Nikola Mirotic

The Problem

What are the two biggest issues with the pro-athlete career (aside from it being extremely physically and psychologically straining)?

It’s short

Usually, a pro athlete has a career of 10-15 years, but prepares for it most of his/her youth and teenage years. While focusing on building skills, strength, stamina, drafts, contracts … rarely there is any time left for anything else. And then (if it all falls into place) the professional career starts, with more practice, chasing higher scores, improving the game, winning tournaments and championships. With so much time and effort put into sports, it is only logical to guess that it will be your lifetime calling, right? Wrong. Ending a sports career brings lots of changes to it, some are psychological but others are downright scary with your income going from prolific to being completely cut down. The Final Whistle reports that the successful transition takes 2-3 years. It has proven itself many times that you need an exit plan: ‘the morning after pill’ if you will, only applied to the sports career. But the trick is to plan it way before it happens.

You become a public persona

It is exciting (think fans screaming your name) but it can be very stressful. Once you have a media presence, your victories, as well as your tears, stop being just your own. People comment the things you do, your Instagram or Twitter posts all of a sudden can become bad advertising in daily papers even if you make a politically incorrect joke. You are an inspiration for many but also a very fragile entity exposed to the public love as well as hate. And the sooner you are aware of it, the better. The secret to a lifelong career is hidden in the solutions to these two problems.

Approach

How To Turn A Short Pro-Athlete Career Into A Lifelong One? Become A Brand.

Solution

The secret to a lifelong career is hidden in the solutions to these two problems. In a short pro-athlete career, you have a strong media presence that you can command. Instead of just burning bright for a decade or two, if you create a brand, you can do it for the rest of your life, even when you stop playing sports.

In a short pro-athlete career, you have a strong media presence that you can command. Instead of just burning bright for a decade or two, if you create a brand, you can do it for the rest of your life, even when you stop playing sports.

The hero story was born out of a comment of a fan that Nikola got after one of the games, however, the hero mission stuck with Nikola for years and has never left him.

To be someone’s hero is not a headliner story, it is a promise to yourself to constantly improve and get up quickly after the downfalls.

“Concentrating Before The Free Throw Is The Only Reason To Look Down.”
Nikola’s words may as well be the key to the entire UX of his new branding and the website.

Result

We approached the project by getting to know Nikola ‘the man’ before meeting Nikola the pro athlete. This way, we gained a strong understanding of what made him tick, his goals, his beliefs, and his life decisions – which ultimately provided the foundation for the campaign’s motto: “Get up. Get Better. Everyday.”

Nikola Mirotic Has Decided To Create A Strong Online Presence With A Humanitarian Idea In The Center Of It.

The potential for Nikola’s brand was vast, so the project grew to include designs for merchandise, a branded content platform, and a multi-pronged personal brand strategy, as well as logo designs, typography, and web development. We are continuing to collaborate with Nikola on future projects.