Last weekend, Ciryl’ Bon Gamin’ won emphatically against Sergey Spivak following a defeat earlier this year against UFC fan favourite Jon Jones. However, for those who know me, I thought I’d share an analytical review of #UFCParis to support yourself with building a brand as to whether you represent a combat sports athlete, brand or are a marketer yourself.
Cultural sensitivity is key when growing your brand
None other than Bruce Buffer made a statement with his iconic introduction at UFC Paris, and he’s loving it. This can be transferred in various ways to optimise your online presence, such as.
– Welcoming your audience through videos in their native tongue.
– Adapt your branding assets specifically to represent the colours of the flag that the demographic represents.
– Using native vocabulary to communicate with different audiences.
From personal experience, I’ve been to France, and they appreciate it even if you attempt to speak a bit of their language.
Acknowledge combat sports athlete nicknames
Ciryl Gane has ‘Bon Gamin’, Kamaru Usman has ‘The Nigerian Nightmare, Israel Adesanya has ‘The Last Stylebender’ and so on. Athletes pay meticulous attention to detail when marketing their nicknames in combat sports. It can be utilised for promotional purposes such as.
– Merchandise deals with other creators.
– Meme-related marketing tactics.
– Securing trademark rights to give them more media leverage.
However, how can you transfer this piece of knowledge?
– When it comes to working with clients as a marketer, be as supportive towards them by giving them nicknames
– Lead social media content with fan-led decisions by undertaking regular audits to understand what your fans have an appetite for
Pay attention to what your community are saying
If you’ve been following me, you’ll know I’m a big fan of user-generated content. They lead brands’ corporate decisions to customise more engagement for their audiences. Particularly when it comes to social media marketing, it’s fan-led. Therefore, you can utilise this in multiple ways, such as:
– Creating memes that are recognised in line with your brand
– Setting up groups/streams/online communities where your fans feel they have an authentic voice to share their views as a part of contributing to your brand
– Creating challenges led by hashtags that encourage others to endorse your brand awareness online sub-consciously
Maximise ad-related opportunities during live events
While scrolling through the latest updates on X, I saw an ad for weight loss interventions. To be fair, it makes sense. The UFC is a sport. Sport helps with weight loss, and a brand has utilised this opportunity to focus its advertising efforts on those key themes to develop traction.
What can Morgan Chapa teach us about personal branding?
Following an immaculate display at UFC Paris, Morgan Charriere, known as ‘the last Pirate’, received much endorsement from UFC and affiliated accounts. The majority that I noticed was through pirate flag emojis, and so many monetary opportunities can be elevated for the young man following his success over the weekend, such as.
– Branded merchandise affiliated specifically with his win.
– Pirate-themed content promoted across his socials.
– Collaborating with pirate-themed social accounts to expand leverage outside his niche.
To summarise, when it comes to building a brand, consider the following
– Cultural sensitivity
– Personalise your approach to engage with your audience
– Lead by community-led decisions
– Be creative with advertising opportunities
– Think outside the box
By all means, if there’s anything I’ve missed out on, do inform me 😊
Ash Sports Media 