The Secret to Athlete Marketing Campaigns: Summer 2024

Here’s why this summer presents the perfect opportunity to build meaningful relationships with athletes.

The Time Is Now

Time, strategy, execution - the big three factors when developing an athlete marketing campaign. 

We've all seen the classic play: slap a logo beside a player's face or have them hold up a product. It's the rushed, reactionary approach brands often take after an athlete hits a big homer or game-winner. And hey, it can work in the moment when you need to capitalize on that hot hand.

But there's another side to NIL that smart brands are tapping into: developing an authentic relationship with an athlete to genuinely represent your brand through proper long-term execution. And the summer is the perfect time to nail this strategy - here's why:

Advertising Strategy

The offseason allows brands to carefully construct a vision for how an athlete partnership should roll out over months, not just a flash-in-the-pan moment. Strategic planning breeds authentic resonance to your target demographic and when those big moments happen, you're already a step-ahead with your athlete.

Authenticity in Relationship Development

Building a real bond with an athlete takes time. Use the summer schedule to foster a genuine connection as the foundation for a long-lasting, influential ambassadorship. Find out their posting style, personality and what they bring to the table to maximize your partnership together.

Executing the Campaign at the Right Time

Not only will athletes have more time on their hands to work with you but without collegiate games/events to overshadow marketing activations, the summer presents the ideal window to launch campaigns without competing for attention while making content. Now, once your athletes are in season, you can execute the well prepared campaign at the perfect time.

Talking From Experience

After all, Out2Win started as a marketing agency. Having worked with top brands like CeraVe, Crocs, and Nerf to develop in-season athlete marketing campaigns, we know the challenges well. That's why we went straight to our CEO, Jack Adler, for his expert opinion on the advantages of the summer months. His insights were on point:

"As a brand, there's no better time to plan for a wide-scale athlete marketing campaign than the summer. Most athletes have their most availability during the summer - especially college athletes. So it's a great time to capture their full attention and get ahead of the game for when they're back in the national spotlight once the season starts back up." - Jack Adler 

The authentic athlete marketing approach takes more initial patience and strategy, but nailing the execution creates a marketing goldmine. You forge a true brand relationship with an ambassador who seamlessly integrates your products/services into their authentic, influential personal brand that fans already devour. It builds lasting brand love beyond just endorsements - an elite athlete partnership that can become the beating heart of your brand.