09 March 2022

The Athlete Media Group: For diverse, authentic and purpose-driven content, look no further than sport

As recent events surrounding the sanctioning of Russia demonstrate, sport has a BIG part to play on the world stage. It also of course, is BIG business – as the furore surrounding the attempt by European football clubs to form a breakaway super league last year demonstrated. 

So in 2022, the sector presents a prime opportunity for media owners and brands alike to reach large audiences in both a lucrative and socially responsible way.  

Cue The Athlete Media Group (AMG): originally set-up in 2019, the agency is fuelled by a love of sport and a passion for brand responsibility. It’s founder, Mark Middlemas, is a seasoned professional on the UK agency scene. He spent fifteen years at Universal McCann (UM), overseeing media planning and buying for brands such as Coca-Cola, MasterCard, Bacardi-Martini, Microsoft and Xbox, and also helped the company to win £300m of advertising business, as well creating and heading up its radio division. 

As AMG turns three this month, we spoke to Mark about his decision to take the leap into his own venture, and why the sports sector is such an important channel in reaching contemporary audiences. 

“I’m sports mad and had always worked on sports campaigns for the big brands I worked with, so I had a solid base,” Mark says. “I was mentally quite badly impacted by losing my parents in 2014 inside six months of each other, and at that time lost a lot of my purpose and drive.” 

“I saw a tweet one day whilst sitting on my sofa, from a military charity called ‘Walking With The Wounded’, about entering the world’s toughest footrace. That would be the 156 mile Marathon des Sables, which I had always wanted to do and thankfully in 2016 was allowed to enter.” 

“I tented with some truly inspirational people, including Duncan Slater – a military veteran, who was aiming to become the first double amputee to complete the race. It’s in 50 degree heat a you carry all your supplies & equipment.” 

“Unfortunately, Duncan had to pull out on the last day, so I agreed to go back in 2017 to witness history: Duncan was on this next attempt successful, and witnessing his example of overcoming such huge adversity inspired me to think about setting up my own business in sport.”

“By aligning athletes with goals and connecting them to brands with similar values, purposes and causes, we create sport for good campaigns that amplify both sides.” 

And so AMG was born, a modern sports agency powered by purpose, and seeking to level the playing field amongst sports professionals by tackling challenges in the sector such as funding, representation, profile, diversity, inclusion, equality, sustainability and more. 

“The agency’s focus has a very clear levelling up purpose, and my own 20 years talking brands and branding gives me a unique platform in which I can help to deliver that. We are on a mission help more athletes thrive and more brands grow by leveraging the unique power and platforms of sport. Our secret sauce is purpose. By aligning athletes with goals and connecting them to brands with similar values, purposes and causes, we create sport for good campaigns that amplify both sides.” 

“To give you an example, Hannah Mills OBE is a double Olympic Gold medallist and the most successful female Olympic sailor in history. She is also a passionate and committed environmentalist, particularly after her personal experiences at the Rio Olympics, where she sailed through plastic waste (and a lot worse).” 

“From that experience, she ‘found her calling’ and is now an IOC Sustainability Ambassador. In 2019, she set up The Big Plastic Pledge, an organisation to help eradicate single-use plastic in sport. Harnessing her powerful athlete platform as a force for good has meant that Hannah can help inspire, educate and motivate businesses, employees and consumers in lots of different ways, which she has done on many occasions.”

When we think about diversity and inclusion in 2022, we might think about the fashion or tech industries, or the myriad of unique Instagram influencers that we see competing for likes in our timeline. 

But sport – arguably by its very nature – has longsince held a key position of responsibility within global society. It in part exists as a means of breaking down boundaries and bringing people together, and Middlemas is emphatic in his advocacy of its power.    

“The great Nelson Mandela once famously said, ‘Sport has the power to change the world,’ and I have personally seen the enormous impact of sport come true across the world, in so many different ways.”

“Athletes are the most positive role models for children, adults, businesses, charities and so much more. I’m showing my age here, but I have never forgotten the day as a nine year old when the inspirational swimmer and Olympic silver medallist, Sharon Davies, came to our school (should have been a Gold by the way, and hopefully will be upgraded soon!) The buzz, the excitement, the impact it had on me as a sports-mad youngster was unforgettable.”

“I firmly believe that all businesses could and should look to harness athletes to help them grow & shape society for the better in some way.”

So just exactly how does that passion and purpose translate into tangible results on the ground? What is the business model of AMG, and how is the agency working with brands directly to leverage the sporting names it works with? 

“In its simplest form we connect athletes with brands,” says Mark. “Purpose sits in the middle of that and varies. Our business model is multi-facetted and depends on the type of ‘connection’ we make. In the traditional sports marketing sense (direct to consumer) we work on long-term sponsorship deals for athletes, product endorsement, content creation, advertising, social media influence campaigns and so on.” 

“Inside businesses (direct to employees) we are working on a growing range of speaking engagements, panel sessions, appearances, mentoring, coaching and more deeply integrated deals with brands where athletes are working with CEO’s and their leadership teams directly to drive and positively impact performance. The latter are done through a range of commission, retainer and pro bono work. We also have a wide range of allies in partner agencies helping us with research and data-driven insights, to help drive our business and that of our clients.” 

While AMG was created three years ago (which seems like an awfully long time ago now, pre-pandemic), it’s clear that more recently the trend towards purpose-driven marketing has accelerated. So how do Mark and his team continue to bring original and innovative ideas to audiences, and ensure that the brands they work with are authentic in their approach?  

“The simple and fast-growing fact is that consumers and employees are demanding that brands and businesses behave in a more ethical way. If they don’t behave in the right way, people won’t purchase the product or work for the organisation. The trends are very clear.”

“Of course, authenticity is key to all of this though, as many brands and businesses are finding out to their peril. Today’s consumers and employees know what they want, and can spot purpose-washing a mile off. Conversely, the fact that so many purpose-driven athletes can deliver a clear, authentic, and honest message gives them great power when it comes to talking about brands.”

You can the full range of Athlete Media Group professionals here. 

[Main image: Travel-Fr/Shutterstock.com]