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

The Growth Of TikTok and NFL Players

The growth of TikTok has transformed the digital age over the last few years. In changing times, NFL athletes are gaining a new social media following with the wide ranges of content creation and fan interaction. TikTok is giving NFL athletes a platform to be more personal with their lifestyles. NFL players have gained the highest following amongst US athletes on TikTok, paving the way for further growth. 

Who Makes Up Audiences On 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. An estimated 74% of all social media users ranging from the age of 13-21 in the U.S use TikTok. NFL athletes are finding better approaches through TikTok to keep up with fan engagement and the younger generation. 

NFL Players Are Joining TikTok and Going Viral

Regarding the sports world, many professional athletes have decided to join the trend and make TikTok profiles to show off their own creativity through the app.  This is a great opportunity for brands to connect with these athletes and make some creative and engaging content on a platform that has a huge audience and that has been exploding onto the social media scene.

One prime example of maybe the most famous athlete in the United States, Tom Brady, reenacting an iconic scene from the movie "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy", conch-calling Ron Gronkowski to reunite with him in the 2021 NFL season to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady Conch-Call Viral TikTok:

If you are a brand looking to work and create a relationship with an NFL athlete on TikTok, here’s a solid list of the top 10 professional NFL athletes that I believe would be great to work with.

Top 10 NFL TikTok Influencers

1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Tom Brady
3. Russel Wilson
4. Odell Beckham Jr.
5. JJ Watt
6. Cooper Kupp
7. Juju Smith-Schuster
8. Julie Ertz & Zach Ertz - OpenSponsorship Profiles: Zach & Julie
9. Stefon Diggs
10. Micah Parsons 

Final Thoughts

This list should give you some insight into what type of content these athletes are creating on TikTok, their massive social following on this platform, and how your brand might be able to align with their audience to create a successful digital marketing campaign.  Now is the perfect time to optimize a digital marketing campaign, especially on TikTok, because the amount of people consuming and creating content on TikTok has only been steadily increasing. Sign up to OpenSponsorship for free today for all your athlete marketing needs!

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.

As of January 2021, TikTok has 73.7 million active users worldwide, and it's just getting started. The app is projected to increase to having almost 90 million users by 2024. With this rapid growth, new users are joining every day to create a fanbase like Charli D’Amelio or enhancing their following like Russel Wilson. TikTok’s algorithm makes it easy for you to go from zero to one million followers in just 24 hours. Videos show up on users’ “For You” pages that closely match their interests based on videos they have previously watched or liked. The app shortly becomes addictive as each video is only 15-60 seconds long, just enough to grab your attention and send you on your way to the next. 

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media platforms such as TikTok have become a way for existing celebrities, athletes, and influencers to quickly connect with and grow their fanbase. If used correctly, TikTok can create new experiences and partnerships that may not be able to exist outside of the app. The app has allowed for fans to watch and “attend” events such as sports games and concerts, places that the pandemic would otherwise prohibit fans from going.

This past February, TikTok announced their multi-year partnership with UFC, which is the third-most followed sports league on the platform since 2019. The partnership delivers exclusive livestream content for TikTok users worldwide, featuring pre and post-game interviews, behind the scenes footage, and TikTok-exclusive content. Because of the newfound partnership, UFC will connect with and reach millions of more viewers worldwide and only add to their already massive following. The additional partnership for livestream content with TikTok gives their athletes more exposure, leading to more opportunity for fame and fortune down the line.

Not only do TikTok athletes gain followers from their partnerships, but their fans are exposed to a new side of their professional sports careers. The livestream that TikTok offers allows the athletes to be more “real” given the volume of raw content posted about their lives on social media. Athletes being more than just an athlete is attractive to both fans and brands alike because it makes them more relatable to regular people. TikTok has the ability to put an athlete’s life on display, for better or for worse, all while generating millions of more fans to benefit both the platform and athlete in partnership. 

TikTok has been a way for athletes to engage their audience with their brand partnership. Athletes like Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo showcased his brand partnership with Ready Nutrition on his TikTok in February. Big name athletes such as OpenSponsorship clients Gabby Douglas, Isabelle Shee, Demi Bagby, and Rob Gronkowski have been able to use TikTok as a part of advertising their brand deals. Gabby Douglas partnered with Little Ceasars, posting a TikTok of herself dancing and eating their new cheesy bread.

Isabelle Shee partnered with Cobra King and advertised their new Speedzone Driver by showcasing it in a video on her TikTok.

Demi Bagby partnered with GymShark and posted a video of her in the workout gear to promote the brand.

And finally, Rob Gronkowski posted a TikTok of a skit for Hisense that promoted their Valentines Day discount deal.

Similar to the benefits to both TikTok and the athletes during their partnerships, OpenSponsorship benefits athletes by making it easier for them to pair with brands; athletes are exposed to far more when they engage in an authentic partnership with OpenSponsorship.