Juan Pablo Molinero’s Post

Building your personal brand In the modern digital economy recognition is not only by the number of followers, it's about creating a presence that pulls opportunities toward you. The professionals who succeed aren't those with the most followers, but those who've built genuine authority and trust in their niche. You need to craft a personal brand that opens doors, whether you're looking for clients, partnerships, speaking engagements, or your next career move. Your brand isn't just what you do—it's how your distinct combination of skills, experiences, and personality creates something no one else offers. A marketing executive who's also a marathon runner brands differently than one who's a jazz musician. That intersection is your competitive advantage. Your brand is your unique perspective. What do you believe that others don't? What conventional wisdom do you challenge? This contrarian stance becomes your brand signature—the reason people choose you over everyone else saying the same thing.

When a “Great Idea” Goes South Let the one who’s never made a bad decision cast the first stone. That said, it’s worth examining the path that led to yesterday’s sports marketing misstep of 2025. The concept itself wasn’t inherently bad: reviving the hype of “The Decision” from 2010 for a modern marketing moment. But the execution missed a crucial insight. In sports, athletes can transcend the game — they evolve into cultural icons, global brands, and public figures whose athletic personas no longer belong solely to them, but to the fans. LeBron James, “the baller,” is one of those figures. He’s not just an athlete; he’s a shared symbol. His personal life may be his own, but his professional image belongs to millions. That’s the price of being the sixth-richest athlete on the planet — every move is public property. It’s unlikely that LeBron himself conceived the idea for #Decision2. More likely, a Hennessy advertising team pitched it — and made two critical miscalculations: 1) They assumed Hennessy’s brand equity could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with LeBron’s. 2) They underestimated the emotional bond fans have with him — and how easily that could turn to backlash when leveraged for a product unrelated to his on-court legacy. This episode serves as a reminder: Sports Marketing is its own universe. It demands a unique sensitivity to fandom, authenticity and narrative created by sports-loving, dedicated marketing teams. Without that, even the “greatest ideas” can go south — fast.

Understanding brand goals changes everything. When brands reach out, most creators focus on the wrong things. Instead, you need to understand what the brand actually wants to accomplish. The A.R.C. Framework breaks down the 3 main brand objectives: • Awareness - spreading the word about launches, promotions, or new features • Repurposing - creating content they can use as ads across their channels • Conversion - driving actual sales and measurable results Your pricing and proposal should completely change based on which goal matters most to them. DM me if you want help landing more sponsorships!

Most marketing starts with the brand. Sponsorship starts with the audience. That difference matters. We’re sharing a short 30-second look at three of our First Principles of Activation Design, the foundation of effective sponsorship activation: ✅ Start with the Fan  ✅ Align with the Brand  ✅ Lead with the Property When you design for how sponsorship really works, every part of your marketing performs better. 📖🎥 Full 600-word article and 1:47 extended video in the comments. Ian Malcolm

BRAND MARKETING TEAMS! You have 2 responsibilities and not everyone is getting it right! I've been delivering, consulting-on and teaching brand marketing for nearly 20 years. I've learnt as much through mistakes as I have through successes. AND.. I've built more brands through credibility and trust, than I have through spending millions of dollars to reach audiences (I've been lucky enough to do plenty of both). If you're responsible for building brand - your job is as much about trust as it is about awareness, and that trust building is happening in every decision you make.. EVEN when you choose channels and mediums for advertising or sponsorships. You'd be surprised how important all the minor details are when it comes to building your brand and just how powerful it can be to use one billboard over another, a radio ad placement in the right show or even a digital video on the right platform.. every interaction you have with your audiences has a compounding effect on trust. So next time you decide to run an ad and you've put weeks/months into refining the tag lines and key messages, take some time to think about how different mediums have the power to build on that message too. LinkedIn News Australia #linkedinnewsaustralia #marketingtips some food for thought Angela Veljanoska Rhiana Archie Carly Smith PS - I've got a play book of marketing tools and tips i've used over the years to help authentic brands build trust and win customers... and I'm going to keep sharing them... Just because I can :)

Could the spirit of a sports match live in your brand's identity? The stadium buzzes. Anticipation is thick in the air. Fans in scarves, flags waving—their energy is infectious. It's a passion that transcends the sport itself. This passion became a defining moment in my career. Let me take you to a pivotal encounter that shaped my approach to branding and marketing. While visiting a high school soccer game, I noticed a parent on the sidelines. She cheered not just for her child but for every player. Her devotion and enthusiasm weren't unique—they were reflective of every fan's emotional investment. How could my brand fuel this devotion? Here's what I discovered: Begin with building genuine connections. • Align your brand with what fans care about in their lives. • Share their joys and pains. Relate your branding with their victorious and heavy losses. Empower fans to be advocates. Think about how Coca-Cola ignites excitement with their personalized campaign: share a Coke with a star athlete's name or your own. • Invite them to co-create content, using brand-related hashtags. • Launch challenges or contests that ask for fan creativity. Try integrating fan passion into your brand seamlessly: 1. Use Social Proof: Share testimonials and stories of how your brand inspired them or became a part of their sport journey. 2. Create Experiences: Host sports clinics, or organize behind-the-scenes experiences with icons. 3. Offer Exclusivity: Limited edition items related to sports games or collectible gear can enhance the connection. 4. Consistent Engagement: Regularly update your fans about brand stories that resonate and encourage ongoing dialogue. These aren't just marketing strategies. They're bridges connecting your brand with fan communities. How will your brand tap into this tremendous reservoir of passion and transform engagement? #BrandStrategy #ThoughtLeadership #FanExperience #EmotionalMarketing

4 Marketing Strategies That Actually Work in Youth Sports! The youth sports space is growing fast, but so is the competition. Whether you're running a club, events, or a training business, getting ATTENTION and TRUST is harder than ever. Here are 4 marketing strategies that I’ve seen consistently work for youth sports companies: 1. - Build Around Your Brand, Not Just Events Stop marketing just your next tournament or camp. Build a brand kids want to play for and parents want to trust. Showcase your mission, values, and success stories all year long. 2. - Content is Your Competitive Edge Photos, videos, game highlights, player spotlights, it all matters. Youth sports is emotional. Show the journey, not just the results. And don’t sleep on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok. 3. - Own Your Email List Social is great, but your email list is gold. Use it for updates, early-bird promos, and building loyalty. Don’t just sell but rather educate, entertain, and provide value. 4. - Give As Much Value As Possible Whether you are giving away free product, training, consulting your goal should be to provide as much value as possible. Good Karma is always nice to have as well. There’s a lot more I could share, but I’ll start here!

PSA for athletes and the agents who manage them: The biggest driver of brand deals isn’t just reach, it’s fit. - The right brand: Alignment with your values, audience, and story. - The right product: Something you’d genuinely use and stand behind. - The right content: High-quality, creative, and authentic execution that makes both the athlete and the brand look great. When these three pieces come together, the result isn’t just one deal. It builds momentum, opening doors to more lucrative partnerships, strengthening credibility, and creating opportunities for other athletes on your roster. This is the lens we use when helping athletes and agencies craft partnerships that last.

The sponsorship marketing playbook is evolving right in front of us. For a long time, the model rested on three pillars: 👉 Aspiration: align with people or lifestyles consumers wanted to emulate. 👉 Affinity: align with things consumers already liked, hoping the positive vibes would transfer. 👉 Awareness: show up wherever the most people were, hoping sheer scale driving recognition. But today, the returns on that model could be diminishing. ❌ Aspiration has been undercut by the democratization of celebrity: you're more likely to trust your local foodie's recommendation than Michelin stars. ❌ Affinity is harder to engineer in a fragmented culture where “what people like” is scattered across endless niches. ❌ Awareness suffers because consumers are tuned out from the overload of brands everywhere. The next five years could belong to a new framework: ✅ Aspiration → Participation: brands using sponsorships to directly improve and integrate into consumer lifestyles. ✅ Affinity → Value: consumers rewarding the brands that do the best job best for the price. ✅ Awareness → Authenticity: fewer, smarter, more unexpected high-impact presences. One example: when Coca-Cola sponsored The Soccer Tournament, they didn’t just put up the biggest logo on the biggest banner. Instead, they brought misting stations and umbrellas to keep fans cool through six days of 90+ degree heat. That's the difference between being seen and being felt. #sportsponsorship #sponsorshipmarketing #brandmarketing #sportsbiz #linkedinsports

New Balance just proved the power of a youth-first strategy in sports marketing. By focusing on young athletes like Cooper Flagg and Coco Gauff, the brand shifted from being an “anti-endorsement” company to a powerhouse generating $7.8B in revenue—a more than 20% increase. Their approach isn’t about chasing established stars; it’s about spotting talent early and building long-term relationships, connecting with the next generation of sports fans. The results speak for themselves: sports categories grew 27% over two years, and New Balance now reaches 400 million consumers aged 13–34 worldwide. This is a masterclass in strategic, forward-thinking marketing—from “dad shoes” to draft night gold.