MBAction: The Future of MTB Sponsorship

Fabio Wibmer knows the value of social media and the proof lies in his Hookit results. He reigns supreme in Hookit’s “Mountain Bike” category for both followers and engagement. Here Fabio styles it out in San Francisco for a YouTube video.

With the birth of social media came a false sense of celebrity and an attitude of entitlement, but not everything about social media is negative. Social media gives us a way to be noticed and admired for our passions. Technology is changing at the most rapid pace in human history, and you either get on board or get left in the dust.

WHAT THE HECK IS HOOKIT?

Hookit is a company that has been able to take what we post on the web and generate statistical data that puts an actual value on our social media presence by ranking us. Hookit actually began as SponsorHouse in 2001, but the name was later changed because the word “sponsor” created the wrong impression, potentially causing a disconnect of manufacturers from retailers because of the direct-to-consumer discounts to the so-called “sponsored” athletes. In the beginning, SponsorHouse connected athletes to brands that would offer products and discounts based on an event-results platform. Social media was just beginning to take hold, and Hookit included the online presence as an added value. Athletes were able to sign up and commit to a brand, typically for the duration of a race season, in exchange for products or discounts on that brand’s products. The athlete would be responsible to represent the brand via race results and social media notoriety. This concept was totally ahead of its time, and the company experienced a strong and steady growth that morphed into the Hookit brand of today. Over the past decade, social media influence has grown exponentially, and the value that Hookit provides to the competitive athlete is unmatched. Hookit encompasses all sports, but we are specifically interested in its effect on the sport of mountain biking.

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