July 22, 2025

Why Most Brands Fail With Athletes

🎙️🌴 Recorded at Sport Beach during the Cannes Lions Festival

David Brickley sits down with Kasidee Karsten, Director of Player Marketing at the NFLPA, for a wide-ranging conversation on athlete partnerships, storytelling, and how brands can stop missing the mark.

🔥 Topics include:

–The real reason some athlete-brand deals fall flat

–Why followers are a distraction—and what actually drives engagement

–How fandom powers everything from Chipotle orders to Madden covers

–The future of creator x athlete content

–Why brands need to think beyond social and into experiences

If you’re a marketer, brand lead, or agency working with athletes, this is a must-watch playbook on what actually works.

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