Ad costs keep rising
You’re paying more to reach people who care less.
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 hard to earn
People ignore ads, they skip, scroll, and move on.
Trust can’t be bought
Communities trust people, not platforms.
Don’t advertise to communities. Be part of them.
The strongest brands aren’t just seen. They’re talked about. shared. recommended. supported.
Why it works
Athletes are community leaders.
They’re trusted, visible, and deeply embedded locally, helping brands participate rather than interrupt.
3Ă—More engagement than traditional influencers. 12Ă— more than paid ads.
Trusted
Audiences already know who they are. That familiarity is earned, not bought.
Your brand inherits that trust.5.6%avg engagement
Visible
Their community chose to follow them. The attention is already there.
Your brand shows up where it matters.vs 1.9%influencers
Connected
Athletes are embedded in their communities, at games, on campus, and around town.
Your brand feels like it belongs.vs 0.45%brand social
Authentic
Real people and real stories. Audiences can tell the difference.
Your brand starts real conversations.vs 0.22%paid ads
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.
âš™ Athletes Activated41
â–Ł CPV (Cost Per View)$0.03
âśş Engagement Rate5.2%
â—‰ 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.
âš™ Athletes Activated32
â–Ł CPV (Cost Per View)$0.07
âśş Engagement Rate4.0%
â—‰ Views36.7k+
Real brands. Real athletes. Real communities.
These brands understand the power of working with athletes as gateways to community.
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.