How boxing is using TikTok to win over Gen Z—and turning fighters into influencers

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by Samuel Pordengerg Nov 30, 2022 News
How boxing is using TikTok to win over Gen Z—and turning fighters into influencers

Kelly said that the rising popularity of boxing among younger audiences is partially due to the rise in popularity of channels such as Jake andLogan Paul. He said that these social media personality entering boxing matches has opened their eyes to the sport and spurred more casual boxing fans to watch the fights. Several users in a thread on the platform's boxing forum credited the Paul brothers with reviving their interest in the sport, including one user who wrote, "I used to only watch the big fights with my family, but ever since this YouTube boxing started to take off I have been interested in

The sport was a bit behind the times. There wasn't a way to get to it. Now that we're buildingSnapchat channels and driving giant TikTok growth, we're putting this content out for these kids to be able to find it, where before it was a little harder for them to find.

The most direct route to the Gen Z audience is provided by TikTok. Over one million people have followed Top Rank's TikTok account since it was created a year ago. The company's TikTok content is one of its primary vehicles for communicating fighters' stories in a shorter, accessible format that also gives necessary context to audiences less familiar with boxing

@trboxing Replying to @derekwaynecrawford He was starstruck too 😅 #muhammadali #nicoaliwalsh #boxing ♬ original sound - Top Rank Boxing

Narrative is what drives on TikTok. If we mention the grandson of Muhammad Ali, that increases interest. We need to make sure that people who aren't on the street understand the context of the videos.

Setley said that Top Rank wanted to create a link between the younger fighters and the younger fans so that they would grow up together.

The company wants to showcase individual fighters by giving them the chance to have their content shared on Top Rank's page via theInstagram Collab feature, which expands a post's reach by making it appear on both the fighter's personal page and Top Rank's page.

The social media team at Top Rank gives fighters the chance to answer questions and share tips about building their social media presence.

Setley said the goal is to build the stars. If they have more followers, we'll get better TV and social numbers. We want to make sure we build these guys with us. The fighters are just as important as the brand.

An actor who rose to fame in the series "Euphoria" is one of the people Top Rank has started incorporating into its social media strategy. Many of the young people who follow him on social media are part of the teenage demographic. After he tagged the company in one of his social media posts, Top Rank reached out to him, inviting him to fights to shoot photo and video content, sending him Top Rank merchandise, and creating collab posts with him, Setley said.

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Joe Favorito, a sports and entertainment marketing consultant, said that the fast-paced format of TikTok videos is in line with the audience's desire for quick hits. For years, sports leagues like UFC had focused their social media strategies around packaging exciting moments from fight broadcasts into short video clips, which correlated with companies like Top Rank embracing a similar social content strategy.

Favorito said that home runs, catches, celebrations, the end of a round are what it is all about. He said that violence is what really drives interest in boxing. He said that the big hits and knockouts are what boxing fans want.

@trboxing Put him down like a ton of bricks 🧱 #boxing #jaredanderson #heavyweight ♬ original sound - Top Rank Boxing