Athlete Influencers + Sporting Events = Big Win for Brands

How Brands Can Win Big Partnering with Athlete Influencers During Sporting Events


The summer of 2024 is an exciting time in the world of sports. The success formula is as follows: Athlete Influencers + Sporting Events = Big Win for Brands, and we show you how.

Germany recently hosted EURO 2024, the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, which wrapped up on 14 July. The 2024 Summer Olympics, 33rd Olympiad, will take place in Paris from 26 July to 11 August. The UCI Road and Para-cycling World Championships will be held in Zurich from 21 September to 29 September. Looking ahead to next summer, Switzerland will host the UEFA European Women’s Championship, from 2 July through 27 July 2025.

Sports are always popular, but people seek additional sports-related content before and during these exciting global events.  We’ll provide tips for how your brand can score a “GOOOOOAAAAALLLL” with sports marketing. (Ha, couldn’t resist!) Throughout the article, we’ll also share Kingfluencers’ 10 best Swiss athlete influencers.

Benefits of Marketing with Sports Influencers & Creators

1. Increase your brand’s visibility

Many athletes create content on their own social media, so followers can enjoy watching their athletic prowess beyond official matches and races. Such athlete influencers are a natural fit with athletic brands, including shoes, apparel, and food and supplements. Followers of sports celebrities often engage in the same sport and therefore purchase the various gear required. Who better to recommend the best ski clothing than Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber? In addition to ski apparel brand Oneskee, Nicolas promotes health drinks and the Hürlimannbad & Spa in Zürich. He shares his global adventures, occasionally wearing make up like The Joker, complete with the purple suit. Pat Burgener is also a snowboarder and a two-time Olympian as well as musician and actor. He has worked with brands such as Swatch, FOCUSWATER, and Visa.

Athlete influencers provide brands with a way to stand out from the noise. Influencers give brands a real face that people relate to and help connect to consumers. Kickboxing champion Janosch Nietlispach shares adventures with his family and fitness routines in addition to promoting Gatorade, Migros, and BMW, or as Samsung ambassador, also for the Youth Olympic Games. Professional football player Ana Markovic is also an entrepreneur who is launching her own brand of innovative vegan protein water, RELOADZ.  With Kingfluencers, Ana is part of the Ochsner Shoes annual campaign

As followers enjoy both playing their sport and engaging with the influencers’ content, your brand can benefit from this connection. Athlete influencers can help you engage with their audience, sharing relatable brand messaging and building brand loyalty.

Tamara Glück Gonzalez, Teamlead Influencer Strategy & Relations at Kingfluencers, also states:

“It is highly advisable to integrate athletes into the influencer mix for certain campaigns. They hold significant PR relevance, and their followers, who admire them for their athletic achievements and image, view them as role models. These athletes often have a large reach and a strong connection to their community within their country, making them especially suited for long-term image campaigns. Additionally, their accounts become particularly attractive during sports events, as the momentum can be leveraged with creative storytelling.”

2. Connect with communities you may not reach otherwise

There’s no reason for sports influencers to limit their brand partnerships to the realm of sports. Athletes can be particularly helpful in connecting your brand with communities you may not reach otherwise.

From handbags and skincare to cars and travel, athletes consume many products and services, and their followers are interested in their endorsements and insights. But also values can be transported. For example, swimmer Noam Yaron uses world records in swimming to draw attention to the environmental pollution of the oceans. He has been collaborating with Kingfluencers for many years, including in the yallo campaign or Emmi Caffè Latte. Artistic gymnast and three-time Olympian Giulia Steingruber partners with Zak, the first real Swiss bank on your smartphone, or with Kingfluencers for Granini Hohes C. Swiss sprinter Sarah Atcho-Jaquier and two times Olympian partnered with Kingfluencers for the Gatorade campaign or Soda Stream. Snowboarder and three-time Swiss Olympian David Hablützel shares his athletic adventures as well as humorous content and promotes the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 phone or Dry Migros products. Some athlete influencers also partner with luxury brands. Tennis player and Olympic gold and silver medalist Belinda Bencic has worked with Mercedes and Bongenie Grieder. With Kingfluencers, she has been acting as a brand ambassador for L’Oréal Paris.

Sarah Schmid, Head of Marketing at Kingfluencers, makes aware of the role social media has played in making highlights, storylines, and community more accessible, breaking down barriers and allowing fans to watch any sport through infinite streams and channels:

“Niche communities are the heartbeat of sports marketing. By tapping into these passionate and engaged groups, brands can build authentic connections and drive loyalty that extends far beyond the game. It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about creating meaningful, lasting relationships.”

3. Partner with athlete influencers during major sporting events for a boost

Of course, brands can work with athlete influencers at any time, but partnering with athletes during major sporting events can result in a synergistic boost to your campaign. 

Even though these are competitions, the rivalries are generally friendly, and global audiences watch with good will. The huge visibility of these championship events delivers great opportunities for brands to generate buzz around your product or service in a fun atmosphere, surrounded by people enjoying themselves. #Euro2024 was tagged in more than 1.7 million Instagram posts and two million TikToks.

People also typically enjoy food and drinks while watching a sporting event. Conveniently, a football match lasts as long as Zweifel Chips’ new limited edition 90-minute pack. In a recent campaign, Kingfluencers’ creators demonstrated their creative ways to unbox this perfect snack for friends and family to enjoy together.

Member of the Swiss national women’s football team Alayah Pilgrim has promoted Coca-Cola. With Kingfluencers, she has implemented almost 60 influencer campaigns, including many for L’Oréal as brand ambassador for CeraVe and Garnier Skincare

Brands can also use influencers for pre-event promotions and live event coverage. In addition to excellent audience engagement, this can generate real-time interaction and feedback from fans.

Many major sporting events also stretch across several weeks and reach large worldwide audiences. Content creators can share authentic good vibes and promote your product in a way that doesn’t feel like a promotion. During Euro 2024, former football manager Harry Redknapp worked with LADbible and Walkers Crisps to promote its crisp pint for the summer of football, achieving a 2.51% engagement rate. According to CORQ., Redknapp also teamed up with Sorare to talk about its fantasy football league (0.04% engagement rate).

Digiday recently described Euro 2024 as “a big step change” for the areas advertisers will rely on. In addition to increases in television ad spending, “many brands are increasing their spend on influencer partnerships, and increasing paid social budgets to amplify influencer content and reach viewers on their second screens. That reflects shifts in sports viewing habits since the last Euros, which took place when TikTok was barely a feature in most marketing plans.”

Best Practices Marketing with Sports Influencers: Cross-Platform Activation

Maximize your reach by utilizing various platforms. In addition to social media channels like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), consider incorporating OOH advertising options and TV. Partnering with Kingfluencers makes it easy to expand your campaigns. Kingfluencers’ TV Spots combine the power of video, TV, and influencer marketing. With our newest partnership and creation of a joint influence media network with Goldbach, we can extend any social media campaign to the content network – including online advertising in networks like 20 Minuten, TV, and even out-of-home, which covers a wide array of advertising options in Switzerland, such as billboards, digital displays, and megaposters.

The Link Between Your Brands & Creators

By working with athlete influencers, you can fuse the excitement of sporting events with authentic brand advocacy. With the proper strategy, the result is a synergy, with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Kingfluencers serves as a link between brands and creators. Reach out to us to explore how we can help you team up with influencers and creators  – ATHLETES or not –  to build campaigns that amplify your brand messages before, during, or after sports events, ensuring a seamless connection.

Kingfluencers’ 10 Best Swiss Athlete Influencers (no particular order)

  1. Member of the Swiss national women’s football team Alayah Pilgrim has also promoted Garnier skincare and Coca-Cola. With Kingfluencers, she has implemented almost 60 influencer campaigns, including L’Oréal as brand ambassador for CeraVe.
  2. Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber shares his global adventures, occasionally made up like The Joker – purple suit included. He works with brands including Oneskee ski apparel, health drinks, and the Hürlimannbad & Spa in Zürich. For Kingfluencers, he will be part of the new MSD campaign that goes live in summer, promoting the importance about HPV knowledge.
  3. Swiss sprinter Sarah Atcho-Jaquierr took part in the 4 × 100 meter relay at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, the 2016 Olympic Games, and the 2017 World Championships in London and partnered with Kingfluencers for the Gatorade campaign or Soda Stream. She also partners with adidas, Maurice Lacroix or Raiffeisen.
  4. David Hablützel is also a snowboarder and three-time Swiss Olympian and shares his athletic adventures along with humorous content. Dave promotes the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 phone and Chiefs’ vitamin milk. For Kingfluencers, he did a cool brand activation for the Dry Migros Campaign
  5. Professional footballer Ana Markovic is also an entrepreneur who is launching her own brand of innovative vegan protein water, RELOADZ. For Kingfluencers, Ana is part of the Ochsner Shoes annual campaign

6. Kickboxing champion Janosch Nietlispach shares fitness routines, adventures with his family, and promotes different brands from BMW to Nivea personal care products. With Kingfluencers he has implemented over 70 campaigns, including as Samsung ambassador, also for the Youth Olympic Games, for comparis, Gatorade, and Migros.

7. Swimmer Noam Yaron uses world records in swimming to draw attention to the environmental pollution of the oceans. He has been collaborating with Kingfluencers for many years, including in the yallo campaign or Emmi Caffè Latte.

8. Tennis player and Olympic gold and silver medalist Belinda Bencic has worked with Mercedes and Bongenie Grieder. For Kingfluencers, she was part of multiple L’Oréal Paris campaigns.

9. Pat Burgener is a snowboarder and two-time Olympian as well as musician and actor. He has worked with brands such as Swatch, FOCUSWATER, and Visa.

10. Artistic gymnast and three-time Olympian Giulia Steingruber partners with Zak, the first real Swiss bank on your smartphone. With Kingfluencers, she was part of the Granini Hohes C campaign.

Finance Influencers Provide Education Consumers Are Clamoring For

Brands in industries like fashion, beauty, and travel have worked with influencers for years now to give their brands a real face that people relate to, stand out from the noise, and connect to consumers. People are increasingly turning to social media for guidance on a wide variety of topics, including finance. A “finfluencer” is an influencer who creates finance-related content that advises consumers on topics such as personal finance, stock market trading, and mutual funds.

Rise in Self-Directed Investing

“DIY” is an increasingly popular approach to investing. Inyova conducted one of the largest Swiss research projects on investment habits to date. When asked, “Who manages your investments?” 55% selected, “I manage it myself.”

Unfortunately, self-directed investing isn’t always conducted with a solid data-based strategy. According to a survey commissioned by the German financial regulator BaFin, 30% of people under 40 had invested money using “copy trading” in the past two years (copying the trading strategies of supposedly successful investors.)

There has been very little financial education geared toward helping the average consumer get up to speed, leaving people struggling with a lack of financial literacy. Finfluencers have been stepping in to fill this need. The Financial Times writes, “A jump in self-directed investing has been partly propelled by a surge in the sway of financial influencers.

Cynthia Hofmann, Senior Marketing Manager at PostFinance: We have noticed a growing interest in financial topics at PostFinance. This has been particularly evident in recent years with the increased focus on “women and finance”. At the same time, the crypto boom has also awakened young people’s interest in financial matters. The availability of numerous neobanks, which are primarily accessible via apps, has made banking simpler and cheaper. For example, pension accounts or funds can be opened with just a few clicks, often on more favorable terms than with traditional banks. The rising cost of living is also forcing many people to take a closer look at financial matters.

Significant Need for Financial Guidance

Income, assets, and savings rates have increased in Switzerland in recent years. According to a ZHAW study, three-quarters of Swiss people also feel comfortable with their financial situation. However, a staggering 44% of Swiss people have never made financial investment, despite 86% of Swiss people being willing to save and plan. 70% state their reason for not investing is a lack of financial literacy. 

Brands can fill this gap by serving as that trusted source of knowledge, which can empower consumers to feel comfortable making investments. By partnering with an established finfluencer, brands can benefit from their accessibility, trust, and reach to educate their target audience and turn them into customers.

Significant Need for Financial Guidance

Income, assets, and savings rates have increased in Switzerland in recent years. According to a ZHAW study, three-quarters of Swiss people also feel comfortable with their financial situation. However, a staggering 44% of Swiss people have never made financial investment, despite 86% of Swiss people being willing to save and plan. 70% state their reason for not investing is a lack of financial literacy. 

Brands can fill this gap by serving as that trusted source of knowledge, which can empower consumers to feel comfortable making investments. By partnering with an established finfluencer, brands can benefit from their accessibility, trust, and reach to educate their target audience and turn them into customers.

Finance Chat is Taboo

How to manage and grow your personal wealth can be a complex topic, one which many people are uncomfortable discussing. Only 26% of respondents to the ZHAW study would like to talk about finance, even with good acquaintances.These substantial gaps in both investments, finance knowledge, and trusted sources of advice represent huge opportunities for brands that can help educate consumers. Influencers who provide easily digestible pieces of content can help audiences gradually climb the learning curve.

Finfluencers Provide Needed Advice

Many influencers are already supporting their followers’ journeys to financial wellness for free. According to an October 2021 Bloomberg article, “Wall Street ‘finfluencers’ are earning more than bankers.” For example, UK-based “Self-made millionaire” Mark Tilbury provides “money and success tips” to 7.1M followers on TikTok and 2.25M subscribers on YouTube.

With people hungry for insights and guidance, finfluencers such as Faares Quadri can grow large followings. Quadri has over 2.7M followers on TikTok where he breaks common financial concepts and instruments down and walks his audience through the specifics. 

ellexx founder Patrizia Laeri shared her views on the advantage of finfluencers compared to traditional financial education: “At ellexx, we comprehensively empower women financially and guide them without any financial jargon, always at eye level with lovingly designed, appealing, and stirring articles, research, checklists, and tools.”

The SIX Group, which operates the infrastructure for Swiss financial centers including the Swiss exchange, has recognized the value of finfluencers. SIX asked Swiss financial bloggers, Stefan Huser, Melina Scheuber, Reto Stalder and Fabio Marchesin to participate in a panel discussion at the 2022 BörsenTalk Flagship Event with the mission of introducing the audience to their “infotainment” work. The group shared origin stories and discussed various, sometimes controversial, topics such as the tension between independence and commerce, and why the most important blog articles are not the most successful.

Cynthia Hofmann, Senior Marketing Manager at PostFinance: Finfluencers have become a central figure in the field of financial education. With information flooding the internet, they differentiate themselves through their independence and reputation for neutral opinion. This makes them a valued resource for many individuals. In contrast to traditional banks, which are often perceived as distant, finfluencers communicate in a way that is familiar to their followers.

Financial Feminism

The Inyova survey found that 65% of Swiss women have never invested, compared to just 20% of men – a fact that numerous finfluencers are working to rectify. This social shift inspired the establishment of companies like ellexx universe AG, who are focusing on closing the gender investment gap by encouraging women to learn to invest. The fintech company offers coaching, money hacks courses, checklists, financial products, and daily articles. 

Kingfluencers asked Patrizia Laeri about the increasing public interest in finance. “When we launched our platform two and a half years ago, ‘women and finance’ were hardly a topic in Switzerland. Now, more and more traditional banks are jumping on the bandwagon, trying to appeal to women. However, their executive boards and boards of directors remain predominantly male. This is ‘pinkwashing’ and not credible. In Western Europe and North America, women control 75 percent of purchasing decisions. Consumption means influence. And investing means even greater influence. Nonetheless, a lot has changed. The topic is present and the offerings for women are increasing. ”

Finfluencers Must be Credible

All influencers must disclose when posts are paid brand promotions, but financial content brings added complexity. Stylish influencers can recommend products such as eyeglasses, food, and makeup, sharing their photos and recipes. Exaltations that a product is comfortable, delicious, or beautiful are all personal opinions, but finfluencers are making statements which could be factually incorrect, particularly if they run afoul of investing laws.

Sortlist surveyed 1,000 users who follow health and financial influencers to understand their impact on purchasing decisions compared to the recommendations of experts from those sectors. 

1 in 5 users trust influencers more than their doctors and financial advisors. 46.51% of German respondents said that the help of financial influencers had a positive impact on their investment decisions.

The Sortlist study described the role specialists and influencers can both play in helping communities. “Overall, the easy access to influencers makes them the ideal source of inspiration, sparking the first desire to change lifestyle or develop a routine.” People turn to professionals for more details as well as the personalized service they can provide.

Money expert Tori Dunlap is a successful, inspiring finfluencer who doesn’t have a traditional financial background. Tori founded Her First $100K with a mission of leading the financial feminist movement. With a best-selling book, popular podcast, social media campaigns, and live speaking engagements, Tori and her team guide audiences through making more, spending less, and feeling financially confident.

Tips for Working with Finfluencers

Kingfluencers recently wrote about how to select and work with an expert influencer. When considering partnering with any influencer, it’s important to view their track record. With experts, including finfluencers, you should additionally evaluate their formal credentials. Do they have the requisite education?

Formal certifications give a finfluencer more credibility. However, a variety of laws cover what financial advice finance professionals are permitted to give publicly. Many finfluencers are simply individuals proficient in personal finance. In this landscape, it’s difficult for brands to determine who would be a good potential partner. Working with an experienced influencer marketing agency like Kingfluencers substantially lowers your risk of collaborating with someone short on credibility and ending up in a PR disaster.Brands may also want to consider providing some compliance training for finfluencers prior to campaign kick-off. CFA advises, “Investment companies that use finfluencers should provide them with compliance training if not already doing so and ensure that finfluencers clearly disclose when they are promoting content or are sponsored.”

Brands Succeed Partnering with Finfluencers

CFA took a deep dive into the world of finfluencers and wrote that some financial firms are hiring finfluencers to engage with young investors (those aged 18–25). The NAGA platform, a German fintech company, says it cooperates with up to a hundred finfluencers.

In India, the top finfluencers have more YouTube subscribers than new-age broking firms. Considering India’s low financial literacy rate of 27%, these content creators play a vital role in educating citizens. Leading broking firms are engaging popular finfluencers to reach out to potential investors.

A Swiss Success Story

Credit Suisse is a recent Kingfluencers success story with CSX App, a secure remote banking solution

  • Impressions: More than 2.2 M
  • Reach: More than 1.3 M
  • Engagement-Rate: 3.2%
  • The campaign reached 3.7k link clicks

Mobiliar with combining a creative contest with Influencer Marketing.

  • Impressions: More than 500 K
  • Reach: +26% vs forecasted
  • The inclusion of the creative contest generated more than 80k website visits.

Generali insurance’s podcast episode about women and pension.

  • Impressions: More than 240 K
  • Reach: More than 130 K
  • The campaign reached +70% vs forecasted on link clicks.

 View the case study to see successful campaigns from numerous Kingfluencers’ clients in the banking and insurance sectors.

Swiss Influencers & Content Creators to Keep an Eye On

Switzerland is filled with innovative, fascinating influencers who create informative and entertaining content every day. Kingfluencers has had the pleasure of working with all of the following, and we’d like to highlight some particularly fantastic examples for you to keep an eye on.

Swiss Influencers Who are Leading Trends

Kingfluencers recently published, “13 Social Media & Influencer Marketing Trends to Look For Now,” and we’re categorizing our top Swiss Influencers according to who’s excelling at a few of selected trends. Download the eBook for an in depth look at all the trends.

More Love For Nano and Micro Influencers

swiss influencers content creators. More Love For Nano and Micro Influencers

For influencer marketing campaigns, brands focus more and more on engagement rates than other metrics, such as total followers. According to a report from Later and Fohr, nano and micro influencers (<25K followers) have the highest engagement rate, averaging 7%, which is more than double the benchmark of 3.21%.

Professional soccer player for FC Basel Alayah Pilgrim is a micro influencer who posts about fashion, fitness, and soccer, of course. She also shares a TikTok account with her boyfriend.

Picture: Alayah Pilgrim

Video is Dominating

Over the next 18 months, video content will continue to increase in relevance and importance. As video becomes the dominant medium, other formats are even less likely to be noticed and brands will have to produce more video content to share.

Alessandra Spataro is well known for her professional and creative videos on TikTok. She often shows ‘behind the scenes’ how she created her videos, and also shares ‘fails’ when things go wrong. Alessandra’s videos have great variety and stunning visual appeal, such as the popping of water balloons with different color dyes.

The success of TikTok is accelerating the move towards video. TikToker Julie Riess frequently posts a variety of videos and is relatable in exhibiting authenticity. In addition to TikToks about food and thrift store shopping, Julie posts “Get Ready With Me” videos and shares with followers her decision-making process putting together outfits.

Swiss Influencers content creators. Video is Dominating.

Creator Economy Will Boom as Content Becomes Currency

The growth of the value of content is driving numerous trends. In particular, more people will try to capitalize on their content, opinion, and voice, making everything more crowded. Brands as well as social media platforms will be actively seeking and soliciting content creators.

Kingfluencers has frequently worked with Fabio Zerzuben, a creator who puts a lot of emphasis on his content and creativity. Fabio is famous for his creative and captivating reels.

As influencers are pressured to create more content even faster, they’re also staying active on multiple social media platforms, as well as traditional media. One of Switzerland’s biggest influencers, Xenia Tchoumi, posts on Instagram about beauty, fashion, and travel. In addition to social media content creation, Xenia wrote the book, “Empower Yourself,” and has given 4 TEDx talks. Swiss comedian Aditotoro is active on TikTok as well as Twitch and YouTube. This prolific content creator has recently become more well known outside of Switzerland.

Influencers Face Increasing Pressure to Innovate

Leo Monferini created a character with funny glasses which went viral on TikTok. As one of the biggest TikTokers from Romandie, he is very popular and Kingfluencers’ clients like working with him. His humorous content is what people are looking for on TikTok.

Consolidation in Influencer Marketing

The influencer marketing industry will experience increasing consolidation in technologies, agencies, and service providers. More influencers are teaming up to form clans to promote their services to brands. 

Founder of the “SKRR SQUAD,” Dario Scheurmann is known for portraying a wide variety of Gen Z situations in a fun way. His TikToks exhibit a sense of childlike whimsy and humorously portray the different ways women and men do things like answering the phone and getting into the car to drive. 

Jean Carly Réveil posts humorous videos on TikTok, often collaborating with numerous other TikTokers. Frequent themes include interactions between couples and friends. Laura Bante creates comedy TikTok videos, with themes such as beauty and fitness, and often collaborates with her friend Margaux Seydoux.

The Headz Agency represents numerous influencers who put a lot of effort into constant content creation, including Simo Bonito who makes funny videos, some of which feature his Italian “Nonno,” whom he plays himself. Ericwdrae also creates comedy content on his own or with his friend T-Ronimo, where they often present two female characters, Bresha and Selina, in funny situations. T-Ronimo posts about soccer, cars, and work, in addition to humor, and sells merchandise such as t-shirts and hats.

Long-Term Partnerships Between Brands & Influencers

To retain credibility, it’s important for influencers to work only with brands they genuinely love and ideally, engage in long-term collaborations, which benefit both brand and influencer. Many of Kingfluencers’ brands conduct year-long campaigns with influencers. For example, we’ve done many campaigns with Minea Jud, who we view as “our sunshine.” She is always smiling and creates high quality lifestyle, fashion, and beauty content.

Kingfluencers has also worked with the following influencers on an ongoing basis to build successful long-term collaborations for L’Oréal: Dilara Tortumlu & Fatjona Muji, Margaux Seydoux, and Jean Carly Réveil, who has also had a long term collaboration with skincare brand CeraVe, plus Lina Senn, who is known for creating humorous lifestyle content and funny relationship situations with her boyfriend, Leonard Stucki, also an influencer. Additionally, Lina hosts the TV show, “First Dates Switzerland.”

All About Gen Z

The existing focus on Gen Z as a coveted demographic will continue, particularly as they’re entering the workforce. Beyond their status as a significant spending group, Gen Z will set new cultural trends in multiple areas such as music, art, work, and ethics.

Also represented by The Headz Agency, Zimmi is a popular Gen Z TikToker who often posts funny skits involving interactions with teachers. The majority of Gen Z are still students, making the education settings highly relatable.

Gen Z TikToker Emma makes funny posts about relationships, school, beauty, and caring for her horses.

Keeping an Eye On Rising Stars and Important Trends

Brands and influencers alike are benefiting from increased opportunities to connect with audiences and generate revenue. Unfortunately, these opportunities are accompanied by the challenges of increased complexity and competition. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on trends and news, and contact Kingfluencers for help building coordinated campaigns.

Author: Megan Bozman, Owner @Boz Content Marketing