Sports marketing involves creating a strong brand presence, generating revenue, and fostering long-term fan engagement across products, events, athletes, teams, and organizations. Marketers operate in a dynamic, tech-powered environment where multicultural audiences enjoy sports as entertainment through immersive experiences like team events, live streaming, video content creation, social media, mobile apps, mixed reality, and metaverse activities.
The sports marketing industry is booming, with Statista predicting its value to reach $1.63 billion by 2027 in North America alone. The lifting of brand sponsorship and endorsement restrictions by the NCAA in 2019 has expanded partnership opportunities for U.S.-based sports brands. Student-athletes can now leverage their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights to earn from attending events and posting branded content, creating a market estimated to be worth $1 billion yearly.
In this fast-paced landscape, sports marketing agencies can help you with research and strategy development to reach new audiences through the most impactful campaigns. They understand how to leverage technology to amplify your brand, create memorable experiences, and foster real-time interactions with fans.
Top Sports Marketing Agencies to Check Out
Now, we'll be exploring the top sports marketing agencies and showcasing their strengths, as well as shedding light on some fascinating facts and statistics related to sports marketing. Whether you're an athlete, a team, or a brand looking to make a mark in the sports industry, this article will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and forge successful partnerships.
1. Viral Nation
Location: United States, Canada
Min. project size: $50.000+
Viral Nation’s sports division, VN Sports, has leveraged its expertise in influencer marketing and talent representation following the NCAA’s 2021 policy change that allows collegiate athletes to form brand partnerships. The agency’s sports division is composed of seasoned marketers with extensive experience managing and representing professional athletes.
Already the home of over 800 content creators (including NIL athletes) from over 35 industries, the agency’s influencer lineup is bolstered by new sports signings in 2023, including college athletes transitioning to full-time content creation. Its Q1 signups include University of Washington baseball alumni Dalton Chandler, Division II basketball player Carlos “Famous Los/Da Funny Sports Analyst” Sanford, Canadian tennis player Ayan Broomfield, former basketball player and impersonator-comedian Maxim “Maxisnicee” Perandize, slam dunk specialist Chris Staples, and basketball trainer Devin “In the Lab” Williams.
A month before announcing VN Sport’s launch in September 2021, Viral Nation already displayed its sports campaign management prowess when it organized the “PUBG Superstar Showdown.” The project aimed to promote Tencent’s new PUBG format, the 4 x 4 Death Match. Viral Nation produced a four-part web series in which the agency pitted the following against each other: NBA stars who were gaming fans, PUBG Mobile content creators, FaZe Clan, and superfans. The campaign exceeded target goals by over 35% after earning over 42 million impressions and over 9 million views across all platforms.
For brands and talents seeking collaborations, Viral Nation offers resources such as Viral Nation_Secure, which provides candidate screening including fake account identification, brand/reputation safety, and content moderation. Another resource is Viral Nation_CreatorOS, which offers end-to-end talent discovery and management, including performance tracking.
Other notable clients:
LA Dodgers’ Markus Lynn “Mookie” Betts, Harlem Globetrotters, World Axe Throwing League.
Viral Nation
Viral Nation unlocks the full power of social-first marketing to scale brands into the future.
50+
USA, Canada, Caribbean
Best for:
Enterprises and Large brands
Viral Nation
Viral Nation unlocks the full power of social-first marketing to scale brands into the future.
Are you an Influencer looking for an agency? Discover your options with influencer talent agencies.
2. SmartSites
Location: Paramus, New Jersey
Min. project size: $1.000+
SmartSites offers a comprehensive suite of services to cater to businesses of all sizes, including small enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. Its sports digital marketing team caters to sporting goods, golf courses, and sports coaching businesses. The agency offers dynamic website design, sports-specific SEO, and personalized PPC marketing. SmartSites has had the privilege of working with well-established brands, such as PGA Village Golf Resort and sports website builder League Lineup, elevating the promotion of their sports products to new heights.
Being a Google Premier Partner and Facebook Marketing Partner, SmartSites brings unparalleled expertise to the table. It has received dozens of website design awards and remarkably appeared on the Inc5000 list of fastest-growing companies from 2017 to 2023 seven times.
A talented and hardworking team of 100 digital experts is fueled by passion and commitment to unlock your sports business’s full potential. In a world where digital presence is paramount, SmartSites is your go-to partner for achieving online success.
Notable clients:
Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, Agile Data Sites, Anexio.
SmartSites
Outsmart the competition with best-in-class digital marketing services. With over 1,000 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews online, SmartSites is America's #1 rated digital marketing agency. Get more traffic. Acquire more customers. Sell more stuff. SmartSites w...
50+
New Jersey
Best for:
Small and Medium Size Businesses
SmartSites
Outsmart the competition with best-in-class digital marketing services. With over 1,000 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews online, SmartSites is America's #1 rated digital marketing agency. Get more traffic. Acquire more customers. Sell more stuff. SmartSites w...
3. Disruptive Advertising
Location: Utah, USA
Min. project size: $5,000+
Disruptive Advertising is a lead generation powerhouse, offering comprehensive ad services across all platforms. It has been named among Utah Valley’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies for the fifth consecutive year in 2022.
The agency is also a full-funnel marketing service provider. Beyond content creation, PPC management, email marketing, SEO, social media management, Facebook and Instagram advertising, eCommerce, B2B, SEM (search engine marketing), Google Ads management, Microsoft Ads management, paid search, and website optimization, Disruptive Advertising also specializes in sports marketing. One of the notable success stories in their portfolio is Crossover Symmetry, a pain rehab training and equipment supplier with branches in Florida and Colorado. The agency redesigned the web product pages, resulting in an 86.04% increase in revenue. They also launched new Facebook ad campaigns, resulting in a 158% increase in ad revenue from the platform.
Prioritizing long-term growth partnerships with outstanding companies, Disruptive Advertising has only a limited number of clients. This approach allows them to provide undivided attention and create customized strategies aligned with the client’s business objectives. Disruptive Advertising encourages teamwork, which guarantees their strategies across platforms will produce meaningful results that match the client’s business goals. With over 1,000 positive reviews, management of millions in digital advertising budgets, and numerous industry awards, they prove that actions speak louder than words.
Disruptive Advertising is the partner you’ve been searching for if you desire a digital marketing agency that defies conventions, embraces top talent, limits client count for personalized service, and prioritizes collaboration and results.
Notable clients:
BPI Sports, Being Well with Dr. Rick Hanson.
Disruptive Advertising
AUTHENTICITY WINS™ Disruptive Advertising is the best performance marketing agency for authentic brands and marketers.
50+
Utah
Best for:
Businesses of all sizes
Disruptive Advertising
AUTHENTICITY WINS™ Disruptive Advertising is the best performance marketing agency for authentic brands and marketers.
4. NeoReach
Location: San Francisco, California
Min. project size: $50.000+
NeoReach is a top influencer marketing agency that specializes in creating authentic, data-driven campaigns tailored to the unique needs of its clients. By integrating its team with yours, it ensures proactive, real-time communication that gets to the heart and soul of your brand story. With a focus on developing data-backed strategies derived from competitor audits, audience demographics matching, and channel-specific opportunities, NeoReach stands out in the sports marketing world.
Their platform experts source top-performing niche creators to perfectly match your campaign requirements, while their agency team manages the entire influencer campaign process. NeoReach also excels at experiential activations, connecting brands with online and offline experiences.
NeoReach’s campaign for DraftKings is one shining example of its sports marketing success. The project amassed over 8 million TikTok views and generated a 1.83x return on investment through the agency’s influencer strategy. The agency also helped FIFA build excitement among World Cup fans for Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 event by inviting 17 influencers from five nations to preview Doha’s attractions. The resulting Instagram and YouTube posts reached 10 million people, drew 1.4 million video views, and generated 127,000 social engagements. NeoReach’s 50-person team is the go-to agency for cutting-edge sports marketing.
Notable clients:
TikTok, NVIDIA, Clash.
NeoReach
NeoReach creates world-class original influencer campaigns for leading brands and Global Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 2013 and managing over $250 million dollars in influencer spend to-date, their team is responsible for creating some of the mos...
50+
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Tokyo
Best for:
Large Companies
NeoReach
NeoReach creates world-class original influencer campaigns for leading brands and Global Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 2013 and managing over $250 million dollars in influencer spend to-date, their team is responsible for creating some of the mos...
Are you an Influencer looking for an agency? Discover your options with influencer talent agencies.
5. Sociallyin
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Min. project size: $5,000+
Sociallyin is a game-changer social media agency, with a decade of experience. Sociallyin was founded in 2011 and excels at creating meaningful online connections. Their services include personalized social strategies, bespoke content, influencer marketing, ROI modeling, and precise social advertising for various industries and niches, including sports and outdoors.
Recognized globally, they’ve partnered with notable businesses, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, the industry giant known for its presence in the sporting world. Dick’s Sporting Goods trusted Sociallyin to shine at the Winter Olympics. The agency didn’t just show up; they put the client in the spotlight with a tailored strategy that embraced new social media opportunities.
Sociallyin’s approach is hands-on and customized to your brand. They measure success through concrete metrics and arrange weekly meetings to foster collaboration to ensure all KPIs are met and they constantly seek improvement everywhere. Choose Sociallyin to dominate your social media presence.
Notable clients:
Nikon, Carnival Cruise Line, NetApp.
Sociallyin
SociallyIn offers creative content tailored to each business, offering influencer marketing, social media solutions, social media advertising & more.
50+
Atlanta
Best for:
Businesses of all sizes
Sociallyin
SociallyIn offers creative content tailored to each business, offering influencer marketing, social media solutions, social media advertising & more.
6. Fresh Content Society
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Min. project size: $5.000+
Fresh Content Society (FCS), an award-winning, family-owned social media management and sports marketing agency, offers a comprehensive range of services like community management, content production, strategy development, paid media campaigns, influencer management, and detailed reporting. Founded in 2014, the agency provides unmatched expertise in social media management and sports marketing. Its remarkable achievements are undeniable, such as producing 500 million organic video views in 2022 and transforming a $10,000 paid media investment into over $100,000 in tracked sales.
FCS has a proven track record of assisting various businesses, including the Chicago-based World Arm–Wrestling League. Its campaigns on YouTube and Facebook produced over 100 million views with a monetized value of $50,000.
FCS distinguishes itself through its commitment to grasping clients’ business objectives and tailoring strategies for optimal online visibility and exposure. With a deep focus on data-driven decision-making and influencer partnerships, they’re an excellent choice for a social media marketing team. Whether you’re a local or global business, FCS can help you build, manage, and grow your social media communities, ultimately increasing conversions.
Notable clients:
Coleman Powersports, Intersport Global, Old World Industries.
Fresh Content Society
FCS is your in-house social media management team that helps design, manage, and grow your social media communities. Our award winning agency is family owned and operated and each client is treated like a partner.
10 - 50
Chicago, IL, Portland, California, Texas, Boston,
Best for:
Mid-sized to Enterprise Businesses
Fresh Content Society
FCS is your in-house social media management team that helps design, manage, and grow your social media communities. Our award winning agency is family owned and operated and each client is treated like a partner.
7. Moburst
Location: New York, USA
Min. project size: $20.000+
Moburst is an innovative full-service digital marketing agency that has evolved to meet the needs of its Fortune 1000 clients. With a focus on mobile and digital strategies, Moburst has assisted companies such as Uber, Nielsen, eBay, and Playtika to scale and become category leaders. Their services range from mobile strategy, digital strategy, and social strategy to product strategy, BI & analytics, and SEO.
A notable case study of Moburst’s success is its campaign for Titanbet, a sports betting app. The agency enhanced Titanbet’s keyword performance by 40x, increased its overall keyword traffic by 3900%, and improved the average daily organic download rate by 60%. Moburst’s commitment to underpromise and overdeliver is evident in its results, which are driven by creative thinking, advanced technology, and data.
Moburst also offers additional services such as localization, concept & design, video production, social media management, and influencer marketing to ensure their clients’ campaigns reach the right audience with maximum impact. With a team of professionals dedicated to providing exceptional digital marketing solutions, Moburst is an ideal choice for businesses looking to excel in the sports marketing arena.
Notable clients:
Pfizer, Samsung, Calm app, Vodio.
Moburst
Harness the power of influencers to achieve your growth goals with Moburst, a leading global performance influencer marketing agency that helps brands over-achieve their goals and become category leaders.
50+
New York, Tel Aviv, San Fransisco, London
Best for:
Startup & Enterprise
Moburst
Harness the power of influencers to achieve your growth goals with Moburst, a leading global performance influencer marketing agency that helps brands over-achieve their goals and become category leaders.
Are you an Influencer looking for an agency? Discover your options with influencer talent agencies.
8. Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Location: Arlington, Texas
Min. project size: $1.000+
Founded in 2005 Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is a digital marketing powerhouse that lives up to its name. It collaborates with various industries, including the sports and e-commerce sectors. Thrive delivers expert online marketing with impressive results as they firmly believe in the importance and undeniable leverage of a powerful website and an effective online marketing strategy.
Thrive offers a wide range of services, including SEO, PPC, social media management, web design, and reputation management. With a team of experts and a track record of delivering tangible results, Thrive is a top choice for businesses looking to harness the power of the Internet for growth. Their clients have experienced substantial growth, with organic traffic surges of up to 500% and a 300% increase in online leads. Notably, they have also assisted brands like Western Sports and Rakkasan Motorsports in promoting their sports equipment.
Thrive stands out for its intentional focus on relationships and results. The agency sees itself as an extension of its clients’ teams, fostering professional yet personal collaborations. Thrive promises integrity, transparency, award-winning expertise, a proven process, and unwavering dedication to client delight. As a Google Premier Partner, Google Analytics Technology Partner, Bing Ads Accredited Professional, and more, Thrive’s credibility is undeniable.
Notable clients:
Sneaker Boutique, Petersen Games, Geoforce.
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is a full service agency specializing in SEO, PPC, Social Media Management, Web Design, Link Building, and more.
50+
Arlington, Texas; Los Angeles, California
Best for:
Enterprises, Large and Small brands
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is a full service agency specializing in SEO, PPC, Social Media Management, Web Design, Link Building, and more.
9. Stryde
Location: Lehi, Utah
Min. project size: $1.000+
Based in Utah, Stryde is a boutique marketing agency that works with a select few industries of which the sports and outdoor industry is one. Their team will craft a customized digital strategy that incorporates various digital channels to get the attention of your ideal target market.
Stryde’s key focus areas are: paid social, email marketing, SEO, and ads management.
Some of the brands that they’ve helped to sell their sports equipment and outdoor gear are Rustico, Canyon Sports, and Inbox Fitness. For example, when Inbox Fitness wanted to boost its organic traffic, Stryde analyzed the retailer’s website, competitors, and keyword trends to uncover opportunities. The results — organic traffic growth more than doubled.
Notable clients:
Lizard Tail Belts, Cellercise, Skywalker Trampoline.
Stryde
Tap into an existing and engaged audience with the support of an influencer
1 - 10
1633 W. Innovation Way, 4th Floor, Lehi Utah, 84043
Best for:
Midmarket, Small Business and Enterprise
Stryde
Tap into an existing and engaged audience with the support of an influencer
Are you an Influencer looking for an agency? Discover your options with influencer talent agencies.
10. Fifty-Three Six
Locations: Dublin, Ireland, and London, UK
Min. project size: $25,000+
If you specifically want to focus on video marketing and performance marketing, check out Fifty-Three Six. This award-winning sports marketing agency’s goal is to help businesses operating in the sports industries use video to convert their fans into customers. From hour-long documentaries to short clips for social media, they can create various types of branded video content.
To boost the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales of athleisure brand Gym+Coffee, Fifty-Three Six’s in-house editing and design team created bespoke video content, static imagery, motion graphics, and gifs to prospect and retarget clients. Not only did they help to double the website traffic, but also the average order value per customer.
Video production is one of their core specialties, but their team can also come up with a holistic digital strategy. They’ll look closely at your current online presence and create a digital marketing and content strategy to help achieve your specific business goals.
Notable clients:
The Rugby Network, Locker app, Football Association of Ireland, PlayerData.
11. Samba Digital
Location: Miami, Florida
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Samba Digital is a global sports and entertainment digital marketing company founded in Brazil whose main markets are clubs, betting companies, and leagues in Europe, Africa, China, the United States, and Latin America. On top of that, it also operates as an iGaming marketing agency and helps brands enter the eSports market.
Combining its passion with its mission to help its clients connect with their fans, the agency has worked with sports governing bodies like World Rugby, tournaments like Roland-Garros (or the French Open), and clubs such as Liverpool and Chelsea to generate impressive ROI. For example, when long-time client Roland-Garros needed online media support in developing tennis in South America, Samba Digital used the power of video marketing to spread the word about its tournament to be held here. The result? The Facebook content created by Samba drew over five million video views.
From paid media to public relations support, Samba Digital offers a long list of marketing services. What’s more, if you specifically want to leverage influencer marketing, they also offer their own sports influencers platform that can connect you with influencers in this niche from all over the globe.
Notable clients:
Kansas City Chiefs, Bayern Munich, Inter Miami CF, French national football team, French Ligue 1.
12. CSM Sport and Entertainment
Locations: London, UK (primary), New York, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Munich, and Madrid
Min. project size: Undisclosed
CSM is a global agency that delivers end-to-end marketing services to brands in sports and entertainment. Its team of over 1,200 employees works from dozens of locations worldwide, giving the agency great flexibility to take on projects of all sizes.
What sets it apart from similar marketing agencies in this field is its focus on using sport to make a difference. As such, social impact plays a key role in its work. CSM specifically seeks out mission-driven clients who want to make a change.
On top of that, it’s also committed to advancing and supporting women’s sports. The agency has the skills needed to create a stir around women’s sports, whether that’s through communication or commercialization. It’s more than just empty words, and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) entrusted their global sponsorship to them.
CSM’s in-house experts can help with various marketing-related services and use in-depth planning to turn concepts into reality. Plus, if you’re a talent looking for help with representation, the agency can do that, too.
Notable clients:
Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Athletes Unlimited, BWT Alpine F1 Team, TaylorMade.
13. Fuse International
Location: London (headquarters), China, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Italy, Germany, France, Czech Republic, New Zealand
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Founded in 2008, Fuse is an award-winning global agency that serves brands and rights holders in the sports and entertainment industries. Brands can either make use of their fully integrated approach to plan and activate partnerships or turn to the agency for only specific services.
Its team offers strategy as well as content and asset development. Then, to evaluate the success, they can also measure outcomes.
This is exactly what they’ve done for Vodafone. Fuse was asked by Vodafone to boost brand awareness and consideration by making Vodafone a critical component of the 2021 British and Irish Lions Tour. Even the fact that the world was still dealing with the pandemic didn’t prove too much of a challenge. Not only did they create the first example of gamification in rugby sponsorship, but they also created over 600 hundred pieces of news coverage which helped to increase brand affinity by over 80%.
Notable clients:
Royal London, The Football Association, Sportsbet.io, Barclays.
14. Peter Jacobsen SPORTS
Location: Portland, Oregon
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Peter Jacobsen SPORTS (PJS) is a full-service sports and entertainment marketing agency that was founded by Peter Jacobsen, a seven-time PGA Tour winner, in the late 1980s. The agency is behind hundreds of events across the world and has worked with over 60 clients.
If you’re thinking that number is rather low for a company that’s been in operation for over three decades, keep in mind that its client relationships span over a decade on average. Some of the agency’s current clients include Lexus, Chevron, and Lowe’s.
PJS is driven by its core value — fun. Its areas of specialization include sponsorship consulting and activation, talent relations, and event management.
Notable clients:
Oregon’s B.U.L.L. Session Golf Tournament, Nike, Toyota.
15. Creative Arts Agency (CAA)
Locations: Los Angeles (headquarters), New York, Nashville, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Denver, Jacksonville, Memphis, outside the US: London, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Munich, Geneva
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Founded in 1975, Creative Arts Agency (CAA) offers decades of experience and has helped brands and talent like Apple TV+ and Man City to build their presence across multiple platforms. During its 30+ years in business, they’ve achieved several firsts which include being the first sports talent management agency to build a sports and brand marketing services business.
One of its unique selling propositions is that each client gets represented by the whole agency. Considering that it boasts a team of over 200 execs across the globe, this is a huge benefit.
With the help of proprietary tools and data, the agency can make strategic decisions to help their clients get the most value. From logo making to key messaging to website design, the company helps brands express themselves so that they too become an iconic name like CAA.
Notable clients:
Madison Square Garden, Formula One, Reebok.
16. WePlay
Locations: London, UK and Kaunas, Lithuania
Min. project size: $5,000+
WePlay describes itself as a D2C growth marketing partner for the sports and entertainment industries. From the agency’s offices in the UK and Lithuania, it offers end-to-end digital and creative marketing to accelerate audience and revenue growth.
WePlay’s focus areas are strategy, creative production, communication, media, and technology. Its team will draft strategic blueprints for all digital and social channels, including email. If you want to leverage the power of paid media, its team can help with buying ad space across all media environments, including search and social.
Then, to measure the success of their marketing, they turn to The Bench — their proprietary analytics platform. This way, clients can also visualize their data easily.
Some of the brands that they’ve worked with include Yokohama Tyres, ESPN, and Dunlop Sport. For example, when Dunlop approached WePlay to activate their number one ball, its team created and managed daily content for two weeks and engaged with consumers on social media. In addition to its community management efforts, the agency also partnered with eight popular Italian tennis influencers who shared branded content on social media. WePlay didn’t drop any balls and generated millions of social impressions and video views.
Notable clients:
Longines Global Champions, UFC, FIFA, International Boxing Association, IRONMAN Group, AC Milan, Utah Jazz.
17. SPORTFIVE
Locations: New York, London, Sydney, Paris, Hamburg, Budapest, Barcelona, Haarlem (the Netherlands), Lausanne (Switzerland), Warsaw, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore
Min. project size: Undisclosed
SPORTFIVE believes the five vital elements in sports marketing—brands, rights holders, media platforms, fans, and the agency— can feel like “winners” through a well-executed strategy that brings them together in every campaign.
Moreover, the agency says its trust-based, collaborative approach produces transparent, innovative, and engaging marketing campaigns. Combine this with its in-depth understanding of the sports industry and its unwavering desire to keep moving forward and your brand can also “win the battle for attention”.
SPORTFIVE first seeks to understand your goals and hurdles before conducting a thorough analysis of your brand, market, rivals, and target audience. Then it develops a long-term strategy to help you achieve your goals and stay ahead of their competition. Finally, the agency leverages its extensive network to connect brands and organizations with athletes and fans.
Notable clients:
AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, Los Angeles Lakers, golfer Jon Rahm, Racing Club de Lens.
18. Endeavor (formerly IMG)
Locations: New York, Beverly Hills, Atlanta, outside the US: London, Singapore, Sydney
Min. project size: Undisclosed
The story of Endeavor dates back to 1960 with what many have labeled as the start of modern-day sports marketing. Fast-forward half a century later, WME acquired the agency and rebranded WME-IMG a few years later to Endeavor.
If you specifically want to use events to market your brand, Endeavor and your company would be a great match. The combined 800+ events it runs or represent are “content-rich experiences” that form lasting connections. In addition to events management, it specializes in licensing, media rights negotiation, and talent representation.
As you would expect, their client list is pretty impressive. FIFA, The Premier League, and Wimbledon are all Endeavor clients.
Other notable clients:
Belgian Pro League, Confédération Africaine de Football, Premiership Women’s Rugby.
19. Infront Sports
Locations: Zug, Switzerland (headquarters), Salzburg, Boulogne-Billancourt (France), Frankfurt am Main, Milan, Monaco, Singapore, Istanbul, London
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Infront is rated as one of the trailblazers in sports marketing and offers a 360-degree suite of services to emerging, as well as established spectator and participation sports. If you need an event partner, its global team can help connect your brand with consumers and fans.
In addition to events, the agency provides content development, sponsorship, and digital marketing. For example, if you want to reach a younger audience, they can create extra touch points like hyper–casual games.
Notable clients:
ADAC Motorsport, Lega Basket, BMW Berlin-Marathon, International Tennis Federation, eSerie A TIM.
20. Crafted
Locations: Miami, Florida and New York City, New York
Min. project size: $25,000+
Crafted is an award-winning digital creative studio that has worked with major brands like Nike, the NBA, and Under Armour. One of its core services is sports website development, ensuring its designs are created from a mobile-first perspective.
The agency’s service suite also includes brand management. From target audience to tone, its team can help you create various elements after completing a full analysis. When Aaptiv, a leading audio fitness app, turned to Crafted to rebrand their whole platform, they increased keyword volume by over 100 times and traffic to their digital magazine by 200%.
The agency also creates custom solutions for other digital marketing processes and needs. From SEO to social marketing, Crafted uses various channels to help your brand get ahead in the race. What’s more, it’s also happy to work with businesses of all sizes.
Notable clients:
NBA, Clemente’s Baseball and Softball Academy, ASICS.
21. Excel Sports Management
Locations: New York (headquarters), Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, outside: London
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Excel Sports Management is rated as one of the leading names in sports marketing. It represents talent in various fields, including basketball, baseball, football, and golf, as well as individual sporting codes, and has recently added names like Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox shortstop, to its talent roster. Meanwhile, its partnerships with Gordon Sargent and Rose Zhang reportedly inspired college golfers to sign up with Excel.
In addition to talent (including sports commentators) management, its seasoned sales pros and marketers can help strike up partnerships between brands and sports teams, rights holders, and leagues. The agency helped Zenni, an online eyewear retail leader, gain more brand exposure by helping it partner with Call of Duty League and the Chicago Bulls.
Other notable clients:
Justin Rose, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Nike, Levi’s, Oakley.
22. rEvolution
Locations: Chicago (headquarters), Indianapolis, Detroit, outside the US: London, Henley-on-Thames, Singapore
Min. project size: Undisclosed
rEvolution is an integrated sports marketing agency that has been setting the standard in sports sponsorship and marketing services for over 20 years. They specialize in crafting authentic campaigns and experiences around sports, entertainment, food, and even video games, seamlessly integrating brands into the spotlight. With a range of services including sponsorship consulting, brand strategy, media services, marketing communications, live events and experiential marketing, corporate hospitality, and more, rEvolution provides end-to-end solutions for brands looking to engage with fans through sports.
The agency has built a strong reputation for cultivating partnerships and capturing the magic of sports, as demonstrated through its successful campaigns with clients such as Continental, American Family Insurance, and Land Rover. Their commitment to delivering “can’t buy” experiences and creating unforgettable brand-to-fan engagement has earned them recognition as part of the best sports marketing campaigns in the world.
rEvolution’s expertise extends to various niches, including soccer, gaming & eSports, and automotive, where they excel at authentically connecting luxury brands to fans. With a team of passionate professionals, rEvolution is dedicated to helping brands navigate the global sports landscape and create campaigns that resonate deeply with their target audience.
Other notable clients:
Ligue 1 Uber Eats, Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, AEG, Lamborghini.
23. Creatitive
Locations: Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert in Arizona
Min. project size: $5,000+
Creatitive is a full-service marketing agency with a focus on sports marketing. Its service range includes market discovery, search engine marketing, social media marketing, and advertising. Creatitive helps businesses leverage the most out of today’s technology with tools designed to maximize online reach and visibility. Its fresh and modern digital services will boost your rankings and make a positive ROI for your business.
As a trusted provider of sports marketing services, Creatitive connects athletes, gym businesses, and sports brands to their fans with tried-and-tested online athlete business marketing practices. The agency offers a full spectrum of athlete marketing solutions, from brand discovery to web design, SEO, and SMM. Creatitive’s strategic sports marketing provides athletes and sports businesses with professional results that generate interest in your products and services, ensuring a winning digital sports marketing campaign.
Trust Creatitive to build a unique website that captures your fans’ or customers’ attention, while providing a winning digital sports marketing campaign. With its focus on individualized insight, better branding, fan-focused websites, and streamlined marketing strategies, Creatitive is the ideal agency for your sports marketing needs.
Notable clients:
Fitometry, Mike Kafka, Hit Big, Upcoming Wellness.
24. SMA
Location: Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Through the power of sports and entertainment, SMA is transforming the perception of mental illness and substance use disorders. This sports marketing agency bridges the gap between corporations and professional athletes, entertainers, and community leaders to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma surrounding these health issues.
SMA provides tailored services for corporations and non-profits, including engaging content creation, events, and experiences. Its Sports Impact Series features meet and greets, panel discussions, and sports-influenced corporate and community events anchored by its flagship Sports Impact Luncheons. SMA also facilitates engagement opportunities for athletes and personalities, including NIL agreements.
In addition to its main services, SMA has established SMA TV & The Digital Network, which reaches over 10 million people through traditional and social media.
This platform produces unique and proprietary media content, including interviews with current and former professional athletes who share their personal experiences with mental illness and substance use disorders. Through its Community Partnership Initiative, SMA fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and raises awareness about these critical issues. Overall, SMA is an exceptional sports marketing agency with a meaningful social mission.
Notable clients:
DeAndre Swift, Barry Sanders, Braylon Edwards.
25. Allied Sports
Locations: New York (headquarters), Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago
Min. project size: $15,000+
Allied Sports, a full-service sports marketing agency, has successfully positioned itself at the intersection of culture and creativity. It has expertly guided brands in sports through its next partnership success story. With a focus on storytelling, the agency helps modern marketers of all sizes leverage the power of sports sponsorship to create impactful narratives that resonate with their audiences.
Allied Sports boasts a team of award-winning leaders who have decades of experience in creating, negotiating, and activating innovative sports partnerships.
Allied Sports’ expertise, execution, and engagement has set them apart as a nimble agency that knows how to put stories into action. By leading the shift from sponsor to storyteller, it offers a truly integrated solution for brands looking to make a lasting impact in the world of sports marketing.
Notable clients:
National Women’s Soccer League, National Football League Players Association, D.C. United, Orlando Magic.
26. KemperLesnik
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Min. project size: $10,000+
KemperLesnik specializes in forging a deep emotional connection between brands and fans through the power of sports. It excels in public relations, event marketing, and sports marketing, delivering unforgettable experiences that drive real business results. Its expertise also extends to content marketing and eSports marketing.
KemperLesnik’s portfolio includes an impressive collaboration with McDonald’s and NASCAR, which featured a virtual reality experience allowing fans to join the pit crew. This demonstrates the agency’s dedication to innovative fan experiences that create lasting connections between brands and their audience. KemperLesnik’s diverse client roster includes notable names like Aon, NFL Draft, and the Maui Invitational, demonstrating its ability to deliver effective campaigns across various sports and industries.
The KemperLesnik team is led by a group of accomplished industry professionals dedicated to fostering talent and staying ahead in the ever-changing sports marketing landscape, making it a top choice for brands seeking a powerful impact in the sports arena.
Other notable clients:
LPGA’s International Crown, KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, BMW Championship.
27. Alliance Sports Marketing
Locations: Nashville (headquarters), Anchorage, Indianapolis, Denver
Min. project size: Undisclosed
Alliance Sports Marketing is an agency specializing in multi-team and venue sponsorships, with a keen focus on building strong connections between brands and sports teams across the United States. It works with major league and minor league teams to coordinate tailored, one-stop managed campaigns that cater to the sponsor’s objectives, offering an end-to-end solution from campaign coordination to final reporting.
One of Alliance’s core strengths is its ability to connect brands with the teams they love. The agency has successfully worked with numerous clients to launch effective, focused sports campaigns that resonate with fans and elevate brand recognition.
Alliance Sports Marketing is always on the lookout for new talent to join their team, showing their commitment to growth and staying ahead in the competitive sports marketing industry. With a proven track record of creating successful brand and team partnerships, Alliance Sports Marketing is a reliable choice for businesses looking to boost their brand presence in the sports world.
Notable clients:
DirecTV, Governor’s Highway Safety Association, Drydene.
The Impact of Sports Marketing on Brand Engagement
In our hyper-connected era, standing out from the competition can be a challenge. However, businesses have discovered a constant amidst ever-changing trends—the passion and excitement generated by sports, particularly the star power of athletes. So, how can aligning your brand with sports help you achieve your brand engagement goals?
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Sports marketing can widen your market reach.
Sports transcends geographical boundaries. 67% of consumers worldwide regularly follow sports through various media, according to YouGov’s latest “The Global Sports Media Landscape” report. The 18 to 24-year-old age bracket makes up the majority (74%) of engaged sports fans, which the report later refers to as "sports engagers." Meanwhile, Activate's Technology & Media Outlook 2024 report shows that "Super Users"—the segment spending the largest share of time and resources on sports—in the U.S. make up 24% of the national population. Their media consumption is 18:35 hours, double that of other users (9:25 hours).
75% of fans aged 55 and up prefer TV for live sports, while social media is the top choice for viewers aged 18 to 34.
Gen Zers—66% of whom turn to platforms like Twitch for live sports streaming and sports content—have already registered 8.01 million hours of watch time on Twitch's Sports category in 2023.
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Sports marketing encourages active engagement.
Facilitating sports sponsorships and endorsements throws you into the web of fan engagement. Loyal supporters—especially younger viewers—do other activities on mobile devices (known as second screening) while watching sports events, including sending messages or chatting to friends (54%), searching for information related to what they're viewing (32%), and searching for products to buy (31%).
Deloitte's "2023 Sports Fan Insights" reports that around half of fans across generations watch live sports events with others, making it a communal experience. The same document adds that about the same percentage (50%) of Gen Zers join social media interaction while watching ongoing games. On TikTok alone, users said sports viewing allows them to join cultural conversations (62%) and feel a sense of belonging (61%).
Also, thanks to social media, fans can read their favorite players and teams’ social posts and comment on them in real-time, deepening connections that can promote patronage for brands their idols represent. Thus, being part of sports moments can improve your brand image as you become associated with something fans love.
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Sports marketing improves brand association.
Sports marketers can use storytelling to build emotional connections between fans and their sports idols. Brand ads can portray an athlete's or team's life challenges in ways that tug at fans' heartstrings. This strategy of humanizing sports stars can nurture loyalty. At the same time, the positive traits of sports teams and players highlighted in these ads (such as excellence and resilience) cast a halo effect on sponsoring brands.
Recent Studies Highlighting the ROI of Sports Marketing Initiatives
The connection between an athlete or team and a brand sponsor has a significant impact on sales and other opportunities for revenue-generating collaborations. A Tegna survey shows that 81% of sports fans trust sport-sponsoring brands, with such deals lifting the public's purchase intent by as much as 10%.
Meanwhile, Playfly points to "forever fans" as the segment fuelling sales growth. The sports media marketer's "Forever Fan Custom Study" showed that 66% of forever fans—described as three times more likely to emotionally connect with sponsors and purchase advertised brands—take action after seeing a brand's sponsorship. Of this percentage, 22% buy the brand's products.
How Brands Are Winning
Nike, PepsiCo, Coke, and Red Bull have scored big financial wins as sports sponsors. See how other companies nailed their sports campaigns:
Hisense
This Chinese consumer electronics and home appliance manufacturer entered a partnership with Italian Serie A club Inter Milan and American MLS (center-back Walker Zimmerman) and NFL (Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco Johnson) stars (in the lead-up to the World Cup) in 2022. Hisense attributes its January to April 2023 sales growth in TV sets (over 70%) and washing machines (nearly 64%) to its sports agreements. The company also says that since it invested in sports marketing in 2016, brand awareness rose to 50% by 2021.
Louis Vuitton
The luxury goods brand's "Victory is a State of Mind" campaign in November 2022 featuring soccer greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly generated over $10 million in adjusted ad value for the company. The amount is based on the social media impact generated by the ad— which drew 100 million engagements—showing the two players playing chess over a checkered Louis Vuitton suitcase. The image appeared on the players' respective accounts hours before the FIFA World Cup 2022’s official kick-off.
Hally
In early 2023, at-home hair color brand Hally signed NIL agreements with 100 Baylor University student-athletes across various sports who had at least 1,000 social followers. On the first day of the campaign—when they promoted the brand's Shade Stix temporary hair dye product line—Hally reported a 56% week-on-week increase in Amazon sales. The product launch featured green and yellow variants—Baylor's school colors—which Hally describes as "makeup for your hair."
Final Thoughts
The global sports market is projected to reach a staggering $623 billion by 2027, with a significant portion of that growth attributed to sports marketing. This figure highlights the immense potential and importance of sports marketing.
Just like how athletes aim to push their limits and reach new heights, these agencies are doing the same when it comes to sports marketing. With their innovative strategies and creative campaigns, they have helped some of the biggest names in sports rise to the top.
But it's not just about the big names – these agencies also specialize in nurturing rising stars and helping them become the next big thing. Whether you're a sports brand, an athlete, or a sports influencer, these agencies can be the perfect partners to help you achieve your goals and reach a captive audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do sports marketing agencies help athletes and teams?
Sports marketing agencies help athletes and teams by creating marketing strategies that promote their talents, elevate their public image, and secure sponsorship deals. They also assist in negotiating contracts, developing branding, and managing public relations.
Can sports marketing agencies help with sponsorship deals?
Yes, sports marketing agencies often assist clients in securing sponsorship deals. They can identify potential sponsors, create proposals, and negotiate contracts on behalf of the athlete or team.
How do sports marketing agencies create fan engagement?
Sports marketing agencies create fan engagement through various strategies, such as social media campaigns, experiential marketing, and collaborations with other brands. They also develop unique content that resonates with the target audience and generates excitement around the sport or athlete.
What are the costs associated with hiring a sports marketing agency?
The costs of hiring a sports marketing agency can vary greatly depending on the scope of work, agency reputation, and specific services required. Some agencies may charge a flat fee, while others work on a commission or retainer basis. It's essential to discuss pricing and payment structures with prospective agencies upfront.
