M&C Saatchi uses social media to estimate Olympic athletes earning potential post Games

M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment has identified the commercial potential of medal winning Olympic athletes by monitoring the public’s attitude towards them on social media.

Despite missing out on a Gold medal at London 2012, Tom Daley was found to be the Olympian most likely to benefit from increased sponsorship and earnings. As well as identifying the most valuable British Olympians, M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment is also offering free sponsorship advice to Team GB medallists to help them make the most of their success.

M&C Saatchi Sports and Entertainment evaluated traffic across digital media to establish those Olympians with the greatest earning potential. The top ten Team GB athletes in terms of social media mentions over the period of the games were:

1. Tom Daley 4,361,409
2. Jessica Ennis 796,346
3. Mo Farah 724,869
4. Andy Murray 571,223
5. Bradley Wiggins 380,645
6. Chris Hoy 339,799
7. Victoria Pendleton 127,432
8. Greg Rutherford 113,328
9. Nicola Adams 94,143
10. Laura Trott 87,357

As the first truly social media games, M&C Saatchi Sports and Entertainment found that social media gave unprecedented insight into the popularity of each athlete amongst consumers without the need to undertake expensive and time consuming research. Measurements of reach and sentiment mean that those sponsors seeking an association with Olympic athletes have a head start when it comes to evaluating options.

Topping the list is diver Tom Daley who accounts for 57 per cent of mentions; this indicates for every pound spent by sponsors across the ten athletes, he will attract over half of that investment.

Steve Martin, chief executive of M&C Saatchi Sports and Entertainment, explained that there was a “direct correlation between an athlete’s digital profile and their ability to attract valuable sponsorships,” adding: “Our view is that social media has revolutionised the way companies view potential endorsers.

“The greater an individual’s profile online, the more valuable they become to potential sponsors. It’s not only those athletes that are active on social media that will reap these rewards but it’s those that are being talked about that brands really want to engage with and be endorsed by.”