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Viral Marketing

What is it?

Viral Marketing in athlete influencer marketing refers to strategies designed to encourage rapid sharing of content featuring or created by athletes across social media platforms and other digital channels. This approach aims to exponentially increase brand exposure by leveraging the athlete's popularity and the shareability of the content. Viral marketing campaigns often involve creative, entertaining, or emotionally impactful content that resonates with the athlete's fanbase and beyond, potentially reaching millions of viewers in a short period.

Example:

Cristiano Ronaldo's "bottle incident" at a Euro 2020 press conference, where he removed Coca-Cola bottles and promoted water instead, went viral across social media platforms, sparking discussions about athlete endorsements and healthy lifestyles.

Additional examples and insights on Viral Marketing in athlete influencer marketing:

Carli Lloyd's 55-yard Field Goal:

  • Content: Video of soccer star Carli Lloyd kicking a 55-yard field goal at an NFL practice

  • Viral Impact: The video spread rapidly across sports and mainstream media, sparking discussions about women in the NFL

  • Marketing Outcome: Increased visibility for both Lloyd and the NFL, leading to potential sponsorship opportunities

Simone Biles' Handstand Challenge:

  • Content: Biles posted a video of herself removing her sweatpants while doing a handstand, challenging others to try

  • Viral Impact: The challenge was attempted and shared by numerous celebrities and fans, generating millions of views

  • Marketing Outcome: Boosted Biles' social media presence and engagement, indirectly benefiting her sponsors

LeBron James' "Taco Tuesday" Videos:

  • Content: Regular Instagram stories of James enthusiastically announcing "Taco Tuesday" with his family

  • Viral Impact: The phrase became associated with James, inspiring memes, merchandise, and widespread imitation

  • Marketing Outcome: Enhanced James' personal brand and led to attempts to trademark the phrase for commercial use

How can you use it?

  1. Brand Awareness Boost: Viral content can exponentially increase a brand's visibility when associated with an athlete

  2. Audience Expansion: Viral campaigns can help reach audiences beyond the athlete's usual fanbase

  3. Cost-Effective Reach: Successfully viral content can achieve massive exposure with relatively low initial investment

  4. Trend Creation: Athletes can start or capitalize on trends, associating brands with current popular culture

  5. Engagement Spike: Viral content often leads to significant increases in likes, comments, and shares across platforms

  6. User-Generated Content Encouragement: Viral challenges or memes can inspire fans to create and share their own content

  7. Media Coverage: Truly viral content often garners additional free publicity through news coverage

  8. Brand Association: Viral moments can create strong associations between an athlete and a brand or product

Strategies to enhance Viral Marketing in athlete influencer marketing:

  1. Create Shareable Content: Develop content that is entertaining, inspiring, or emotionally compelling

  2. Leverage Current Trends: Tie content to existing popular trends or current events for increased relevance

  3. Encourage Participation: Create challenges or interactive content that fans can easily replicate and share

  4. Use Multiple Platforms: Spread content across various social media platforms to maximize reach

  5. Timing is Key: Release content at optimal times when target audiences are most active online

  6. Collaborate with Other Influencers: Partner with other athletes or influencers to cross-pollinate audiences

  7. Authenticity Matters: Ensure the content aligns with the athlete's persona and values for genuine appeal

  8. Optimize for Mobile: Create content that is easily viewable and shareable on mobile devices

  9. Incorporate Hashtags: Use relevant and catchy hashtags to increase discoverability

  10. React Quickly: Be prepared to capitalize on unexpected viral moments involving the athlete

  11. Tell a Story: Create content with a narrative arc to engage viewers and encourage sharing

  12. Use Humor: Funny content often has a higher chance of going viral

Viral marketing in athlete influencer partnerships can be a powerful tool for rapidly increasing brand visibility and engagement. However, it's important to note that viral success is often unpredictable and can't be guaranteed. The key is to create authentic, engaging content that resonates with the athlete's image and fanbase, while also having broader appeal. When successful, viral marketing can lead to significant boosts in brand awareness, athlete popularity, and potentially, commercial success for both the athlete and associated brands.