The shift from offline fan engagement, to online, to a combination of both.
Athlete accessibility and relatability is a powerful tool in engaging and building a relationship with the fans. During covid, this shifted to mostly online interaction. But now fans are welcome into the stadiums again, the need for engagement in real life is back.
Athletes should know how to position themselves as a personal brand and how to be the same person in both their on- and offline marketing. The two will strengthen each other, and it will be increasingly important for athletes to use both in the coming years.
Three visible trends of personal branding in women’s football
The growing opportunities for sponsorships in women’s football is very interesting. In our blog ‘5 reasons why sponsoring women’s football is an opportunity for brands’ you can read more about it. We can not ignore the fact that women’s football has grown in the last couple of years and with an increase in viewers and attendance, more organisations have shown interest in sponsoring events, clubs or players. With more businesses interested in investing in women’s football, personal branding for athletes becomes more important.
Let us share a few visible trends of personal branding in women’s football:
Trend #1: An increase in co-branding campaigns between male and female athletes
Football clubs and organisations are using more men and women next to each other in their branding campaigns. In 2019, Nike made a strategic decision to invest more in women’s sports. Since then, the representation has become a lot more balanced. Athletes from the women’s team are now in front and at the centre together with the men, and the presence of female athletes on their social channels has increased as well. This trend has continued ever since and we see many other brands do the same.
Trend #2: More influencer based marketing
Players have a unique power to influence fan behaviour towards brands. Women’s football fans have a strong positive perception of brands that sponsor female players, which influences their buying behaviour. With the success of the Women’s EURO, the increasing online reach of individual players and the unique relationship between a female player and their fans, influencer-based marketing will become even more important to brands.
Trend #3: Female athletes have a voice
According to a recent published report by the UEFA, half of the fans follow women’s football because they find players to be good role models and inspirational figures. There is a continuous rise in athlete voices, particularly women, who are successfully using their platforms to tell their personal stories. Their voices provide a much-needed perspective to our collective conscience. Fans like it, and we see that brands adopt ‘the voice’ to try and connect with these fans too. More and more brands make statements in their marketing campaigns and with the upcoming World Cup next summer, we expect to see this trend continue in the coming year.
With the growing interest in women’s football, opportunities for female athletes will continue to grow. In order to take full advantage of these opportunities, an athlete must establish a strong personal brand.
Do you want to know more about how you can do that? Send us a message and we will be more than happy to talk about it!
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