MANAGING A WORLD CHAMPION
At 8 years old, when his father gave him his first windsurf kit, Alex entered the sea, shy as always, but as soon as he jumped up to the board, his face changed. He started to smile, as he loved the feeling of “flying over water”, he loved to be fast where everyone else was slow. The ones who saw him noticed he had a special talent, something innate, and the kid showed his happiness and enjoyment in such a way, that the people who surrounded him were also caught with his feelings.
Starts are always difficult, however, with some time to settle in the Championship, Alex became vicechampion three years in a row, 2010, 2011 and 2012. He was very near to achieving his dream, but it always vanished. Soon, deceptions will turn into smiles. At last, 7 years after jumping on a board for the first time, on 2014, he became Kiteboarding World Champion.
However, as said before, this hasn’t been a bed of roses for Alex. Kiteboarding is, nowadays, still a minor sport, not known for the vast majority of people, but with a great youth base. So imagine how it must have been for a Spanish young sportsman to build his way in professional sport to become the best man in his sport discipline.
In Always Group we embraced Alex with enthusiasm, as we were aware of his potential and talent on the sport he practises. One of our goals was to help him in achieving sponsors that will provide him with economical resources. A professional kiteboarder is full of travels around the world to compete in the different championships of the international circuit. In Always, we implemented our sponsoring structure, based on a deep study of the market, reaching agreements with top brands, such as the Sport Food company Multipower.
The other goal we set ourselves with Alex was to empower his image and recognition, with a strong and defined Communication Plan, based and designed exclusively for him. Alex was nominated by Spain’s most important sport newspaper, Marca, as one of the most important Spanish sportsman of 2013, competing with Olympians as Rafa Nadal, Triathlete Gómez Noya or MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez. With more than 150 appearences in media, Alex’s relevance and image was really empowered. In social media, Facebook and Twitter, Alex’s followers multiplied to more than 12.000 followers in Facebook, becoming a great speaker for the rider and its sponsors. Videos of his best tricks, his preparation, his rehab after the injury… Alex has become in a continuous font of content, becoming a brand itself, relevant and emblematic in the world of Kiteboarding.
- Always Area: Always Sports
- Category: Athlete Management
- Client: Alex Pastor
- Date: November 2011