A Look At Branding In The Sports Agency Field

Every sports agency has four key components:

• Recruiting
• Contract Negotiation
• Client Service
• Marketing -- a mastery of each area is crucial for success.

An agent must understand the philosophy of marketing. Why do companies look for celebrities to promote their products? There is no divine right for an athlete to do endorsements. 

Companies are looking for the athlete to possess positive name recognition which creates awareness of their product and stimulates consumer purchases. It is a transference of the athlete's brand and popularity to the product being offered. There are hundreds of alternative soft drinks, water, automobiles, financial services, shoes, cell phones, service providers to choose from. The right celebrity endorsement can have a dynamic effect in generating sales.

Recently, Imperium PR’s CEO Shazir Mucklai, had the opportunity to have a discussion with Alonzo Earle, an up and coming sports agent who decided to forge his own path in the ultra-competitive representation industry. He has been the genius behind cultivating many athletes’ brands and growing them into international sensations. Recently, Alonzo took the time to sit down and speak to Mucklai to talk about his background, brand strategies and much more.
Successful marketing begins with the process of branding. 

How important is facial recognition?

Our country is obsessed with celebrities and metrics have been created to establish the name recognition of individuals. How many people out of 1,000 can name a specific athlete? If they can, do they associate positive qualities with him or her?

Ray Rice had virtually universal name recognition during his troubles, but it was highly negative. High recognition with positive associations produces a metric called Q factor. A brand with Q factor is what advertisers look for. 

How does an athlete increase their brand? 

We ask athletes to retrace their roots and go back to the high school, collegiate and professional communities and set up scholarship funds and foundations that benefit each of those areas. Showing a commitment to the welfare of others is the best way to start a career. Excellence on the field and good behavior away from it is critical in establishing positive name recognition.

Certain positions on the field generate more name recognition. A quarterback in the NFL, then a home run hitter or overpowering pitcher in MLB, or a high scorer in the NBA are showcased in a more impactful way than other positions. Playoff games and Championship games are watched and focused on by many more viewers than usual and dramatic play in crucial situations can thrust a player into the spotlight.

The ability of LeBron James to dominate the last few games of last year's NBA Championship playoffs or Tom Brady's mastery in this year's Super Bowl stick in the public mind.

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