Social media has become an integral part of a professional athlete's career and female athletes seem to possess some of the larger followings, giving them strong influence. Not only can this help the individual athlete but it can be a powerful tool in highlighting women's sport, bringing more interest and additional coverage.  Female athletes can also evoke change in other ways by being an influencer, such as by using their own personal stories to inspire others. “The stakeholders on the commercial side of sports are constantly searching for the next frontier, the next growth play,” Dan Cohen, who leads sports marketing company Octagon’s media rights consulting division, said in an email. “It is clearly women’s sports.”

The sports industry and its athletes have expanded their reach to the point of becoming influencers of fashion, lifestyle, fitness, and much more. Athletes can be a great resource to a brand and campaign in their ability to reach and connect with their fans and followers in a way that is hard to rival. In fact, the sports industry and market has been continuously growing, especially in this past decade, and is expected to grow by an additional 6%, reaching nearly $1,809.8 billion by 2022. The industry has grown in a way that has highlighted specific athletes and even enabled them to become household names as fashion and lifestyle icons. Much of this has been achieved through social media where athletes showcase more aspects of their lives and directly connect with their fans. Instagram drove more than $430M in Maximum Ad Value (MAV) during the first 9 months of 2019 with a 68% total value driven by sport properties and influencers.  Sports fans are a passionate consumer group who follow their favorite teams and athletes on various platforms where they see all the brands their favorite athletes associate with on and off the field. This is particularly true for youth because 32% of 13-36-year-olds, and 39% of 13-36-year-old males, follow athletes on social networks.

Let’s face it, you’re looking ahead to the product launch with anticipation but it’s paired with a whole lot of anxiety. How will your audience react to the product? Did you gain enough hype around the product to gather a sizable target audience? What will the reviews say? Will you hit the quota for sales or subscriptions? Where can you check to see if all the marketing you and your team did for the launch was successful? While all of these questions are running through your head, the clock ticks away towards the product launch. This is where influencer marketing with Opensponsorship comes into play.

In this age of digital content, authenticity reigns supreme. Now more than ever, brands from all industries have made it a priority to align themselves with the lifestyle of their target audience. Brand marketing strategies have centered around creating content that reflects the products and services being placed seamlessly around authentic content. When we speak of digital content, we are talking about videos, photos, and any other pieces of produced proprietary media. In regards to authenticity with digital content, there is a brand that I would like to highlight in this article, and that brand is YETI. YETI is a brand that manufactures outdoor lifestyle products such as ice chests, coolers, stainless-steel drinkware, and other related accessories. When it comes to brand alignment, YETI is far above its competitors.

While we are all practicing social distancing and staying home to bring down the curve. Some fitness brands are looking to help us lower our own unwanted curves from the safety of our home. Top fitness brands such as Peloton and Equinox have been very effective utilizing content marketing strategies to reach their target audience. Peloton has been leading the way with their own film studios which reportedly pumps out about 950 original programs per month. Equinox has started bulking up their social presence with the use of their social media platforms which now streams out live and pre-recorded workout sessions for all of its followers. Among both of these brands, there’s a resounding truth, content is king.

A combined 1.12 billion people around the world watched the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament. In addition, more than 260 million viewers watched as the USWNT team played with confidence, strength and unity in a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands to seal their fate as 2019 World Cup winners. The team and players have garnered respect and admiration from fans across the world and continue to prove why they deserve it: One of the many reasons why these athletes make great sponsorship partners.

The impact of Covid-19 is evident, we have seen how it affects businesses and consumers alike. We are witnessing the shift in focus for companies both large and small. The importance of digital content marketing rather than on-site experiential marketing will be a major theme moving forward. As consumers rely on watching sports on a television screen instead of going to a stadium. Using online applications to work from home and to stay in touch with friends and family. This major shift in the landscape is an opportunity for marketers and brands to utilize content marketing strategies to reach their consumers in newer ways.

A lot goes into what builds an athlete's brand. This starts, of course, with accomplishments in their sport. Strong performance and accolades can put an athlete in the spotlight and get people to talk about them and become fans of theirs. However, the athlete's presence outside of their performance on the field can go a long way to taking their personal brand to the next level and turn them into stars.

Cinco de Mayo, commonly thought of as Mexico's Independence Day (this isn't true), is a holiday that celebrates the country's underdog victory at the Battle of Puebla against France in 1862. Nowadays, the holiday has spread to the United States as well and is often associated with tacos and tequila, but the true meaning of the day is to celebrate the rich history and heritage of Mexico.

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken the whole world by storm.  The sports world and the rest of society are staying home in lockdown, trying to figure out ways to cope with something they have never experienced before.  One unforeseen way people have been coping is by spending hours browsing and creating content on the app TikTok.  TikTok, which has been mostly viewed as a social media or content creation platform for the younger generation, has suddenly turned in to a platform where you could find people from any age simultaneously creating and consuming content.