Sponsor seekers ring the changes
as much as part of a modern sponsorship deal as the ink on the contract.
“It’s critical because it is the only way for brands to be able to quantify what her value is by identifying demographics,’’ Sakakibara’s manager Ryan Chipperfield said. “Fifteen years ago you would slap logos on stuff and see what happens. What we can say is she has a 70 per cent female audience following in Australia and connects with people between 18 to 44, particularly ones her own age.
“That means a lot because they have just started to get disposable income.’’
BE BOLD, BE DIFFERENT
White, the agent of Fox and Fowler, says as athletes share their life on social media, they should feel relaxed showcasing what makes them differentquirky-special.
“If you are an athlete who loves to cook, create content making your favourite recipes on TikTok. If you like doing funny skits, integrate them into your channel. Be authentic.
“Brands in those categories will also start to take notice.’’
A key to Ariarne Titmus
accessories brand Oroton’s new summer collection.
The campaign marked the first time the 86-year-old heritage brand has worked with an athlete on this scale
Oroton CEO Jenny Child says they were overwhelmed by the response, especially across social media: “Her campaign shots were some of the highest engaged posts ever across Oroton’s Instagram and Facebook.”
Child says her team will landing a Harvey Norman deal was her love of cooking.
Being different can be as simple as having a catchy brand.
Pool star Kyle Chalmers has teamed up with shoe company Athletikan to release his own signature bright yellow-green sneakers with a ‘King Kyle’ logo.
TIMING AND THREADS
Natalie Cook jokes she was famous for five hours after her Olympic beach volleyball gold medal win at the Sydney Olympics before vanishing into thin air. Cathy Freeman’s night of glory swamped her.
Timing matters. So does having a warm, rich narrative around the success, which White points out was the trigger that made Fox’s Tokyo canoeing triumph marketing gold.
“What added to the moment was her father Richard was the commentator. The emotion shown in that moment by Jess, her mum (and coach), and sister who were at the finish line, and her dad who had just called her race made for a really compelling moment. Australia warmed to Jess, and so did a flurry of big new commercial partners.’’
“absolutely” explore other ways to work with female athletes in future, “especially as we are all getting excited about what’s to come in Paris”.
Matildas rising star Mary Fowler’s brand power is now soaring. Fresh off being named the most powerful woman in Australian sport in the annual News Corp Power 100 List, came another watershed moment when Vogue Australia revealed the 21-yeardifferent
Tokyo BMX freestyle gold medallist Logan Martin, who has a wide catalogue of sponsors from energy drink companies to bike manufacturers, tapped into this sentiment when the world – and sponsors – were impressed after he paid $70,000 for his own home training track during Covid.
NO PROMISES
For all the theorising about mega-deals and big bucks, Sally Pearson can confirm that sometimes the dollars don’t make sense.
Six months after she stormed to an iconic victory in the 100m hurdles at the London Olympics, Pearson shocked the sports world by tweeting she now had less sponsors after winning gold. It was a reminder to all of the brutality of the Olympic four-year cycle, which White admits can be “very difficult’’.
White says while some sports like football maintain their high profile
old had been made a brand ambassador for L’Oreal Paris.
“It is not just a fleeting trend,” confirms Nadia Adelina, L’Oreal Paris AU/NZ marketing director of the brand’s decision to tap the striker for upcoming campaigns and product launches.
“When we ask Gen Z beauty consumers who they find aspirational, it is no longer just women in entertainment. They identify a variety of figures in between Games, other sports are less visible - and that can cost them sponsors.
“That’s why it’s important for athletes not to hang their hat on one moment to make noise and create relevance.’’
From billionaires to battlers, the Games are a story like no other. fields: entrepreneurs, advocates and, of course, athletes. The new generation look up to personalities, women who are authentic, genuine and relatable.
“Mary and the Matildas are not just aspirational for football fans, they are an inspiration to young women and girls as they represent something bigger than their sporting achievements.”
In the lead-up to the Paris Games, official Olympic
Australia’s Olympic sports will stand shoulder to shoulder in a fund-raising revolution designed to stop them being trampled by sponsor-snatching football clubs.
From tiny table tennis to powerhouses basketball and swimming, sports are united in support of a new plan to enable them to individually market the Olympic rings.
This initiative is separate from team sponsorships, which are increasingly hard to find, but are used to send teams to the Olympics.
Under the new proposal, the funds will go to the sports, and in some cases could be decisive in keeping smaller ones alive.
“As one CEO of one of the sports said, ‘we can look after the athlete but when we get to the airport there is no money left for the airline ticket’,” AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said. “We are working on a scheme where we can put an injection of commercial funds into the sports. For a small sport, $50,000 is a lot of money.’’
Details are being kept secret for the moment but the plan is known to involve marketing of the rings and is attached to the pathway system of the sports involved.
Australia is also overhauling its
sponsors are locking in athletes as key brand ambassadors. Swiss watchmakers Omega has thrown their support strongly behind swimmers Kaylee McKeown and Emma McKeon, who have been official brand ambassadors since 2021 and 2023 respectively.
“You only need to look at (Emma’s) impressive record to understand why Omega would choose to partner with her,” relayed Omega via a
Athlete Incentive Scheme which, as a comparison with some other nations reveals, is in urgent need of a boost.
At least 20 countries reward their athletes with six-figure sums for Olympic gold medals – Singapore pays a whopping $1m, which Joseph Schooling pocketed in Rio in 2016 for winning the 100m butterfly.
Australia offers a modest $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze as an incentive for athletes to train on.
“It was designed just before Sydney (2000) so with a home Games coming up (Brisbane 2032) we will look at it to see whether it is doing what it is intended to do,” Carroll said.
“Not only to decide the quantum but how it should be implemented. Should it be medal incentive, should it be assistance in going to the Games?”
Carroll does not shy away from the financial challenges of dipping Olympic revenue as mega-sponsored football codes with guaranteed TV exposure suck up large chunks of the corporate dollar.
“Just recently I was in Lausanne with fellow Olympic chief executives and it was interesting talking to Canada as well,” he said.
“They have the same issues as we do in terms of the big commercial sports dominating the market and the drop-off in sponsorships and revenues for Olympic sports. We have to be as commercially active as those sports otherwise we will get left behind.’’
statement from their Swiss headquarters. “She is the most decorated Australian athlete at the Olympic Games and continues to demonstrate the utmost qualities of excellence and commitment to her sport.”
And no doubt, when McKeon and her fellow female athletes return from Paris after this year’s Games, they won’t be returning to the same sponsorship desert that once faced Sally Pearson.