reviewed best practice of leveraging athlete sponsorships through digital media

1. Analysis of Best Practice: Leveraging Athlete
Sponsorships Through Digital Media
May 29th, 2012

2. Best Practice Comparison: Leveraging
Athlete Sponsorships through Digital Media
Brands Identified:
• Teva
• Red Bull
• Nike
• Marmot
• Keen Footwear
• Patagonia
• K2
• Clif Bar

3. BRAND POSITIONING/MESSAGING

4. Competitive Brand Messaging
• Teva- Live Better Stories
• Red Bull- Gives You Wings
• Nike- Life Is A Sport. Make It Count
• Marmot- Gear provider for extreme outdoor
pursuits.
• Keen Footwear- Recess is Back
• Patagonia- Providing equipment for the outdoor
enthusiast through sustainable practice.
• K2- Athlete driven snowsports company
• Clif Bar- Food.Play.Soul.

5. Red Bull Leads in All Categories

6. COMPETITIVE BRAND ANALYSIS

7. TEVA

8. TEVA: Facebook Teva’s page is inviting and full of
interesting content. It makes you feel
as though you are preparing go to their
next awesome event, whether it is the
Teva Mountain Games in Vail, or a
casual memorial day celebration.
Embedded Youtube App page links directly to
Teva’s collection of Videos.
Announces new additions to
their team of athletes.

9. Teva Cross-Promotes with its Athlete’s
other sponsors
Many of Teva’s athletes have
multiple sponsors.
Teva often associates with its
athletes’ other sponsors.
Even when they are not a
primary sponsor, Teva
recognizes and promotes
progressive events in the
outdoor sports scene. This
gives the impression that
Teva is associated with
anything adventurous, and
ready to take part in the
fun

10. Teva’s Athletes are Activists
Teva’s athletes go beyond
competition. They show an
active passion for their
environment.
Pro Kayakers paired with
singers/activists defending
their environment
Teva is noticeably purpose
driven towards sustainability.
They do a great job of
advocating this purpose
through the actions of their
athletes. Through activism-
based media, athletes connect
with the consumer on a level
much deeper than what can be
gained through shoe sales.

11. TEVA: Athlete Presence on Youtube
Teva categorizes athlete videos by sport and includes
links to the athlete’s individual YouTube channel

12. TEVA: Website
The Teva Tribe: Across multiple
disciplines, Teva’s athletes are
obsessed with fulfilling Teva’s
mantra-
Live Better Stories.
Demonstrates how athletes
connect with the brand’s core
vision.
NOTE* ALL LINKS FROM THIS
PAGE ARE DOWN. Athlete
Profiles, etc. are unavailable at
this time.

13. TEVA: Blog
Company blog, “Teva Collect” tells
the story behind its latest
adventures.
Blog posts can be filtered to
include only those concerning only
athletes.
For truly dedicated fans, Teva’s
blog goes into explicit detail
about their best adventures.
What appears on Twitter as a
single sentence is often
expanded by the blog into a
multi-page story, full of photos
and behind the scenes
experiences.

14. RED BULL

15. RED BULL: Embedded App Makes it Easy to Locate Athletes
Red Bull’s Facebook
page provides a
front and center link
to the Red Bull
Athletes App
The app compiles Facebook and
Twitter posts from all Red Bull
athletes into a simple interface that is
easy to find
Red Bull’s Facebook interface
provides best in class
accessibility to its athletes,
simply by means of the
embedded apps on their home
page. The ease of accessibility
emphasizes how important
Red Bull’s athletes are to Red
Bull

16. Red Bull:Recognizes/Celebrates Athlete
Birthdays
And provides viewers with a special
showcasing of the athlete’s
accomplishments
Here, Red Bull is making an
attempt at humanizing one of
its superhuman athletes- 43
year old Felix Baumgartner, a
man whose career is freefalling
to earth from as near to space
as possible.

17. RED BULL: Twitter
Athletes hash tag Red Bull

18. Red Bull: Youtube
Red Bull creates “mini-series” for its athletes
Professional freestyle skier Bobby Brown has a 10
episode mini-series called “Bobby’s Life”

19. RED BULL: Website
Individual athlete pages feature:
A biography and a feed of recent
media that the athlete was featured
in.
Red Bull’s athlete pages further
promote the importance they give
their athletes. Large colorful photos
and personalized backgrounds for
each athlete draw the consumer in
to their awe-inspiring talent.
Athlete bio’s are written with
intentionally grandiose language,
painting the athletes as god-like. It
feels pretty convincing.

20. Red Bull TV
Athletes take part in signature shows that
are broadcasted on cable and online

21. Red Bull Swag: The Definitive Helmet
of Extreme Action Sports
Red Bull provides top athletes with a signature Red Bull helmet.
These helmets are not available to the public and only to the
most talented athletes.
When you see a Red Bull helmet
on an athlete, you know your in
for a good show.
Mark Mcmorris Professional Snowboarder Lindsay Vonn Professional Ski Racer

22. NIKE

23. NIKE: Website
Beautiful layout and interface, but lacks content on
Athlete pages are categorized by sport. athlete pages. Given the prominence of Nike, I was
expecting much greater depth. Also, lack of
Individual pages contain Q&A and the interactivity (facebook/twitter) leaves the consumer
athlete’s competition titles. feeling out of touch with the athlete.
Compared with Red Bull, Nike’s athletes seem
neglected by the company

24. MARMOT

25. MARMOT: Facebook
Athlete posts are lifestyle Marmot encourages the athlete’s personal presence
related:
Personal accomplishments,
interests, packing lists
In stark contrast to Nike,
Marmots athlete appear
very accessible. Marmot
draws you in by presenting
the day to day routine of its
athletes, and inviting you to
visit their personal blogs.
For example, this photo of
an athlete’s packing list
makes them relatable to
the consumer, but also
fuels purchase intent by
evoking a tinge of jealousy
over all of that shiny new

26. MARMOT: Twitter
Marmot tweets about recent athlete
accomplishments.
Tweets are linked to the athletes’ videos,
PR about new team signings and
personal athlete blogs.

27. Marmot: Athlete Blogs
Athletes have personal blogs
that reference their sponsors.

28. MARMOT: Youtube
Marmot’s Youtube Channel divides
videos featuring its athletes into
Gear Reviews and Action Videos
Athletes provide reliable gear
reviews and testimonials on
Marmot’s Youtube channel

29. MARMOT: Website
Marmot’s main page has an expansive presentation of its athletes and their
adventures

30. MARMOT: Athletes Page
Each sport also has its own sub
page listing athlete bios
“Some are active competitive freeskiers, others
just focused on exploring in their own backyard.”
• Marmot does not require competitiveness
with of its athletes. Talent and motivation
are primary.

31. KEEN FOOTWEAR

32. KEEN: Website
Keen Ambassadors: Not necessarily competitive athletes. Includes non-
competitive athletes, activists, guides, adventurers.
Keen is an especially laid back recreational brand. This is evidenced by their site’s colorful,
playful interface. Their athletes are coined “ambassadors” as opposed to “pros”. Keen’s
average ambassador is presented as recreational athlete or a “weekend warrior”, not a
competitor determined to place in the top three of an upcoming competition

33. KEEN: Blog
Catches up with the Keen
Ambassadors’ non-competitive
adventures.
And provides athlete coverage as
well.

34. PATAGONIA

35. PATAGONIA: Website
Patagonia’s home page
features their ambassadors
in action.

36. K2

37. K2: Twitter
@K2Skis reports on athletes’ recent
news.
This makes up about 60% of all
tweets from K2.
Most tweets are linked to external pages
where athletes are featured.

38. K2: Youtube
“Factory Team” athletes present and review K2’s new products

39. K2: Website
K2’s main page is athlete-
centric, with many links
for more info
Sponsorship is
categorized by top of
skier, and then by
Professional Amateur or
International

40. Not limited solely to competitive athletes, industry gurus are
recruited for R&D. A quick biography establishes their
credentials.

41. CLIF BAR

42. CLIF BAR: Facebook
The Facebook page maintains an ongoing list
of “Stories from Team CLIF Bar”

43. CLIF BAR: Website
Team CLIF has a
dedicated blog and
multiple video series.
• Stories from Team
CLIF
• TRI-TIPS- training tips
for triathlons

44. Clif Bar’s Triathlounge
A place where athletes and fans
connect.
• Athletes favorite recipes are
posted.
• Athletes provide training tips
that are viewed on Clif TV
Positioned as a community, but
outreach opportunities are not
apparent. Communication with
athletes feels inaccessible.

45. SUMMARY OF BEST PRACTICE

46. Facebook
• Announces new additions to pro team
• Embedded Apps:
– Athlete Youtube videos
– Athlete social media posts (Twitter, Facebook)
• Cross promotes events with athletes’ other
sponsors
• Posts feature competitive feats, but also
appear personal and lifestyle-related

47. Twitter
• Athletes Hashtag their brand in tweets from
personal accounts
• Recent athlete accomplishments
• Links to others videos, athlete blogs, Facebook
posts, anything newsworthy

48. YouTube
• Athlete activism: Documentaries, pairing with
activists, songwriters, etc.
• Categorization of athlete videos by sport
• Links to athlete personal channels
• Athletes star in personal mini-series: short
episodes that showcase their abilities
• Athletes provide product testimonials and
reviews
• R&D developments, prototypes, new products-
all announced by athletes

49. Site
• Demonstrates how athletes connect with the
brand’s core vision.
– Depending on the brand, athletes do not necessarily
need to be competitive.
• Industry gurus (hired as testers) are included
featured alongside athletes.
• Athlete Bio’s feature:
– Biography
– Q&A
– Awards and titles received
– Recent Media Feed
– Recent Social Media Feed

50. Site Cont.
• Supports an interactive athlete-fan
community
– Promotes back and forth communication
– Athlete provide tips, both athletic and personal
• Athletes pages categorized by sport
• Athlete pages are easily accessible from home
page
– Athletes are showcased visually on the main page

51. Blog
• In depth behind the scenes coverage of
athletes latest feats- both competitive and
activist related
• Blog posts can be filtered to show only those
about athletes
• Individual athletes can be searched for
specifically

52. London Olympics 2012:
The Olympic Athletes Hub

53. Top athletes are ranked
by popularity
Favored athletes can be
shared with friends on
Facebook and Twitter
Compete with friends by
unlocking rewards and
winning prizes to see who
is the ultimate Olympic
fan.
Olympic athletes sign up for a personal page

54. Athlete pages compile posts from Facebook and Twitter
into a simple interface.
Fans tune in with athletes as they
prepare for the Olympics
The pages of favored athletes can
be shared with friends
When the Olympic Games begin, a
customized event schedule will be
listed under sports events