I don't think Nike could pick a better influencer for their soccer products. Meet Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2014 Ballon D'or winner, and if you're unsure what that is, put it this way- 2014 world's best player as voted by coaches and players.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the best soccer player in the world, and he is advertising Nike's product. Every amateur soccer player that watches Ronaldo play will see that he wear Nike cleats, or he wears a Nike Pro (under garment). The advertising of the product will influence his million's of fans to use that particular brand.
"If it works for Ronaldo, why wouldn't it work for me?" is the comment of most young budding soccer players trying to be the best player on their team. Ronaldo is at the top of his game right now and Nike are capitalizing on this. As a brand, they know how influential he can be. Nike have recently given Cristano Ronaldo his own CR7 collection, which is his personalized style of Nike products, including cleats, clothing and much more. Consumers will be convinced that if the product is inspired by Ronaldo, then it must be a good product. Fans believe their influencers, which in turn could have a deciding factor when looking for new soccer cleats or soccer affiliated products. This is also the same if they see Ronaldo in Nike general sneakers, or a hoody. Because Ronaldo is a celebrity as well as a professional soccer player, he is going to be in the press outside of soccer games. He is sponsored by Nike, so it is very likely that when he is out he is branded in their product. This will lead consumers to purchase Nike gear outside of the soccer section. Again, more influential purchase power from Ronaldo.
I think the big difference between many brand's influencers is whether they genuinely trust this brand or not. It's clear that Ronaldo believes in Nike and thinks that their brand of soccer cleats are the best around because he personally wears them year after year. Many brands hire celebrities to promote their products because of the reach they have, such as Alicia Keys being endorsed by Blackberry. I'm certain she's not really a Blackberry user, and outside of promotions she is a regular iPhone or Android user. Let's be real, who has a Blackberry these days anyway?
Consumers want to trust their influencers, and this can only be achieved if you see the celebrity regularly using the brand. Ronaldo has a large reach with his Twitter and Facebook followers, which are a very engaged audience. He has accomplished trust from his followers, and this is a powerful tool when it comes to influencing your consumer to buy a Nike product.
If you thought Ronaldo couldn't be anymore of a great influencer for Nike, he is also rarely in the newspaper with negative stories. He has a very clean image, and has helped out a number of his fans including; surgery payments and other good deeds.
Check out one of the many stories of Ronaldo and how he goes the extra mile and helps to pay for a young fan's brain surgery.
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| Even when he isn't playing, he still promotes Nike!! |
