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ike has been named the world’s most marketable brand in SportsPro’s list of the World’s 50 Most Marketable (50MM) Brands powered by Hookit.

The sportswear brand topped all others due to recording more than 8.77 billion engagements on social media posts promoting its brand in one year, leading to a total sponsorship value of US$616.5 million (AUD$850 million).

Rival sportswear giant, Adidas, came in second in the top 50 with a total sponsorship value of US$342.7 million (AUD$472.5 million), followed by Emirates, Santander, Red Bull, Puma, State Farm, Monster Energy, Dream11, and Heineken rounding out the top 10.

The 50MM list was generated by Hookit through the use of two key metrics: potential value and promotion quality.

These two metrics were multiplied together to determine a discounted adjusted ad value and ultimately, the total sponsorship value of brands.

Hookit co-founder and chief executive, Scott Tilton, said: “Our focus on social media sponsorship measurement allows us to leverage the power and depth of data across all the social media channels to remove any subjectivity from these rankings, built on over five billion data points.”

“Brands are getting smarter and more data-focused in their marketing and this list has become a trusted benchmark for brands to know how they compare to competitors or peers, especially with the top tens by segment included in this year’s rankings.

“It’s no surprise to see Nike still at the top, but there’s a significant shake up in this year’s rankings compared to 2020 due to sporting events coming back, like the Euros and Summer Olympics.

“Looking forward to 2022, data, machine learning and AI will continue to drive the sponsorship industry forward and look out for major sponsors of the Winter Olympics, the World Cup and others to see a massive increase in exposure and value,” Tilton said.

SportsPro editorial director, Michael Long, said: “As in 2020, this year’s ranking clearly illustrates the effectiveness of social activation around sports sponsorships and the extent to which leagues, teams and athletes can drive significant value for all types of brand partners.”

“Notably, the list also speaks to the continued cultural relevance and unparalleled marketing nous of Nike, which has weaved itself not only into the fabric of professional sport, but in the everyday lives of global consumers and the social causes they support,” he said.