposed to trying to drive the conversation
• Numerically, brands are 164% more likely to purchase a brand they recall through social media, so smart brands leverage this to increase the probability that fans remember their brand in a positive light
• Brands recognize that the size of athletes' social following is a measure of influence; a wave of influence the brands more than happy to ride

You can view the full article on Forbes via this link:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2014/07/28/8-lessons-from-sports-marketing-experts-for-brands-and-athletes-resisting-move-to-digital/

Posted by Columbus Morfaw