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In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers launched their own influencer program to collaborate with popular social media personalities for content creation. Since then, the team has created organic content with influencers like Natalie Aguilar, who makes TikTok videos with her hard-boiled 49ers’ fanfare, Santa Clara-born rapper Saweetie whose grandfather Willie Harper played for the 49ers, and the popular video game streamer Dr. DisRespect who participated in a playoff game last season against the Dallas Cowboys.
“People do not realize that when Gen Z follows these influencers and celebrities, they trust them more than they trust actual brands,” Allie Dicken, the 49ers’ director of brand and influencer marketing, said at the Horizon Summit on Wednesday. “Studies have shown that 63% of that audience trusts what an influencer says more than a brand directly.”
Dicken kicked off Day 2 of SportTechie’s Horizon Summit with a keynote address with Maddie Bregman, a 23-year-old founder of the consulting firm Girl Z, which helps brands connect with the Gen Z audience. Gen Z is defined as seven to 25 year olds while Millennials are 26 to 41 years old.
“I think the influencer is going to just keep getting more and more important.” @MaddieBregman about the future of Gen Z marketing and how it will evolve 📱#HorizonSummit pic.twitter.com/rL4K4sY5Zg
– SportTechie (@SportTechie) July 13, 2022
“Millennials grew up like technology did – so getting the first iPhone, computer, iPad, all that sort of thing,” Bregman said. “Gen Z has not known a world where we can not order pizza, our FaceTime mother and send text messages to a friend at the same time.”
Dicken said that authenticity is crucial when deciding which influencers to work with, so the team prioritizes working with people who are 49ers fans or have connections to the Bay Area. Videos that Natalie Aguilar and her father recorded in 49ers matches last season generated an average of more than 12 million views on TikTok. Dr DisRespect announced a 49ers’ draft pick on Day 2 of this year’s NFL Draft, which ended up being the team’s best performing draft-related video on social media.
“I think brands and teams in particular, since sports are a bit behind the curve, have to prioritize influencer budgets and influencer positions,” Dicken said of how the sports industry needs to adapt to succeed in reaching Gen Z. “Right now , influencer [content creation] is something that in many places just throws at a marketer who has to do it on top of everything else, and in many places it does not see it as a position that guarantees its own body. “
