Helping brands to partner with athletes in their influencer marketing and sponsorship marketing campaigns

4 Ways your Brand can get Involved in the 2022 World Cup

The World Cup is one of the most highly anticipated sporting events in the world, and for good reason. Every four years, fans from all corners of the globe come together to celebrate their love of football. This year's tournament will be taking place in Qatar, and brands are already starting to jockey for position to get involved. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the different ways your brand can get involved in the World Cup 2022. Whether you're looking for a World Cup athlete sponsorship opportunity or want to create a marketing campaign around the event, we've got you covered!

Logo Placement

One of the most popular ways for brands to get involved in the World Cup is through logo placement. This is where your brand's logo will be featured on signage, kits, or other promotional materials associated with the event. This can take many different forms, but one of the most common is to have your brand logo on the team kit. Logo placement can be a great way to get your brand in front of a global audience, and it's also one of the most cost-effective ways to get involved.

Give Away Prizes

Another great way for brands to get involved in the World Cup is by giving away prizes related to the tournament. This can include anything from tickets to VIP experiences at games. Winners of these prizes can be selected through competitions, quizzes or randomly chosen from individuals who shared your content on social media. By giving away prizes, brands can generate excitement among fans and increase their visibility online and offline.

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Appearance Marketing

Appearance marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on creating a positive association between your brand and the event. An example of how this can be done is by hosting an event with an athlete involved in the World Cup - you could use a current or former player. A result of this will cause fans to link your brand with the World Cup, which will create a trustworthy relationship between potential consumers and your brand. Furthermore, appearance marketing is an excellent way to get you in front of a highly-targeted audience, and it can also be a lot of fun in the process!

Athlete Social Media Posts

Another option is to sponsor an athlete on social media. This can be a great way to get your brand in front of a highly-engaged audience. Many athletes will be using social media to share their experiences of the World Cup, and your brand can be a part of that. This could take many forms, such as the athlete promoting your product on Instagram with media posts, stories, lives, or Reals. However, there are a range of different social media platforms to choose from, this includes: TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. The World Cup is a perfect opportunity to create awareness for your brand and generate some buzz around the event.

Final Thoughts

No matter how you decide to get involved, the important thing is that you start planning now. The World Cup only comes around every four years, so you don't want to miss out on this opportunity to reach a global audience! 

Get started here today with OpenSponsorship to simplify all your sports sponsorship needs! 

In recent years, the transformation of contract deals in sports has changed the transition of power from the owners to the athletes of the prospective teams. From Patrick Mahomes signing a 10-year $450 million contract, to Mike Trout signing a $426.5 million over a 12-year span, the new age of star athletes is only growing. French international soccer star, Kylian Mbappé recently made official one of the most lucrative contracts an athlete has ever received. The key difference however, is the length of the contract that Mbappé signed which amounts to a fraction of many of the major ground breaking contracts created within sports. The 3-year deal includes a staggering signing bonus, compensation, and personal incentives that would give the French star a greater amount of power within the club. 

Within the 3-year contract deal signed with Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé receives: $137 million signing bonus, an estimated monthly salary of $5,000,000, and an apparent role to overlook to sporting director operations. The apparent addition of overlooking operations would include deciding the future coach, sporting director, and potential transfers for the club. In news of this, current sporting director Leonardo and current manager Mauricio Pochettino are set to exit the club. 

After Real Madrid were confident in signing Mbappé and have been for the last few years, the French star was keen on resigning with his hometown club, Paris Saint-Germain. Real Madrid were offering up to $200 million last summer to sign the star who was under contract. However, since the star was turning into a free agent, this enabled him and his team to have an immense amount of power in the negotiations. The twists and turns that the negotiations took essentially brought both Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid to their knees and displayed the powers that star athletes now hold.

The Significance: Transfer of Power to Athletes 

The successful negotiation by Kylian Mbappé has broken the barriers for the power and financial limits attainable for star athletes in the modern era. Soccer in recent years has been based around clubs transfer fees which gives a significant financial boost to the clubs and owners, in this scenario, by waiting out his contract, Mbappé was successful in leveraging the amount of money he could gain. This turning point in contract negotiations for athletes is bound to vastly change the way players conduct business for themselves and the power they are able to obtain. No player or athlete has openly been given such power within a club to have a say in the operations and appointments of key staff. Not only will this trend continue within soccer, but is bound to allow star athletes to attain more power over owners to better benefit their careers. The new age of star athletes continues to reach new heights and is changing the landscape of sports every few years.

With the changing times in sports and the bargaining power athletes carry, brands need to adapt to creative collaborations. The image of star athletes is becoming stronger within messages for brand endorsements. Reach out to Opensponsorship to come up with innovative marketing strategies to capitalize on this shift. Athletes looking to continue the growth of their image are able to sign up for free!

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.”

It has been reported that women's sport does not receive as much coverage and investment even though it has more room for growth than men's sport. In 2018 studies showed that only 0.4% of the total commercial investment (in sport) goes into women’s sport, despite a Nielsen report revealing that 84% of general sports fans have an interest in women’s sports. 51% of those surveyed were male, which means utilizing female athletes as a way to reach fans can be greatly beneficial. Deloitte projected that the rise of women’s sports in 2020 would dominate the sports industry and that “sponsors should consider getting involved now to capitalize on the new opportunities and avenues for engagement that this growth area may create.” The influence of social media has also grown since the Nielsen survey was taken, especially since digital activity has been vital to the survival of many industries and how many athletes and leagues interacted with their fans throughout the pandemic. Deloitte's survey found that millennials are 40 percent more likely than baby boomers to use social media to obtain information about their favorite teams and players. This behavioral trend emphasizes the importance of the digital connection athletes have with their fans and the power it wields. 

The pandemic was hard on the sport industry but women's sport continues to have strong growth and investment potential. NWGL's Packer said, "the amount of money that it takes for a company to meaningfully support a women’s league is so vastly different than what it takes to have the smallest piece of attachment for a men’s league.” A good example of this potential for growth is women's soccer in the U.S., which has seen an increase in interest that has translated into an increase in stadium attendance. In 2020 the NWSL was poised to have a record-breaking year after signing new broadcast deals, which resulted in a 22% increase in game attendance, according to Soccer Stadium Digest. In addition to this the women's NCAA tournament continues to prove that it can bring in viewers as it could fetch as much as $20 million a year as a stand-alone event on the open market. Now that things are getting back to normal women's sport will need to keep up the momentum.

European soccer has been a positive outlet from the stresses of this past year, and the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament is another opportunity to sponsor some stand-out athletes popular both regionally and internationally. This is the first time that the tournament will be held in more than two countries, with half of the countries hosting an international tournament for the first time. The tournament will also be celebrating its 60th anniversary and projecting that it will have over 5 billion live viewers. So, this is a great opportunity to reach an audience excited to be back in stadiums and engaged with their favorite sport and athletes. 

Because Euro 2020 was rescheduled for June 11 to July 11 now is the best time to connect with some of our athletes for sponsorship. Here are some of our athletes taking part in the tournament that would be ideal for any brand looking to capitalize on the digital connection fans have built with their favorite athletes. 

Recognized for his exceptional passing, shooting, and dribbling abilities, the 29 year old midfielder from Belgium is widely considered as one of the best players in the world. Kevin De Bruyne plays a fundamental role in the Belgium national soccer team, and alongside Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, they made a deadly trident up front. Other than the numerous titles that he has won playing at Manchester City, he has been awarded important individual achievements such as "Bundesliga Player of the Year", "Manchester City Player of the Year", "FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2018", and "Premier League Playmaker of the season". Now, on the 2020-2021 season, De Bruyne has lead Manchester City to reach its first UEFA Champions League final, looking to raise the first-ever UEFA title for the club. Clearly, one of the EURO 2021 main attractions.

For Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku played a key role on the team through his aggressive passing, which led to many goals, but since joining Inter Milan he has been making his mark as a striker scoring 34 goals in 51 matches this past year. In addition to reaching his personal goal of 300 career goals Lukaku has been awarded "2019-20 UEFA Europa League Player of the Season," "Best Belgium Footballer abroad: 2020," "IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer: 2020," and the "Italian Football Hall of Fame (Davide Astoria Fair Play Award): 2019." In addition to this Lukaku strives to maintain a positive presence on social media, even in the face of adversity.

Defensive players do not always get the recognition they deserve, but Dutch National Daley Blind is one that stands out. Blind rose to prominence through his defensive strategies and performance during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which is considered an impressive example of modern defending. Daley started his career with Ajax, having come up through the academy, but he also had the opportunity to play for Manchester United, where he played a crucial role in the 2015 FA Cup triumph. Daley has since returned to his boyhood club, Ajax, where he continues to prove his versatility and has also acted as a leader to the younger players on the squad as the vice-captain.

John Stones is a young English defensive back, who has been part of the impressive Premier League Championship-winning Manchester City squad for the past three seasons. Stones is also slated to be one of the best center-backs in world football today and expected to play a key role in the Champions League final this Saturday. Since joining Manchester City Stones has enjoyed some real positive momentum, which has been attracting attention from rival clubs this transfer window. Stones shows a real passion and excitement, which is anticipated to help this young defender to continue to rise as he builds his career.

With the transfer window coming up Declan Rice is another young prospect getting a lot of attention from rival teams such as Chelsea and Manchester United. Rice has made his mark as a midfielder for West Ham United where he has scored several key goals for the club and has been awarded "West Ham United Player of the Year: 2019-20." In addition to this honor, Rice was "London Football Awards Young Player of the Year: 2019" and has played for both the Republic of Ireland and English National Teams.

N'Golo Kante is a strong and versatile midfielder known for his ball-winning abilities and has become more offensively driven under the Chelsea manager, scoring more goals and providing more assists than he had previously. Kante was an integral member in Leicester City winning its first Premier League title and has since had a notable and successful rise within the English league. In addition to his two Premier League title wins he has been awarded "Leicester City Players' Player of the Year: 2015-16," "Chelsea Player of the Year: 2016-17, 2017-18," "French Player of the Year: 2017" and "ESPN Midfielder of the Year: 2019." Kante was even France's "Man of the Match" for his performance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match against Denmark.

Fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema has made a similar impact in the Spanish League, La Liga. Benzema has been a creative and dynamic striker for Real Madrid since 2009 where he has raised the league trophy there times and is hailed for his performance in the most recent title race. This season he even rose in the La Liga goal rankings to be just below Lionel Messi. In addition to his La Liga success, Benzema has been awarded "UNFP Best French Player Playing Abroad: 2018-19, 2020-21," "Trofeo Alfredo Di Stefano: 2019-20 (Annual Association Football Award)," and "MARCA's Best Player in 2019-20." Benzema has also had the opportunity to play for the French National Team in the FIFA World Cup four times.

Portugal is another talent-producing powerhouse in Europe and Andre Silva is just one of several athletes you can find on OpenSponsorship playing in Euro 2020. Silva recently transferred from Serie A's AC Milan to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, where he scored 26 goals in 31 games. At the age of 25, Silva has already been honored as "Segunda Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2015-16," "Bundesliga Goal of the Month: June 2020," and "Bundesliga Player of the Month: January 2021." Within the Bundesliga Silva has made great strides towards his full potential, gaining the interest of other international clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United.

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.

Authenticity Drives Engagement

The players’ success on the field, alongside their willingness to take a stand for what they believe in, has made them prominent and popular figures. Their large and loyal fan bases admire their authenticity and have an appreciation and trust in the honest content and messages they put out. While these athletes may not have the same social media following as players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, engagement amongst their own followers is very high. A sponsored post like this (shown below) from OpenSponsorship and USWNT athlete Julie Ertz is highly authentic to who she is and what she values (there are shirts on the quilt highlighting her career and her husband Zack Ertz’s and even a shirt that promotes gender equality). Posts like this one from Ertz are much more likely to drive engagement and higher brand recognition and sales. 

Matching Athletes to Brands Through Shared Values

Additionally, these athletes are amazing role models for women of all ages, especially young women like myself and members of the LGBTQ community. They consistently break down gender stereotypes by being the confident, skilled players that they are and refusing to accept the status quo when it is unjust. These athletes’ success on the field is undeniably incredible. Combined with their willingness to stand up for what they believe in and be their true authentic selves, they are the perfect candidates for sponsorships: Especially as more and more brands are looking to make statements about their values and are using athletes to help share this message. Due to their willingness to speak up for what they believe in, even if that means being controversial at times, USWNT players and female soccer players are the perfect athletes to partner with to accomplish this.

The Ability to Genuinely Connect with Brands and Consumers Both Through Sports and on a Personal Level

As brands are increasingly trying to reach consumers through social media channels, they sometimes struggle to make the connections between the influencer and the brand feel authentic in the eyes of the consumer. Athletes such as female soccer and USWNT players who attracted their followers based on their success as athletes and who they are on a personal level, are able to make connections with brands and their followers based on the fact that they are athletes and also who they are and what they stand for on a personal level. For example, Rose Lavelle can connect with Nike as a brand and its customers based on the fact that she is a soccer player and their clothes improve her performance. However, she can also connect to Nike and its customers in an even more meaningful way through shared values of female empowerment. This makes partnerships with brands feel more genuine coming from a USWNT player or female soccer player and is likely to drive higher engagement. 

If you would like to find out how your brand can partner with these amazing OpenSponsorship athletes, you can email us at info@opensponsorship.com or check out our website OpenSponsorship.com

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.

In the 1980s and 90s, brands began incorporating Cinco de Mayo into their marketing plans by positioning their product as one that should be consumed during holiday celebrations.

Corona was one of the first, which makes sense given that it is a Mexican beer, and some even credit their 1989 ad campaign for making Cinco de Mayo such a widely celebrated holiday in the United States. Through their marketing efforts aimed at positioning themselves as a beer of celebration and bringing people together, they are now the leading beer brand in association and consumption around the holiday.

As seen from Corona, a strong marketing campaign can help consumers associate you with Cinco de Mayo celebration. Using influencers with Mexican heritage can be one way of launching your campaign, and there are several Mexican athletes who would make great fits. Here are our top 10 Mexican athlete influencers:

10. Hector Velazquez

Hector Velazquez is an MLB pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles entering his 4th season in the MLB, spending the previous 3 with the Boston Red Sox. He was born in Ciudad Obregon and prior to going to the MLB, he played six seasons in the Mexican League and two seasons in the winter Mexican Pacific League.

He can be found on Instagram at @hvelazquez76, where he has over 30,000 followers. He posts often with his wife and his two young boys. 

9. Will Hernandez

Will Hernandez is an offensive lineman for the New York Giants. He was drafted by the Giants in the 2nd round of the 2018 Draft out of the University of Texas at El Paso.

Hernandez's family moved from Mexico to Las Vegas before he was born, and his journey from there to the NFL was inspiring. Hernandez's family faced devastating financial struggles while he was growing up, forcing them to spend time living in a storage unit. These struggles led to his grades falling and the decision to drop out of high school and quit football to begin working for his father, but his coaches encouraged him to come back to school and the team because he had the opportunity to earn himself a college scholarship.

Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Well, they were right, and Hernandez is now a promising young starter for the Giants. He can be found on Instagram at @willhernandez71 with over 50,000 followers (and this hilarious photo of him and his dog) and on Twitter at @willhernandez76 with 15,000 followers.

8. Luis Urias

Luis Urias is an MLB infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers who was once one of the top minor league prospects in baseball. He spent time playing in the Mexican Pacific Winter League in 2014 and also represented Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, a highly competitive international baseball tournament.

He can be found on Instagram at @luisurias97 with 77,000 followers and on Twitter at @luisurias03 with 18,000 followers.

7. Erik Perez

Erik Perez is an MMA fighter competing in the bantamweight division of the Bellator MMA promotion. He has been fighting professionally since 2008 and his three brothers, Jorge, Jair, and Ivan, are also professional fighters.

Erik can be found on Instagram at @goyito_perez with 54,000 followers and on Twitter at @goyito_perez with just under 42,000 followers.

6. Gilberto Ramirez

Gilberto Ramirez is a professional middleweight boxer. He held the WBO super middleweight title from 2016-2019 and was the first boxer from Mexico to hold that title. Gilberto made big changes to his life last year, including moving to Los Angeles, hiring a new trainer and replacing the one he had for years, and proposing to his girlfriend Priscilla (ESPN wrote a feature article about it here) for the good of his career- and things have paid off for him so far.

Gilberto can be found on Instagram at @zurdoramirez where he has just under 92,000 followers and is active in taking his fans along with him on his journey and his day-to-day routine as a professional boxer.

5. Jaime Munguia

Jaime is a 23-year-old professional boxer in the middleweight division. He held the WBO junior middleweight title from 2018-2019 and is currently ranked as the 7th best middleweight boxer in the world and the 2nd best from Mexico with a 35-0-0 record.

Jaime can be found on Instagram at @jaimemunguiaofficial with 142,000 followers. He most recently fought against Gary O'Sullivan, the world's 27th ranked middleweight fighter, and won in an 11th round KO, winning his middleweight class debut.

4. Sergio Romo

Sergio Romo is an MLB pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He made his MLB debut in 2008 with the San Francisco Giants, where he was a part of three World Series champion teams and made one All-Star appearance in 2013. He is now on his 5th MLB team and has put together quite the resume for a 28th-round pick in the 2005 MLB Draft.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Sergio and his wife, Chelsea, have two sons named Rilen and Ryder. Sergio is active and has large followings on both Twitter and Instagram, sporting 169,000 followers on Instagram (@sergioromo54) and 250,000 on Twitter (@sergioromo54).

3. Jonathan dos Santos

Jonathan dos Santos is a professional soccer player currently playing for the LA Galaxy of the MLS. He was signed by the Galaxy in July 2017 after playing for Spain's Villareal CF. Dos Santos also represents Mexico in international play, being named to the Best XI in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and making his World Cup debut in 2018.

Dos Santos sports very high followings across social media. He has 2.2 million followers on Instagram (@jona2santos) and 1.4 million followers on Twitter (@jona2santos) and recently joined Tik Tok as well, where he has amassed 92,000 followers in just one month (@jona2santoss).

2. Giovani dos Santos

Narrowly beating out Jonathan is his brother Giovani, also a professional soccer player for Liga MX club America. He also played for the LA Galaxy from 2015-2019, spending two seasons playing with Jonathan and making two MLS All-Star teams. He also has a strong career in international play, winning one Olympic gold medal in 2012 and 3 Gold Cup titles.


USA Today Sports

He has 1.8 million followers on Instagram (@oficialgio) and 3.4 million on Twitter (@oficialgio). According to his Instagram, he's been spending his quarantine working out, reading books, playing video games (he loves FIFA!) and cuddling with his dog.

1. Oribe Peralta

Taking the top spot is professional soccer player Oribe Peralta. He currently plays for Liga MX Guadalajara and has bounced around during his club career, spending the most time with Santos Laguna. Peralta has also represented the Mexican National Team, but announced his retirement from international play after the 2018 World Cup.

Peralta is an active user of Twitter (@oribeperalta), Instagram (@oribepm), and Facebook (Oribe Peralta) with 3 million followers on the former and over 1 million on the other two.

What do you think about our list? To learn more about any of these athletes and how you can use them in your next campaign, reach out to an OpenSponsorship rep or send us an email at info@opensponsorship.com