Unlocking Success: The Untapped Potential of Personal Branding in Football

A look into communication modes & personal branding used by brands & individual players

If you didn’t catch last week’s blog regarding football and its marketing success, have a quick read here! Today, we will discuss the aspects of team branding and player branding. There are specific topics that are going to be covered:

1. Brand Engagement: How clubs maintain their engagement and branding on social media through Events & Experiences.

2. Player Branding: Why personal branding is crucial for the modern-day footballer through word-of-mouth

“Brand is the total of how someone perceives a particular organization. Branding is about shaping that perception.” - Ashley Friedlein

Brand Engagement

Events & Experiences

BUDWEISER

Budweiser has a significant role as the global beer sponsor for the World Cups. Adidas wants to capture their audience before events start, such as the World Cup; however, Budweiser creates a fan forum at the said event to keep them active and in a competitive mood.

During the last World Cup, in 2018, Budweiser had a 750-person Budweiser Live viewing event. They would open doors at 8 a.m. Between 8 – 11, fans would participate in activities and drink the famous Budweiser beer!

Branding brings out the best for sponsors, teams, players, and organizers involved. As you start your journey as a sports marketer or team owner, connecting with brands and enlightening your fans with activities will help engage and grow your team, views, and traffic.

ADIDAS

Adidas will have to engage its brand and its perception of that brand with the American consumers as the United States prepares for the World Cup in 2026. Their European market is already a loyal customer base; however, as soccer grows in the US, Adidas wants to be a step ahead of Nike.

World Cup fever is real! Lindsey Miller, the event manager at Adidas U.S. Soccer, stated, “Our goal is to build an inclusive soccer community in our key cities of New York City and. L.A.” Being able to communicate with communities through events allows Adidas to maintain relationships with target consumers for touchpoints.

Adidas introduced a 5-a-side street-style that allows teenagers and adults to compete against each other. These events are usually wrapped up by famous artists. Immersing their fans in a global experience is crucial for brand engagement.

Player Branding

Word-of-Mouth

The most common word-of-mouth experience between fans and players is social media. If you are reading this as a young aspiring footballer, this particular section will help you understand what the key elements are to help your brand grow alongside your fans.

Social Media is a tool for you, as a player, to amass followers and connect with your fans. The better you perform on the pitch, the more followers you’ll have, and the more sway you will have when negotiating brand deals. A detailed explanation can be found in this video! Your brand is also crucial for the team you are playing for or are about to sign for. In the modern football era, brand endorsement deals are not done without social media activity.

The Cristiano Ronaldo Effect!

Nike’s lifetime deal with Cristiano Ronaldo is a perfect example of how to set up your persona branding. Yes, not every player will get this chance, however, these deals come with hard work on the pitch. With nearly 400 million Instagram followers, brands are lining up to sign exclusive deals with Ronaldo. Shoshanna Delventhal, an editor at Investopedia, stated, “These marketing strategies offer firms greater reach at a lower cost.”

Players demand extra compensation if brands want to use their names, because they are growing the club’s presence on social media, in turn giving them more sales.

Looking Forward

As a team, working with brands for your events is a key step in moving forward and attracting consumers. As a player, working on your brand by negotiating brand endorsement deals that favor you and value you, will be your success on and off the pitch.