Pro Athlete’s Post

PRIME dethrones Gatorade as Walmart’s most sold hydration drink last month and yet the most coverage we see on the brand is centered around conflicting claims of it being a health risk for kids and it being influencer owned. Not much about their roster of sponsored athletes: - 3x Super Bowl Winner Patrick Mahomes - Man City star and Nike Athlete Erling Haaland - UFC Superstar Israel Adesanya - P4P King Bud Crawford - Soccer star Alisha Lehmann Not much about their partnerships: - The official sports drink of the UFC - The official sports drink of Arsenal - The official sports drink of LA Dodgers - The official sports drink of FC Barcelona Not much about their global creator footprint: - Mexico - Spain - France - USA Not much about their collegiate ambassador program: - Monthly stock of product - Exclusive merch - Community networking - Path to jobs within the brand It’s almost as if everyone just agreed this success is happening strictly because two YouTube stars have cult followings and can’t be because of brilliant strategy being applied in such a way that it’s setting the ground work for completely dominating a category by 2030. #marketing #advertising #strategy #PRIME #CPG

Quick ⚡ Name 1-2 brands that make basketballs. 🏀 You said Spalding and/or Wilson, right? (I feel like John Edward rn.) Wilson replaced Spalding as the official ball of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Spalding was used for 37 years so brand awareness is likely still very high. And if you show up to my twice-weekly, old guy pick-up game, you'll 6-8 of Wilson's Evolution basketball - the gold standard for indoor balls. That is, until a few weeks ago. One of our guys came in with a new ball made by a brand I'd never heard of: Dime Sports Group. The Dime One sells for about $20 less than the Evolution, so he gave it a try (the money-back guarantee helped, too). We all joked about the bargain bin where he must have found this thing, but once we started playing with it, we realized it was comparable to our beloved Evolution. Of all the categories to break into, basketballs seems like one of the toughest considering the incumbents in the space - not to mention some of the other smaller but more established players in the space. But now that I'm aware of Dime - and shot 4/5 the first time I used it - it has moved right to the top of my consideration set the next time I'm in the market for an indoor basketball. Plus, it'll be easy to tell apart from the other guys' rocks. (Do I sound cool when I call it a "rock"???) Ballers out there: Have you ever heard of Dime? Everyone: Have you recently tried a new entrant into an established category and had a positive experience? #branding #personaldevelopment #marketing

Jordan Brand vs. Adidas: some NBA Finals marketing knowledge and a look back at the NBA season of marketing. My newsletter is in the comments below: read & subscribe at the end if you enjoy it. #sportsmarketing #LinkedInSports

The power of partnerships to increase your sales 🤝 Here are my top 3 favorite brand partnership collaborations: 1. SKIMS and the National Basketball Association (NBA): Skims partnered up with the NBA as a part of its launch campaign, announcing that it was entering the men’s category and has become the official underwear partner of the NBA. 2. Nike x Ben & Jerry's: Nike's brand collaborations have allowed them to reach audiences they wouldn't have been able to reach on their own. Some of Nike's most notable brand partnerships have included companies such as Apple, Beats by Dre, and CLOT. 3. Taylor Swift x National Football League (NFL): Although this is not an official business partnership (as per my knowledge), the romantic pairing of pop sensation Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce boosted the NFL's female viewership among teens by 53% and an increase of more than 2 million female viewers. If you're ready to develop a partnership strategy to help maximize opportunities, schedule a meeting with me to discuss how I can help 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dMMr-daV #partnershipstrategy #strategydevelopment #marketingstrategy #marketingconsultant #collaborations

To celebrate the launch of the the documentary "Twelve Final Days," chronicling Roger Federer's final weeks as a professional tennis player, amazonprime launched impressive promotional displays in two iconic cities- London and New York. This activation has sparked conversations showing the power of experiential marketing in creating lasting impressions and driving word-of-mouth promotion. By leveraging popular landmarks, innovative technology, and emotional storytelling, they’ve crafted a campaign that is both visually stunning and deeply resonant, setting a high bar for future marketing initiatives. What are your thoughts about this? How can your brand use experiential marketing to create a similar impact? Share with us in the comment section 😀👇🏾

What The Football: A Masterclass in Integrated Marketing by Nike ⚽️ Nike's "What The Football" campaign for the Women's World Cup is a shining example of integrated marketing done right. Here's why it stands out: - Strategic Storytelling: The campaign bridges the past and present, integrating the rich history of women's soccer with the excitement of the current tournament. - Data-Driven Targeting: Featuring iconic players like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, Nike targets their ideal customer base while showcasing exceptional talent in the women's game. - Multi-Channel Reach: Leveraging various platforms like social media, TV commercials, and in-store promotions amplifies Nike's message to reach a wider audience. - Emotional Connection: The campaign taps into fans' emotional bond with the sport, fostering a sense of community and inspiration. - Elevating the Game: By spotlighting talented athletes, Nike promotes the Women's World Cup and elevates women's soccer as a whole. Key Takeaway: Integrated marketing creates a cohesive brand message across channels. Nike's "What The Football" campaign showcases how data, storytelling, and multi-channel reach can deliver a powerful impact. What other integrated marketing campaigns have impressed you lately? #Nike #WomensWorldCup #IntegratedMarketing #SportsMarketing #MKTG5519

** LinkedIn Community** 🔊 I recently came across Nike's latest advertisement and wanted to share it at my senior leadership meeting this week but wasn't sure the reaction or impact it would have. It’s sparking quite a bit of conversation in the marketing and business world. Whether it's the messaging, strategy, or the overall execution, I’d love to hear your thoughts! - How do you think the ad aligns with Nike’s brand values? - Do you believe its perspective adds a unique touch to the campaign? - What impact do you think this ad will have on Nike’s audience and market position? -What can we do as an industry to push the enevlope in our marketing efforts? Is it too risky? Drop your thoughts and insights in the comments below. Looking forward to a lively discussion. 🗣️💬 #Marketing #Advertising #Innovative #BusinessStrategy #Branding #Champion

Everyone thinks racing teams need more sponsors. But I prefer if we built the ones you already have. Here's why: 1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 → Aston and McLaren are a league on their own with their accounts. Some of the brilliant creatives are doing that work. → When I say lacking, I look at Adidas' commercials promoting the new AE1 shoe with Anthony Edwards. The marketing is great, the creative is great, and the tone of voice is spot on. But it’s hard to do. We can also get to that level. 2. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 → In a sea of content and sameness, the best-set sail with purpose and many sponsor activations feel meh...you often find that the more engagement you get, the more time wasters you get knocking at your door. 3. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 → Behind-the-scenes content is a blase approach to this. Push the boundaries of this and pull the curtain back on these massive partnerships. 4. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 → Alex Kopilow's recent newsletters showed me how the NFL, NBA, and sports in the USA seamlessly integrate their sponsors into their stories. → Specific people are hired to bridge that gap between the partnerships and content teams. There is room for improvement. You might not always get it right. And getting lured back into chasing the next best opportunity is easy. Yes, you want more sponsors. But it is 10x more fruitful to build a partnership over 10 years. Time over anything. Photo by IMSA for the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona. P.S. Never get tired of seeing my old company's classic Canadian plaid livery. #sportsbiz #linkedinsports #motorsports

Interest in women’s sports has never been higher than in the recent NCAA women’s basketball tournament and WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) draft. We’d argue that women’s professional soccer lit a fire and basketball is fanning the flames. Viewership (the money quotient) is rivaling and exceeding last year's World Series or NBA Finals. Because of this, big brands like adidas, Discover Financial Services, Google, Mars and Nationwide are stepping up. What are the implications for advertising as media buying opportunities continue to evolve and mature? #womensbasketball #wnba #advertising #marketing #brandstrategy

Adidas has been running a masterclass with their new Anthony Edwards / AE1 campaign. I’ll throw aside my own personal biases (Ant is my favorite athlete, and I love how reminiscent this is of ‘90s Jordan campaigns). But here are a few reasons why I think this campaign has been so compelling for me: ➡️ the scripting feels completely authentic. So often celebrities are pulled into campaigns where it’s beyond obvious that they’re acting — this feels far more genuine. ➡️ they’re not afraid to pull punches. From this example (reading “receipts” of real tweets and commentary from known names) to previous ads where he was comparing other basketball players’ shoes to his own. ➡️ the timing and roll out has been so well-executed. They’ve had a seemingly endless repository of videos to release and do so after big/clutch AE moments. I wonder what they’re sitting on now in advance of the Olympics… ➡️ the branding has been immaculate. Perfect choice of colors, typefaces, etc — it’s tantalizing to watch each video. Also the retro/90s feel is perfect for the man some people have claimed to be the second coming of Jordan. Who else is already missing the NBA? Can’t wait for the Ant championship run next season.