Patrick Scherzinger is the CEO of the Scherzinger Group.
getty
Sports and entertainment are two sectors that were clearly disrupted as the public left radio and television for desktops, tablets and mobile phones. While the way fans view sports has changed, for the most part, the business side of sports and entertainment has yet to evolve, until recently. With the rise of social media influencers, athletes and traditional celebrities have seen how independent can have its perks.
Influencer is a broad concept; technically anyone with a single follower can be considered an influencer if that follower is influenced by the content they post. Better to describe the people who are currently seizing enormous independent power by developing their content and controlling their own audience as creators. Creators are the ones who create content, target an audience and find success in combining the two. Most of the time, creators are independent and rely on managing their own brand partnerships to monetize their creative endeavors. So why aren’t athletes and celebrities doing the same?
Until recently, a few major leagues and talent houses had complete control over the majority of sports and entertainment talent. However, that is changing quickly, as we see with athletes like Antonio Brown and his presence on Instagram. Brown has chosen to pursue the entrepreneurial side of his career independently and has had tremendous success. Entertainment industry veterans do the same, many direct their audiences to specific platforms and monetize their content directly with no middleman or agency.
So with a linchpin to self-promotion, how can agencies not only continue to justify their existence, but also compete, grow and add value? According to my experience in sports entertainment and in my research from other agencies, there are five specific reasons why I think athletes and creators can still get value from agencies. As a formula, these are the areas to focus on when advertising your services and representing both well-known and emerging athletes.
1. Preparing a player for his career off the field
For most athletes, their primary activity is solely being an active player. When an athlete is retired or injured, their business can be seriously affected. A strong agency partner will guide them in their ventures, attract new fans and sponsors and increase success for years to come – ensuring a long and fruitful career off the field. Simply put, your agency should be able to help them become as famous off the field as they once were on the field.
2. Establishing a Player’s Personal Brand
Marketing has changed a lot over the years. Many athletes, especially those who failed to achieve stardom during the social media era, may struggle to position themselves well online. Your agency should leverage its vast marketing experience to help build a digital brand that may not come naturally to the athlete and ensure they excel in these ever-changing times.
3. Strengthening Partnerships and Approvals
For most athletes, brand partnerships can be a daunting process. Athletes have trained all their lives to be professional players and perform certain skills. Likewise, your agency has trained and struggled throughout its career to be equally proficient in your own arena. Help athletes recognize that brand partnerships don’t usually fall into their laps, but instead need a well-trained team to help explore options for them and qualify them for those opportunities.
4. Negotiations and contracts
Independent athletes often lack the background to conduct the research and due diligence necessary to explore potential opportunities. In addition, if the opportunity is well matched to the athlete, detailed negotiations and contractual execution will be required. Most athletes are aware that it takes a team to achieve important goals. Having the right partner for these processes can be crucial for a secure and successful collaboration.
5. A helping hand and advice
Roadblocks are inevitable in any career. These obstacles can be harmful without the help of someone you can trust. In the same way that an athlete is trained to see the field and read the game, it is second nature for an agency partner to read the land layout and see things the athlete may not have. . Your agency can provide the help and advice an athlete needs to thrive.
All in all, it’s clear that a well-positioned agency can provide unparalleled value, despite the growing number of athletes and creators moving to independent management. You just need to show how these benefits of an agency can outweigh what most talents can do on their own. One thing we’ve learned from most major sports is that it takes a team to achieve great things.
https://cafe-madrid.com/ Business Council is the leading growth and networking organization for entrepreneurs and leaders. Am I eligible?