Support the brands you love
Good morning. Promote the brands you love.
Have you ever looked at a picture or movie and had the oddest sensation that something didn't belong? Maybe it was when you were watching Wayne's World and Mike Myers' character, Wayne, grabs a slice of pizza, pauses, and grins while the camera pauses on the Pizza Hut logo. Or maybe it was one of the 55 brands featured in Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction?
Or maybe it was while watching the PGA Championship and a man standing behind Tiger Woods was very clearly holding a Michelob Ultra can.
Was this product placement? Turns out it was just a man enjoying his favorite beer at the PGAs. Mark, The Michelob Guy as he has been dubbed, was merely living in the moment and enjoying watching golf. Because he chose to do so with his choice of beer, he became the perfect ambassador for the brand.
Now, he has a t-shirt, a 15-second commercial, and internet fame galore.
So let's take a lesson from Mark, The Michelob Guy, and remember to enjoy the moment with the products we love!
OTHER BIG NEWS THIS WEEK:
Maddy Banic held the first "Banic Swim Camp" with Quest Swimming.
McKenzie Coan was among 40 guests who spoke at the Living Lessons program at Franklin Avenue MS.
Jesse Cole, author of Fans First, has truly put his fans first. Cole decided to go small for his book launch, transforming a storage closet into his own tiny bookstore. In Cole's words, "Why have a big bookstore with lots of books when you can have the world's smallest bookstore with just one."
P.S. Nervous about missing upcoming news from CG Sports? Follow us on Instagram (@cgsportsco), Facebook (CG Sports Management), and, of course, our weekly newsletter.
Elizabeth Beisel has been traveling with USA Swimming and the Make A Splash Tour to spread awareness about the importance of learning how to swim. Recently, Beisel visited the historic Point Richmond pool with fellow Olympians Nathan Adrian and Cullen Jones. While there, they assisted instructors of the Richmond Sailfish swim program with lessons. Later, the Olympians took time to talk to the kids about their experiences as both young swimmers and Olympians.
The first Camp ConnecT1D was hosted by Cedar Crest College this past weekend, serving children living with Type 1 Diabetes. Mandy Marquardt attended as a speaker and connected with those present.
The camp was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and promotes the importance of connecting members of the Type 1 Diabetes community with peers, role models, mentors, resources, and more.
Each of our weekly newsletters feature a segment titled "Cejih Explains," where our CEO Cejih Yung explains all things athlete branding, sponsorship, and sports marketing. But for the non-newsletter reading sports people in your life, "Cejih Explains" can also be found online and on Instagram.
Some of Cejih's most recent explanations include "How to grow on IG," posts athletes should make more of, and "Easy IG Story tip for your sponsors."
Shameless Understanding
Deals are closed with empathy and competency. I recently watched a Harvard Business Review clip (thanks, TikTok) about how a couple went into the car dealership confident they weren't buying anything that day. The salesman greeted them, mentioning he did some preparation research on LinkedIn and gained a little background into the couple's lifestyle and interests to better cater the experience. Here's how it plays out.
Apply it, @Athletes: Take time to educate yourself on brands you're hoping to work with prior to meeting with them. LinkedIn, brand websites, current partners, company history, products and even the staff. You may love a specific product and know all about how it's made, what's in it and how it helps you, but what about the company's values and the sports marketing rep's values? Know the story you want to match up with your own, or one you can align with, and also grow their target audience. Major bonus points if you can relate directly to the individual you're speaking with about a partnership.
**Having spent some time watching a Hallmark movie with my grandma this week, I can double confirm the legitimacy here.
Getting sponsors attention on IG
What’s up athletes! Here is a quick IG tip that has worked really well with our clients on getting the attention of sponsors.
Identify what your ‘buckets’ are that you regularly post about and represent your brand.
Create an IG Highlight category for each bucket. Examples could be: “Nutrition”, “Gym”, “Travel”, “Food”, “Art”
Now as you go through your regular IG stories posts each week, you can tag companies who’s products you are using.
Save these stories to one of your highlight buckets. This creates an easy piece of ‘storytelling’ content that you or your team can share with potential sponsors.
Recently we had an athlete who wears the same athletic apparel brand in the gym. This was documented in their IG highlights. There were literally dozens of saved stories featuring this athlete showing their brand loyalty. This made our case 5x stronger when reaching out to the sponsor on why they should collab with our client.
Give it a try! You will be surprised at the results and DM’s you receive.
We're happy to report that he did give the people what they wanted and turned on the NCAA Softball Super Regionals for all to watch!
SponsorUnited
The sponsorship landscape is changing fast and it can be intimidating trying to figure out the ins and outs. Enter SponsorUnited.
SponsorUnited offers the most comprehensive look into the sports and entertainment industry and how they are utilizing all facets of marketing partnerships. This includes tracking emerging brands, shifts in asset mix, the people behind the deal, and more.
Interested in learning how SponsorUnited can help you achieve your marketing and partnership goals? Click here to request your free demo and trial of their platform today.
A collection of the CG Sports Teams’ favorite random news of the week.
RANDOM: A man has been detained after throwing a piece of cake at the Mona Lisa painting.
NBA: Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke out about gun reform.
NBA: CJ McCollum has signed a Multiplatform deal with ESPN as an NBA analyst.
USWNT: Megan Rapinoe joined The Limits to discuss gaining equal pay with their male counterparts.
Champion's Mojo, Episode #152: "Marc Middleton: Change Your Mind, Change Your Body"
Marc Middleton believes that aging is a blessing -- and is on a mission to change the way society views the aging process through his media company Growing Bolder. Marc, also a masters swimmer, joins Kelly and Maria to talk about his passion for changing conversations about aging in America.
Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.
