NIL…THE STEAL OF BRAND MARKETING

Leo Messi recently announced that he is joining Inter Miami after a legendary career at Barcelona and PSG. To a guy like me, born in Europe, where soccer is more religion than a sport, this is a big deal. Messi is the closest thing to MJ that I’ve had in my life. A larger-than-life assassin, who has won everything at every level. From a marketing standpoint, I wondered what the reaction would be. I didn’t have to wait very long. Within days of the announcement, Inter’s Instagram followers went up from 1.1 MM to 8.3 MM (as of 6/20). For context, the New York Yankees, have a following of 2.2 MM. All of a sudden, the social media department has some SERIOUS responsibilities.

Leo Messi and Inter Miami

Leo Messi - Inter Miami

I’m sure in the months to come, we’ll read similar stories of Adidas jerseys and apparel sold, Apple subscription numbers for the MLS deal, and we’ll see Gatorade commercials basking in the glow of Messi.

We love sports brand ambassadors. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers will trust a person they follow on social media more than a brand that advertises on their page. And customers’ ties to athletes runs deep. Especially regionally. A 2020 study by the Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management, German Sport University Cologne, in Cologne Germany found that “A sports celebrity is the most effective type of endorser in increasing consumers’ purchase intentions…” Not at all surprising as you see Lebron James, Steph Curry, Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and on and on and on selling everything from Chase Bank to Hertz Car Rentals.

But the reality is that most brands don’t have $2 Million to pay Steph, not to mention the subsequent millions needed for creative development and media placement, before you know it, you need an annual budget of approximately $4 - $5 million just to make things worthwhile.

And yet…recently, under everyone’s noses, there’s been an opportunity that still far too few are utilizing. In July 2021, college athletes were given the right to make money with the passing of new name, image and likeness (NIL) policy. This meant that brands could reach out to athletes who have arguably more supportive following than their pro counterparts, and at a fraction of the cost.

Imagine if you will, you’re a regional brand in the south, and while you don’t have a huge marketing budget, with a few hundred thousand dollars, you can create an extremely effective campaign by reaching out to a few local College Football stars in your target markets. You don’t even need to sign the superstar QB’s (although that would be nice), but if you do things creatively…imagine a campaign of college kickers looking for something to stream on HULU while they’re waiting for their turn to kick. Or YouTube…depends on who wants to sign the check  Or maybe it’s a “White Men Can’t Jump” style program using some youthful college ballers where they hustle an older crowd at the local Y or the park and deposit the winnings at their local bank (call us Wells Fargo…we can make this one happen.)

The point is, there are much more cost-effective, digitally native opportunities for brands to attach themselves to a younger, more digitally-native, and creatively attune brand ambassador.

Nowhere is the value more apparent than with Olivia Dunne, the LSU gymnast that has gone nuclear with her Tik Toks. Her deals with American Eagle, Forever 21 and Vuori are already some of the most effective in terms of ROI. But if you’re a more local brand, you can work with other talented athletes, who understand what the digital creative game is all about.

Olivia Dunne

Don’t have a few hundred thousand for a brand partnership? No problem, how about just $10k - $15k? Chess teams, swim teams, wrestling teams, Lacrosse…you get the point. Think of this as microinfluencing on the athletic field. It’s extremely effective, and not many brands are doing it well…yet.

So here’s your opportunity. You can be the Oakland Athletics of the 2002 season. The Moneyball Era. Where they exploited the mathematical advantages of stats like OBP and OPS before anyone understood what they were, and nearly won the World Series, despite a salary that was a quarter of their competition.

This is your time. And if you need help executing this creatively, that will engage your customers, you know who to call.

(Us. You call us.)