Athlete endorsements boost brand loyalty and increase consumer engagement, but leveraging the right athlete and effectively measuring campaign success require careful planning and collaboration. Selecting athletes that genuinely align with your brand’s ethos is essential for building an authentic and trustworthy connection. For example, an athlete whose values and personal brand resonate with the ethos of a beauty product—such as a champion of environmental activism—is a natural fit for a sustainability-focused company.
Keeping the lines of communication open and allowing athletes to create content with a clear understanding of objectives, requirements, and expectations is critical for ensuring that campaigns remain relevant and impactful. Athletes should also feel invested in their endorsements, providing them with the opportunity to deliver messaging that feels genuine and relatable. Using data-driven insights helps brands gauge direct impact and calculate ROI. For example, analyzing sales results before and after an endorsement’s launch can demonstrate how the partnership influences consumer purchase decisions. Surveys and feedback mechanisms complement these quantitative metrics by assessing how campaign content has shifted audience perceptions.
Attorneys should support clients in negotiating the essential contractual terms, such as exclusivity and non-compete clauses; compensation (including royalties or flat fees for the use of their image, likeness or intellectual property); and creative control and approval rights. They should also be ready to assist with enforcing breach provisions, such as morals clauses, that allow for termination if the athlete’s conduct damages the brand’s reputation. They should also be prepared to address tax implications for an athlete receiving endorsement income, including self-employment taxes and foreign tax requirements.
