Learn which brands are being promoted the most across action sports, who’s creating the highest sponsorship value and fan engagement, and what topics their fans are talking about on social media. We also discuss how value is determined across social and share insights on how the most distinctive action sport brands are defining successful partnerships.

Action & Outdoor Sports Analysis Includes

Posts from athletes, organizations, and events across action & outdoor sports published on social media from July 1, 2021 – July 1, 2022. 

• BMX
• Climbing
• Cyclocross
• Fishing
• Kiteboarding
• Motocross
• Mountain Bike
• Skateboard
• Ski
• Snowboard
• Surf
• Wakeboard

The Pursuit of Meaningful and Measurable Partnerships

Recently, our team hosted more than 20 global action and outdoor sport brands for annual workshops where we review the state of action & outdoor sport partnerships across the social sphere. With the ripple effect of social media, choosing the right sponsorships, or athletes and influencers to partner with has never had more scrutiny and pressure. The key takeaway was that brands want to measure the success of their entire partnership; from lifestyle, event, performance and community-driven objectives, to digital activations. Yet, we heard over and over that it’s hard to determine what to compare against, which tools to use and how one measures authenticity and quality– two of the most important aspects for a successful relationship.

How are Action & Outdoor Sport Brands Measuring Up?

There are no surprises here, with Red Bull and Monster Energy in the lead with twice the amount of total sponsorship value over the leading pack. Yet the sporting goods and apparel industry stand out achieving the highest adjusted ad value per promoted post.

What is Adjusted Ad Value and Why Does it Matter?

The adjusted ad value (AAV) is a measurement that determines a dollar value to assign to a social post based on how clearly logos or brand mentions are prominently displayed, combined with the level of engagement the post creates. With our Evaluate Social tool  (formerly called Hookit) brands can easily see and track the AAV of their partners social media content displaying their logo, tags or mentions. Now, on the other side of the fence, major sports teams, like McLaren Formula 1 Racing Team also use AAV to demonstrate to their partners where and how brand exposure is happening across their social channels to support strategic planning. Understanding your partner’s AAV is a two-way street that helps drive stronger partnership value for brands, rights holders, athletes and influencers. 

Which Sport is Creating the Most Brand Value?

While skateboarding is at the top of the arena right now, it’s interesting that when the snowboarding community, a smaller group online than most other action sports, do show up on social they have the highest level of engagement. 

Skateboarding leads again, per our recent analysis of the value of women in sport  where teen athlete Rayssa Leal leads more AAV per social post than any other female athlete, outshining household names like Serena Williams and Simone Biles, who didn’t make the top five.

What do Action Sport Fans Talk About on Social Media?

Compared to the wider sports industry where topics around cryptocurrency, and automotive innovation are high engagement drivers, fans of action and outdoor sports are more focused on topics that impact human equity, self worth and the environment. Listening for this information is critical to choosing the right partnerships.

Brand Discussion: Capturing Insights Beyond the Metrics

For a more in depth look at each action and outdoor sport category, best practices for engagement, and key takeaways, take a look at our comprehensive analysis here. If you’re looking for a way to measure your own partnerships beyond basic social metrics, request a demo to see our industry-leading Portfolio Optimization Platform in action. Besides organizing your assets and data, our unrivaled solution provides the industry’s most comprehensive dataset for a deeper understanding of how your partnership portfolio is performing.

Want to learn more how KORE Software can help your brand? Request a demo today.