How we pitched Maggie Steffens to new sponsor, UCAN
by Dane Vanderkaay, Manager of Athlete Partnerships
We recently announced a new sponsorship between Olympic legend Maggie Steffens and her new nutrition partner UCAN. Today we share a behind the scenes look at how this deal was brokered, breaking it down into three major steps:
1. Telling the story
First we had to tell the story of Maggie's brand which is an amazing story in itself that you can read more about here. Our favorite way to showcase our athlete's stories is through a highly visual slide deck. We outline their greatest accomplishments as well as what their brand stands for and how that brand is represented in the media. For Maggie it was important to showcase that Maggie is a 2x-Olympic gold medalist, a 2x-Olympic MVP, has started her own company, had numerous media exposures in some of the biggest media outlets (CNN, ESPN, Sports Illustrated etc.) in the country, and comes from an amazing family with a rich background in water polo.
2. Authenticity lays the foundation
When it comes to storytelling, authenticity is the name of the game. Where we aligned right away with UCAN was in their firm belief in true product authenticity. UCAN was in no rush to sign a deal until Maggie had ample time to try their amazing products and ensure she noticed the UCAN difference in her training. After several weeks, Maggie had nothing but positive feedback. The UCAN team was very thorough in their questions of how Maggie used the product and how they made her feel. Maggie confirmed that she was a fan of the product and we worked on how we could make the partnership beneficial to both parties.
3. Creating the deal with creativity
One thing we pride ourselves on is how we deliver value to our clients' partners. Most sports agencies will sign a deal between their athletes and sponsors for the rights to Name, Image, Likeness and the show stops there. We want our partnerships to bring success to all the parties involved so we are always looking for creative ways to enhance the partnership. With Maggie and UCAN, we pitched several creative video campaigns to showcase Maggie's use of UCAN before, during, and after her daily training. This video series can be blasted out on all social channels, added to Maggie's website as well as UCAN's, and included in the newsletter you are reading right now.
This is just one example of how we try to bring value to our sponsors so that they can grow with us. Congratulations to UCAN and Maggie. We look forward to helping you both succeed and grow in the coming years.
