Dive Brief:
- Dick’s Sporting Goods is expanding its previously internal influencer program to include members of the public who can apply and, if chosen, obtain a paid 10-month contract, according to a company press release. The retailer hopes to contract up to 50 people for 2025.
- The Dick’s Varsity Team, which currently includes 25 Dick’s employees, is taking applications through Feb. 27, with those selected slated to start creating content in April. Applicants must have an Instagram account to apply and current members will have to reapply. Dick’s hopes to increase the number of employees in the program this year.
- Chosen participants will receive a monthly gift card to purchase items from Dick’s to showcase on their social channels. Members may also be featured on the retailer’s social media channels, website, brand videos, photoshoots and in-store signage.
Dive Insight:
Dick’s is placing an emphasis on engaging customers through social media after a successful employee influencer program.
"The program's continued success and the growing demand for authentic, first-person social content are the reasons we're excited to expand the varsity team outside the walls of Dick’s Sporting Goods and bring together a new roster of sports-focused creators," Mark Rooks, vice president of creative, entertainment and sponsorships, said in a statement.
The new varsity team will be mentored by Olympic gold medalists Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall, and college basketball’s Hanna Cavinder and Haley Cavinder. New team members will be expected to create original content which is approved by Dick’s before posting online, according to Nicole Marcus, manager of influencer strategy at Dick’s. Influencers will make money based on deliverables or campaigns and not on time spent, said Marcus.
“Professional athletes have an important role to play in promoting Dick’s, but there are a lot of creative sports enthusiasts in the amateur space who have things to contribute,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders said in an email. “By opening the program more widely, Dick’s will be able to drive content that is creative and fresh. It should also resonate with customers.”
Dick’s strong sales performance the past year has run counter to many in the retail industry. Third-quarter net sales, while slower, were up 0.5% to just over $3 billion with guidance for the full year projecting up to $13.3 billion in sales.
Dick’s has attributed its steady growth to several strategic factors, including strong brand partnerships, a healthy private label program and the growth of its other concept stores such as House of Sport, which currently has around 20 locations across the U.S., according to the company’s website. Dick’s also announced in 2024 plans for 16 next-generation Dick’s stores and 10 Golf Galaxy Performance Centers.
