The Power behind the Non-athlete celebrity endorsement deal
Traditionally speaking endorsement deals were designed only for the very best athletes, who are at the top of their game. These are the athletes that find themselves competing in finals year in and year out and most importantly winning titles & breaking records. After all they hold the most influence and grab the most attention.
It’s no surprise that in recent years, top sports brands like Nike, Adidas & Puma have decided to integrate themselves into pop culture. With the growing influence of popular culture within music, fashion, fitness and celebrity lifestyle, these brands came across a huge insight. The celebrities/artists at the top of their industry have become just as important as the athlete.
We will look at a few influential figures like Drake, Kevin Hart and the late Nipsey Hussle and why these brands have chosen to partner up with them.
NIKE
Drake
With the rise of social media, influence has become like modern day currency and such is the case with the fitness lifestyle. For a brand like Nike which is all about sports and fitness, they found an opportunity with celebrities that are not athletes.
Over the years we’ve seen celebs like Drake become more fitness focused and this has become part of their brand. So it made it sense for Nike to endorse them especially considering how much influence they both have.
Take Drake for instance, he’s easily the most influential artist within the past decade. Year after year, he keeps breaking records & racking up #1 hits on the charts. If you ask me, Nike partnering up with Drake is a genius move. He’s become an ambassador for the brand in a way we’re not used to seeing. However similar to athlete endorsements you won’t see Drake wearing any other sports brand that’s not Nike.
Check out his latest song Laugh now, cry later shot at the Nike World Headquarters. This is literally just one long and entertaining Nike Ad with so much sauce.
Kevin Hart
Another celebrity at the top of the comedy and entertainment industry is Kevin Hart. In the past 10 years Kevin Hart has been in over 40 movies, appeared in over a dozen ads and has the highest selling comedy tour in history. Talk about influence!
Similar to Drake, Kevin has also made fitness a part of his lifestyle which made him the ideal Nike Ambassador. In 2017 he ran his first marathon, the New York City Marathon, in under 4 hours and 5 minutes.
Taking the biggest comedian in the modern era and placing him alongside one of the biggest sports brands in the world is no joke. This sort of collaboration echoes to the everyday individual. It says that you don’t have to be a gym freak or athlete to take your health seriously. Fitness is a lifestyle that makes people feel good about themselves, both physically and mentally plus you get to look good while you’re at it.
“I’m not a runner. This is something I’ve just picked up in the past year. First of all, it’s a relaxing thing to do — it clears your mind,” says Hart - Kevin Hart, What’s funny about running; Men’s Journal
PUMA
Nipsey Hussle
In January 2018, Nipsey Hussle announced his partnership with Puma and his clothing line The Marathon Clothing. In an interview on L.A’s Power 106 he said this:
“We announcing our partnership with Puma.” “It’s a big situation. We’re gonna be doing co-branding products with my company, The Marathon Clothing. Obviously, I’m gonna be an endorser of the brand … and, you know, it’s gonna be multilayered. So big shout-out to Puma! … I’m ’bout to ink this paperwork right now. Let me put my signature on here … don’t show the amount!”
The deal represented a strategy and willingness on the part of Puma to put on for the culture by embracing the most respected figures in music and entertainment. — Aaron Dodson, The Undefeated
Puma was clearly trying to tap into pop culture by partnering with Nipsey. However they took a different direction by partnering with someone who is on the come up as opposed to an already established global superstar. Appealing to the everyday person who’s working on their own hustle.
Nipsey was the definition of a hustler. Priding himself in being self-made; he created his own clothing line, released all his music under his own record label and made his first million as an independent artist. Eventually his 1st studio album Victory Lap received a Grammy nomination for best Hip Hop album in 2019. Unfortunately, in a sad turn of events on the 31st of March 2019, Nipsey Hussle was murdered at gunpoint in front of his store in Los Angeles.
Nipsey’s name will be written in the history books for being a man of the people who was determined to grow and build his community. A self-made man who went on his own path and created a popular brand. His legacy lives on and the mantra ‘The Marathon Continues” will forever be remembered by those who were inspired by him. Long live Nip tha Great!
ADIDAS
Kanye West x Beyoncé x Donald Glover x Pharrell Williams
No other sports brand has managed to make partnering up with artists more casual than Adidas. Essentially this helps Adidas stay influential and in tune with the culture. The brand always seems to partner with the right artists at the right time when they’re relevance is at a high. Most significantly Adidas also lets the artist be a creative partner on the project. In addition this helps the brand create a credible reputation within the music industry.
To set itself apart from competitors, Adidas has tried to woo celebrities with promises of being an equal creative partner, has used scarcity to keep the hype going for products long after a partnership deal is inked, and using its celebrity partnerships to make inroads with a broader demographic. — Anna Hensel, Digiday
Kanye West
Beyoncé
Adidas is relying on its celebrity partnerships to do raise its brand awareness among specific demographics. For Yeezy, that was sneakerheads. For Beyoncé’s….line, that will be the women’s athleisure market. — Anna Hensel
Donald Glover
Pharrell Williams
