Ilona Maher confirmed to be more marketable than Lionel Messi, Travis Kelce and LeBron James
Rugby ICON Ilona Maher hits top three most marketable sports stars
Ilona Maher has been revealed as the third most marketable athlete in the entire world, according to a comprehensive list created by sports business website, SportsPro.
The 50-person collection includes numerous cultural icons from sports around the world, as it delves into not just performance, but also personalities off the field, and the followings behind each star.
Athletes from association football, basketball and tennis dominate the list, but rugby players currently hold very little weight. Even the great Antoine Dupont fails to make a dent in the promotional space, with sprinter Noah Lyles, swimmers like Leon Marchant and football players such as Beth Mead being preferred by brands.
Olympian and World Cup star, Maher breaks the trend, however. Reviewed on Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market, and Economics, the American athlete received a Marketability Score of 92.13 out of a possible 100, ranking higher than even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Travis Kelce.
In comparison, the great LeBron James was given a score of 84.63, while Formula One racing driver, Lando Norris, sat down in 41st place with a marketability score of just 63.57.
With more than nine million social media followers, comprising a mix of rugby fans, beauty enthusiasts and younger consumers, brands have been rushing to work with the 29-year-old.
Mahar has used her powerful personality and body positivity message to generate strong brand sponsorships, partnering with brands such as lipstick manufacturer Maybelline, skincare company Paula’s Choice and deodorant brand Secret, and most recently – Barbie.
The importance of athlete marketing
Tara Parashar, a senior strategist at creative agency Ear to the Ground, told SportsPro: “A lot of athletes are really smart, driven people,
“They have seen athletes before them build legacies, and they are concerned with their own legacy as well, so they’re putting effort into this relationship of feeling closer to the fans.
“It’s that relationship that is really the valuable thing for brands. Because if you can tap into that relationship, you can speak to fans in a totally different way when they’re feeling more engaged.”
“When I think about a culturally relevant athlete, it’s an athlete who is inside the culture already, and that’s why it feels authentic and relevant. Brands have to try to be authentic, but athletes don’t have to try to be authentic. That’s why brands lean on athletes to do that.
“When you have the perfect partnership between an athlete and a brand, that athlete can take that brand into the culture. As a brand, that’s what can get you your relevance. Young audiences in particular like athletes, and they like athlete sponsorships, because you see yourself as someone who aligns with a particular athlete, their values and who they are, and that extends into the brands that they work with.”
Top 10 most marketable athletes
Here are the athletes who made the top ten of SportsPro’s most marketable list:
10. Coco Gauff
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo
8. LeBron James
7. Caitlin Clark
6. Neymar
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. Stephen Curry
3. Ilona Maher
2. Simone Biles
1. Lewis Hamilton
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