Nike brought together their two most influential powerhouses this week as Cristiano Ronaldo met up with Odell Beckham Jr. Two of the planet's most marketable men with the sharpest of Mercurial moves.
Exchanging signed Nike footwear from their respective sports, the Real Madrid forward and New York Giants wide receiver hung out as Nike reaped the rewards on CR7's social channels. Odell Beckham Jr is picking up $29 million over five years from Nike, with the potential to reach $48 million over an eight-year span if he hits a series of bonus incentives. Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a $1 billion lifetime contract with Nike. There's some serious value here.
In a meeting on influencer strength, Cristiano Ronaldo's posts reached 122 million people of Facebook, 70 million on Twitter, and (weirdly) another 122 million on Instagram. Although they'll be some natural cross-over, that's 314 million pairs of eyes reached with the touch of a button.
Ronaldo’s social media presence alone was estimated to have generated $474 million in media value for Nike in 2016 – meaning Nike can potentially recapture their $1 billion investment in Ronaldo in just over two years. Pallying up with OBJ only heaps further value on CR7 in American markets.
Two respective athletes meeting up in an appreciative sense? Of course. But, there's a lot of strategy behind these posts, and a hell of a lot more value. Wonder who paid for the takeaway?
