Agencies risk being ‘cut out’ from sports marketing as brands and players ditch ‘middlemen’
Agencies face being increasingly left out in the cold during major advertising deals between sports stars and brands, R/GA’s global social lead has warned.
Kyle Bunch, the Texas-based managing director of social at R/GA, claimed agencies are seeing a number of “horrifying” deals take place directly between advertisers and international athletes as both become more empowered by social media and technology.
Bunch: “If you’re looking at some of the top athletes to work with, you need to look at different compensation models than just your three-year endorsement deal”
Speaking during Mumbrella’s Sports Marketing Summit, Bunch argued there needed to be a rethink of how brands remunerate their sporting star ambassadors, claiming “a big splashy sponsorship contract” may no longer be enough.
