Ad costs keep rising
Paid media is more expensive and easier to ignore.
Advertising reaches people. Communities move them.
People don’t want to be marketed to. They want to belong.
Turn your audience into community advocates.
We create powerful community marketing campaigns with trusted college athletes, helping your brand be seen and supported by the communities that matter most.
ContestedAdvertising interrupts. Communities influence.
Attention is harder to earn
People trust familiar voices over another polished campaign.
Trust is earned, not bought
Community advocacy creates attention that feels local and credible.
Don’t advertise to communities. Be part of them.
The strongest brands aren’t just seen. They’re talked about. shared. recommended. supported.
Athletes are community leaders.
Athletes are trusted, visible and deeply connected to their local communities. They help brands participate, rather than interrupt.
Trusted
People already know who they are.
Visible
Their communities are already paying attention.
Connected
They’re embedded in the community, not just visiting.
Authentic
Real stories. Real people. Real influence.
What it looks like
Contested Case Studies
Turning OCSC matchdays into a community cornerstone.
Challenge: Orange County Soccer Club needed a way to reach the local community and build awareness and turn it into real matchday attendance. Traditional marketing was not moving conversions for those who were outside the existing fan funnel.
Solution: Contested recruited and managed a roster of college athletes across Orange County, activating them before, during, and after matches to create trusted promotions that drove reach, engagement, and attendance.
⚙ Athletes Activated41
▣ CPV (Cost Per View)$0.03
✺ Engagement Rate5.2%
◉ Views175K+
4.5x higher engagement rate than traditional influencers
Strengthening Techcare’s presence with athlete-driven PR.
Challenge: Techcare wanted to stand out in a crowded IT services market by demonstrating genuine support for its local community and publicly championing female leadership and empowerment; values core to the brand.
Solution: Contested aligned Techcare with an athlete whose background reflected the brand’s mission and delivered PR-ready quotes, photography, and LinkedIn content to strengthen founder-led storytelling.
“Women in sport and women in tech face a lot of the same battles. We’re proud to be standing beside Amy and Lichfield Ladies, helping to level the playing field and invest in the future of local talent.”
App downloads+347%
Accelerating app downloads with athlete-led social proof.
Challenge: Altering needed to increase U.S. downloads for a new wellness app and required a low-cost way to reach students who care about routine, focus, and mental wellbeing.
Solution: Contested matched Altering with an NCAA athlete whose lifestyle matched the brand and audience. The athlete created platform-native UGC demonstrating the app in context and converted attention into downloads.
“Contested helped us turn small athlete partnerships into an outperforming growth channel. The ROI on our first campaign outperformed every paid channel we’ve tested this year.” Mike Greer
Founder, Altering
Reaching 37,000 golfers without spending on digital ads.
Challenge: After launching into one of the most saturated categories in CPG, Par Bar needed to reach golfers directly without burning through paid social against audiences already numb to protein bar ads.
Solution: Contested built a tightly targeted TikTok Shop creator program. We handled sourcing, briefing, and tracking, activating 32 creators on commission-only partnerships.
⚙ Athletes Activated32
▣ CPV (Cost Per View)$0.07
✺ Engagement Rate4.0%
◉ Views36.7k+
Real brands. Real athletes. Real communities.
Examples of other brands who work directly with athletes as a gateway to communities.
How it works
Build Your Brief
Describe your campaign. Set goals, budget, timeline, and deliverables.
Get AI-Matched Athletes
Review ranked shortlists by audience fit, engagement quality, and budget alignment.
Manage & Deliver
Contracts, milestone payments, deliverable tracking, and messaging in one place.
Turn customers into supporters.
Learn how athlete-led community marketing drives trust, loyalty, and growth.