Building the Athlete Brand

This is the first book to offer a complete, practical guide to the process of building an athlete brand and developing brand value. In an era of digital technology and social media, athletes have moved to the centre of the sport business landscape, and this book introduces the skills in branding, marketing communications, and entrepreneurship that athletes and their advisors need to develop in order to stand out from the competition. Written by authors with decades of experience working in the sport business industry, including successful sport branding consultancy, this book takes the reader through the entire process of building an athlete brand, from goal-setting and strategic planning to managing brand identity and measuring success. It introduces the global branding ecosystem and the fundamentals of storytelling and narrative building, as well as how to navigate the rules and regulations of global sport business. This book also includes detailed guidance on managing an athlete brand across digital platforms and explores key contemporary issues such as Name, Image, and Likeness, athlete activism and social impact. This is an essential resource for any athlete looking to build and manage their personal brand and for all sport business and communications professionals working with athletes or sports organisations.

Thomas van Schaik is a brand strategist, founder of The Athlete Brand and author of The Athlete Brand Book. He has spent more than two decades helping athletes shape their identity, influence, and long-term opportunity. At Adidas, he led global, award-winning campaigns with athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali, Allyson Felix, Anna Kournikova, Leo Messi, and David Beckham. At the Dutch Olympic and Paralympic Committee, he helped build Team NL into a unified national brand. He also contributed to developing the IOC's Athlete 365 Business Accelerator. Hans Westerbeek is Professor of International Sport Business at Victoria University (VU) in Melbourne, where he leads the Sport Business Insights Group in the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC). He previously served as Founding Director of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Dean of the College of Sport and Exercise Science, and Pro-Vice Chancellor Sport, responsible for shaping VU's university-wide sport strategy. He is a non-executive director of Sports Cloud Australia. He also holds adjunct Professorial appointments at Universities in Amsterdam, Madrid, Brussels, Beijing, and Mumbai.

1 The Evolution of Athlete Branding 2 Decoding the Athlete Brand 3 Strategic Foundations for Athlete Brands 4 Preparing to Set Up an Athlete Brand Business 5 Brand Analysis and Assessment 6 Establishing Goals and Objectives 7 Crafting the Strategic Game Plan 8 Developing the Tactical Playbook 9 Measuring Success and Improvement 10 Expanding Reach and Global Positioning 11 Digital Transformation and New Opportunities 12 Intellectual Property and Brand Protection 13 Athlete Influence and Social Impact 14 The Future of Athlete Branding Appendix: Core Brand Values Worksheet