Professional sport no longer exists in a vacuum. Athletes, coaches and even junior prospects are now public figures long before they sign their first major contract. Social media has collapsed the distance between private life and professional reputation, creating a permanent and searchable record of opinions, jokes, arguments and associations.

As a result, historic social media vetting has become a critical part of modern sport. It now influences recruitment, visas, sponsorships and long-term career security.

What was once a reactive process, triggered only when controversy surfaced, is now proactive and systematic. Clubs, agents, governing bodies and immigration authorities increasingly assess an individual’s digital history with the same seriousness as their physical performance or disciplinary record.

This article explores why historic social media vetting matters, how it has evolved, where it is used today, and what the future holds for athletes navigating increasingly complex digital expectations.

From talent alone to total profile assessment

For decades, sporting decisions were driven almost exclusively by performance metrics, injury history and character references. An athlete’s private views rarely reached public scrutiny unless they appeared in a newspaper interview or on television.

Social media changed that completely.

Platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook created public archives stretching back years, often to adolescence. Early posts were made without professional oversight, media training or awareness of long-term consequences. Today, those same posts can be surfaced in seconds.

This shift has reframed how clubs and organisations evaluate individuals. Talent remains essential, but it is no longer sufficient on its own. Decision makers now consider reputational risk alongside performance upside, particularly at elite and international levels.

In leagues such as the Premier League and the NBA, where global audiences and commercial partnerships drive revenue, reputational missteps can quickly escalate into commercial and regulatory problems.

Why does historic content carry so much weight

One of the most challenging aspects of social media vetting is that it focuses on historic behaviour rather than current intent. Posts made years ago, often in a very different cultural or personal context, are still judged through today’s standards.

Historic content matters for several reasons:

• Social media is persistent. Deleted posts are often archived, screenshotted or stored by third parties
• Past behaviour is seen as an indicator of judgment, temperament and values
• Sport operates in a highly emotional public arena where fans and media react quickly
• Sponsors and governing bodies are risk-averse and prefer certainty over explanation

Even when an individual no longer holds the same views, organisations worry about how historic content might resurface under pressure or scrutiny.

Immigration, visas and international competition

One of the fastest-growing applications of historic social media vetting sits outside sport itself, within immigration and visa processes.

Athletes applying for work visas, particularly for high-profile markets such as the UK and the US, are subject to background checks that increasingly include online presence reviews. Governing bodies and visa sponsors must demonstrate that applicants meet character and conduct expectations.

In the UK, elite sport visas are often supported by endorsements from organisations aligned with the Football Association or other national bodies. Any online content that could be interpreted as discriminatory, extremist or inflammatory may raise concerns during assessment.

In the US, visa pathways linked to professional sport can involve scrutiny from authorities operating under the Department of Homeland Security.

This has led to real-world consequences, including:

• Visa delays due to additional questioning
• Requests for clarification or explanation of historic posts
• Increased legal and administrative costs
• In rare cases, the refusal or withdrawal of applications

For internationally mobile athletes, digital history can now be as important as physical availability.

Sponsorship, brand safety and commercial risk

Beyond visas and contracts, sponsorship has played a major role in driving more formalised social media vetting.

Brands invest in athletes not just for performance, but for alignment with values, tone and audience perception. A resurfaced tweet or post can undermine years of carefully built brand positioning.

Most major sponsorship agreements now include morality clauses. These allow brands to suspend or terminate relationships if an athlete’s behaviour brings reputational harm.

Historic social media content increases perceived risk, particularly if it conflicts with:

• Inclusion and diversity commitments
• Public health or social responsibility campaigns
• Youth-focused or educational brand positioning

As a result, agents and legal teams increasingly treat digital vetting as part of commercial due diligence rather than an afterthought.

The role of agents, clubs and governing bodies

Responsibility for social media vetting is shared across the sporting ecosystem.

Agents are often the first line of defence. They commission audits, advise on content removal strategies and prepare athletes for potential questions from clubs, sponsors or authorities.

Clubs conduct their own assessments, particularly during high-value transfers, academy promotions or leadership appointments. In elite environments, this process often resembles corporate due diligence rather than traditional scouting.

Governing bodies provide the ethical frameworks that underpin these decisions. Codes of conduct increasingly reference online behaviour explicitly, reinforcing that digital actions fall within professional standards.

Together, these layers reflect a broader shift from informal reputation management to structured compliance.

Ethical challenges and fairness concerns

Despite its growing prevalence, historic social media vetting raises difficult ethical questions.

One concern is proportionality. Posts made by teenagers are sometimes judged with the same severity as statements made by adults with media training and professional support.

Another challenge is context. Sarcasm, humour and reclaimed language are often misinterpreted when stripped of their original setting. Automated tools may flag content without understanding nuance or intent.

There is also the issue of growth. Sport regularly celebrates personal development and second chances, yet historic vetting can freeze individuals in past versions of themselves.

Balancing risk management with fairness remains one of the sector’s most complex challenges.

Best practice in modern social media vetting

While approaches vary, several principles are emerging as best practice across elite sport.

Effective vetting tends to be:

• Proactive rather than reactive, allowing time for context and explanation
• Human-led, with automated tools used as support rather than decision makers
• Educational, focusing on future behaviour as much as past mistakes
• Transparent, so athletes understand what is being assessed and why

When implemented well, vetting becomes a protective and developmental process rather than a purely punitive one.

The future of digital identity in sport

As technology evolves, the scope of social media vetting is likely to expand.

New platforms, private messaging leaks and AI-generated content complicate what constitutes an athlete’s digital footprint. At the same time, public expectations around accountability continue to rise.

We are also seeing early signs of standardisation. Larger leagues and federations are developing clearer guidelines, which may reduce ambiguity and improve consistency across jurisdictions.

At grassroots and academy levels, early education will become increasingly important. Supporting young athletes to build resilient and authentic digital identities is now as essential as physical training.

Concluding thoughts

Historic social media vetting is now an unavoidable part of modern sport. It reflects wider societal shifts around transparency, accountability and reputation in a digital world.

Handled poorly, it can feel punitive and unforgiving. Handled well, it protects athletes, organisations and fans alike, while encouraging professionalism and long-term growth.

For athletes and those who support them, the message is clear. Performance may open the door, but digital history increasingly determines how far that door can open.

Calls to Ban Under-18s from social media

As of 2026, Australia has banned under-16s from social platforms in a bid to protect the younger generation from the harms of the internet. Which then resulted in a wider conversation globally about the suitability of children on social platforms.

With the alarm being raised across the world, around safeguarding measures that need to be taken. The UK  government has announced a consultation regarding the matter, in a bid to put it to the House of Commons for more permanent action to be taken.

The kinds of arguments that are being put forward in the global discussion include:

• An increased risk of addiction to mobile phone use and social media platforms
• Exposure to harmful content online
• Exposure and an increased chance of exploitation by perpetrators online
• Vulnerability to scams, phishing and malware
• Direct impact on mental and physical health

How will this impact marketing to youth?

The implications of eliminating social media, a major advertising stream for brands, particularly those in youth marketing, are yet to be seen.  If access is restricted or significantly reduced, marketing strategies will evidently need to adapt.

1. Shrinking audiences

We expect to see a reduction in the size of the audience, with fewer young people being able to support brands’ online presence. This would require businesses to find new ways to reach their younger audience. Fewer people in a younger audience would mean:

• Engagement metrics reduce
• Reduced reach
• Smaller paid-advertising demographics to target
• Diminished influencer campaigns, with a real lack of impact

2. Disruption to brand affinity

A risk associated with banning under-18s from social media is that they may become disenfranchised from brands. This would not only limit their ability to interact with or purchase from brands in the short term but could also damage long-term relationships. In effect, businesses risk alienating prospective customers and losing a valuable future revenue stream.

Eliminating early brand exposure also reduces the opportunity for young audiences to build familiarity and trust. Without consistent touchpoints, campaigns may feel culturally distant or less relevant, leading to lower engagement and weaker brand affinity over time.

3. Shifting channel strategies

The tangible impacts of banning minors from social platforms could see sales across platforms like Instacart and TikTok shop significantly decrease. Social commerce may be the first to be affected, with direct access eliminated.

Where we may expect to see a shift is in avenues like YouTube, gaming devices, streaming services, TV ads and email campaigns. This could accelerate a move back toward owned media strategies, rather than relying so heavily on rented platform audiences.

Final thoughts

Rather than wait and see the implications of potential bans, brands can pre-empt and combat with simple tasks like auditing. Establishing demographics allows brands to identify how dependent they are on an under 18 customer base.

Diversifying acquisition channels ahead of any changes positions your brand at the forefront. Getting ahead of the competition and positioning yourself as one of the first is particularly useful when trying to establish authority. 

In short, youth marketing may not disappear, but it will likely become more complex, less direct, and more relationship-driven.

Is print media still relevant in 2026?

Print media was once the fabric of marketing. Before the 1990s, almost every successful campaign was accompanied by some form of print advertising. Since then, media has shifted and evolved into something entirely new. Today, a strong marketing approach combines print and digital to deliver campaigns that land both on and off screen. So, how can print be used to better advertise a business in 2026?

It starts with intention. Where print once dominated advertising, it now plays a more focused role. Product packaging, direct mail, and large-format advertising have become tools designed to convert, create recognition, and reinforce brand identity rather than simply promote visibility.

Product packaging, in particular, has become a powerful marketing tool. This ranges from the bold PR packages shared by influencers to more subtle design choices, such as the box a product arrives in. Print has transformed; it’s less about placing a product in the real world and more about creating impact and recognition through packaging, logos, and brand ephemera that people remember.

Direct mail continues to offer its own advantages. Whether it’s a newsletter, magazine, postcard, or flyer, print can cut through the noise of the internet. It bypasses pop-ups and fast-moving content, reaching audiences without competing for rankings or algorithm placement. In an increasingly crowded digital space, physical media can feel more deliberate and more personal.

At the same time, marketers are blending print and digital in new ways. QR codes and embedded links allow customers to move seamlessly from physical materials to digital experiences, creating interaction and encouraging engagement beyond the printed page.

Billboards and banners also remain relevant, although their purpose has shifted. Rather than simply occupying space, modern outdoor advertising aims to be culturally relevant, playful, or provocative. Brands are increasingly focused on creating work that earns attention and leaves a lasting impression, rather than just delivering a message.

So, while print itself isn’t going out of fashion, its role has evolved. Brands are using print to break the mould, leaning on curiosity and creativity to create campaigns that resonate long after the first interaction.

What benefit does print media have?

Print offers several advantages for businesses, including:

• Strong support for brand recognition
• Longevity compared to digital content, allowing brands to revisit and reinforce historic branding
• Opportunities for targeted marketing through direct mail
• The ability to stand out in a crowded digital market
• A perception of authenticity and reliability, rooted in long-standing consumer trust
• A less intrusive experience, as print does not interrupt consumption in the way pop-ups or video ads can
• The ability to reach audiences who may feel overwhelmed by digital messaging

Print examples that stand out

When thinking about campaigns that stand out, the most memorable examples are often clever, playful, or simply well executed. One brand that comes to mind is Rhode Beauty, Hailey Bieber’s cosmetic brand. While the brand excels digitally, it successfully carries that identity into its physical packaging.

The Glazing Milk collection is a strong example. The milk carton-style box aligned perfectly with the product and brand identity, creating a memorable experience for recipients rather than simply delivering a product. The packaging generated excitement and conversation because it felt distinctive and intentional.

Apple is another key player when it comes to print and packaging. Its packaging is often retained for storing accessories or the product itself, reflecting both practicality and design quality. The sleek, compact presentation aligns with the brand’s premium positioning, while high-quality product imagery reinforces the overall luxury feel. Even without explicitly encouraging customers to keep the packaging, its aesthetic and functionality work in Apple’s favour.

A sector that consistently utilises both print and digital promotion is the film industry, and it works. Audiences want to interact with media that helps them understand what a film is offering before they watch it. Print materials such as posters and billboards help signpost when and where a film can be seen, while also communicating genre, tone, and theme at a glance. Just as importantly, they give viewers an early glimpse of the characters and world of the film, creating familiarity and anticipation before release.

Another standout example is the M&S Only Ingredients range, recognised for its minimalistic packaging. The design is simple but highly effective, clearly communicating a stripped-back ingredient list. This minimal approach allows the product to stand out on shelves while reinforcing a sense of transparency and honesty. In this case, the packaging doesn’t attempt to elevate the product artificially; instead, it signals a clear shift toward openness about what’s inside.

Print media in 2026 is no longer about scale or dominance; it’s about intention and experience. When used thoughtfully, print complements digital activity by creating tangible moments that audiences remember. Whether through packaging, direct mail, or outdoor advertising, print gives brands an opportunity to slow the interaction down, create meaning, and reinforce identity in a way digital alone often cannot.

Rather than asking whether print is still relevant, the better question for marketers is how print can be used more creatively alongside digital to build campaigns that feel cohesive, memorable, and built to last.

Brand marketing isn’t just about selling a product or service; it’s about representing a lifestyle, belief system, or set of values. It allows audiences to build a rapport with the brands they invest in and, in many cases, to align their purchasing choices with their personal beliefs.

What is virtue signalling in marketing?

Virtue signalling in marketing occurs when brands publicly support social or charitable causes primarily to appear caring or socially responsible. Often, this support is limited to surface-level gestures rather than meaningful action that creates real impact for the communities involved.

Why is virtue signalling a disingenuous way to connect with audiences?

When brands claim to uphold values with social or ecological significance, audiences expect accountability. If a brand’s support appears driven by profit or optics rather than genuine commitment, it signals a lack of integrity. This disconnect can erode trust and damage the relationship brands work hard to build with their audience.

Performative action strips authenticity and meaning from brand action. A common example is brands changing their profile pictures to reflect the colours of a flag or movement without making any tangible effort to support or uplift the communities they claim to stand with.

Attempting to look good by doing the bare minimum in wider social conversations often results in backlash and public critique. In these cases, brands benefit from the perception of being “good” without sustaining meaningful action or responsibly supporting the causes they align themselves with.

How do brands implement authenticity and sincerity with brand marketing?

The key to supporting causes or values as a brand is to effect change as and where possible, without needing any credit for doing so. Brands can often connect on a better level when they work with impacted communities to deliver change.

Recognition shouldn’t be the main outcome brands want to achieve, after all, that’s virtue signalling. It’s about ensuring support is there for people who are impacted, even when it’s not a day of raising awareness, rather taking independent action, unprompted by anyone, driven by a brand’s desire to make a difference.

Brands that remain educated are better positioned to support the causes they value. Understanding ongoing conversations around sustainability, the LGBTQ+ community, and socio-economic issues ensures that brand involvement is informed, respectful, and genuinely contributes to positive change.

Virtue signalling may generate short-term approval, but it rarely builds lasting trust. In an era where audiences are increasingly informed and values-driven, brands are judged not by what they say, but by what they consistently do. Authenticity in marketing is not about visibility or validation, but about meaningful action that aligns with a brand’s values long after the conversation has moved on.

Many Digital Marketers have recently been noticing spikes in direct traffic numbers in recent months, which on the surface would seem like a positive development; however alot of this new direct traffic is coming in large volumes from China and Singapore and is not in fact organic traffic but bots trying to scrape data from your sites.

How do I know if this issue is affecting my site?

You can review your direct traffic reports in Google Analytics 4 and filter by country to identify any unusual activity levels from China and Singapore. If you can see your traffic is on the rise, but the sessions are not increasing business on your site, then these nefarious bots are likely the cause.

Session durations are usually extremely low, with bott traffic often being attributed to under 3 seconds and no more. You can see how long the sessions are from specific countries using filters in GA4 to identify low-quality traffic sessions coming from China and Singapore.

Why are these bots trying to access your site?

There are several reasons bots could be attempting to access your site, but they are mainly harmless, except potentially damaging your data reporting. The bots are usually trying to harvest your data and not hack into your site for security reasons. With the recent upsurge in AI models that are trained on real-world data, many of these bots are just trying to scrape content for AI machine learning.

How can you protect your data reporting from bot traffic?

There are multiple ways to protect your data from bot traffic, including creating comparisons and using filters within GA4, but the most effective method for removing bot traffic is to create a configuration tag in Google Tag Manager that excludes any traffic from China or Singapore, which will remove almost all of your bot traffic. Obviously, if you do have organic traffic coming from China and you need to be able to report on this, there are other workarounds, such as blocking traffic through Tag Manager that is engaged with your content for less than a second, which should filter out a lot of the bots.

What this means for Marketers

While bot traffic isn’t a major safety concern, it is dangerous in the sense that it can be distorting your analytics, which need to be reliable for you to report accurately internally and externally on performance. Reporting on inflated traffic figures will only come back to bite later down the line when performance doesn’t keep up with traffic levels, making sure your reporting is accurate is extremely important to ensure a coherent strategy for growth.

Sensory advertising is a particular type of advertising which appeals to more than just one sense (vision). Whilst it can be effective, its use has to be considered, for some industries, sensory advertising is misaligned with the offering. This would be particularly applicable for B2B, Software as a service (SaaS) and finance companies.

Some sectors, however, excel because of the sensory advertising they produce. Think fashion, food and travel.  All of which naturally dominate the sensory ad space, and rightfully so.

The issue isn’t about execution; it’s about the context of the sector and the appropriateness of the sensory exploration.

Industries that naturally align with sensory advertising

Fashion and beauty

These industries thrive on the fact that identity plays a key role in consumer behaviours and engagement. The applications of these products are centred around a strong connection to touch, movement and self-perception. All of which are what make sensory representation in advertising effective.

This creates an opportunity for campaigns to feel tactile, mirroring the physical experience of the product itself. Beauty campaigns often lean into literal sensory cues, such as water, oil, skin, and light, to visually reinforce claims such as hydration, smoothness, or glow.

Similarly, fashion campaigns utilise all aspects from production to styling, capturing not only the style but the feel of the product. The result is advertising that doesn’t just showcase a product but allows the audience to imagine themselves wearing it.

Food and beverages

Food and drink campaigns are able to appeal beyond what the person sees, tapping into the memory and craving of the watcher by representing taste and smell.

Often, this category of ad content sells because of pre-existing experiences. It works by triggering memories of existing experiences, which can be highly impactful for creating successful drink and food campaigns.

Why it works for these industries

Sensation matters for these brands. It’s not about selling the audience something they don’t know or convincing them to buy it. It’s about reinforcing memories around sensations that provoke cravings and subliminally place positive memories of the product in the individual’s mind.

Audiences can easily imagine how the product feels, tastes, or moves, allowing ads to trigger emotional recall instead of explaining functionality.

It creates emotion-led decision-making for consumers. Purchasing decisions are driven by a wanting for something. These industries prove campaigns can be about more than appealing to logic; it’s about emotion.

Industries That Struggle with Sensory Advertising

The type of rapport businesses like B2B and finance companies have with their customers is fundamentally different. Using sensory-based campaigns doesn’t align with these sectors because of the complexity, risk and justifications that need to be made to make it feel authentic.

When sensory advertising is used improperly, it runs the risk of feeling distracting and disingenuous. This can create a disconnect between customers and the brand.

Some of the ways these industries can look to incorporate sensory advertising is by focusing on the messaging that supports the sensory content. Utilising calm motions instead of high-energy, action-based shots. Language that evokes trust, clarity and stability is key for helping other sensory cues feel contextualised rather than becoming an overwhelming out-of-touch aspect of a campaign.

Sensory Fit: Why Sector Context Matters

·  Sensory advertising is only effective when it aligns with how audiences already experience a product or service.

·  In sensation-led industries, sensory cues reinforce memory, craving, and desire rather than explain functionality.

·  Trust-driven sectors require sensory restraint — cues should reassure, not distract.

·  Calm motion, considered pacing, and confident language build credibility where risk and complexity are high.

·  Sensory impact is driven by contextual relevance, not creative ambition alone.

·  Industries like travel, fashion, and food succeed because sensation is intrinsic to the product or experience itself.

Sensory advertising works best when it feels natural, not forced.
It succeeds when it mirrors how audiences already engage with a category and fails when it ignores the emotional context that surrounds it.

Understanding sensory fit allows brands to move beyond imitation and design campaigns that feel credible, intentional, and human. In an increasingly crowded creative landscape, relevance, not stimulation, is what cuts through.

When clubs, federations and agencies think about social media vetting, the focus is usually on players. High-profile athletes carry public reputations, sponsorship obligations and media exposure, so scrutiny feels obvious.

But in practice, some of the biggest travel and visa disruptions now come from people behind the scenes. Coaches, analysts, medical staff, operations managers, content teams and senior executives are increasingly subject to the same digital scrutiny when crossing borders, attending tournaments or supporting international tours.

For organisations operating globally, this creates a blind spot. You can prepare your squad perfectly and still face disruption if a key staff member is delayed, flagged or refused entry because of historic online activity.

Why non-playing staff are under growing scrutiny

International travel vetting has shifted quietly but significantly over the last decade. Many countries now treat social media history as part of identity verification and background screening, particularly for work-related travel, long-stay visas and tournament accreditation.

For clubs and governing bodies, this means:

• Support staff often apply under work or temporary employment visa categories, which attract deeper background review
• Coaching and medical staff frequently travel repeatedly, increasing the chance of historic posts resurfacing
• Senior front office staff are more likely to have long digital histories tied to commentary, business disputes or political discussion
• Public-facing communications and media staff leave large digital footprints by nature of their role

Unlike players, these individuals are rarely media trained around digital risk. Many have personal accounts that pre-date their professional careers and were never reviewed with international scrutiny in mind.

The operational impact when travel goes wrong

When a visa delay or refusal affects a player, the risk is obvious. When it affects staff, the consequences are often underestimated.

Common operational knock-on effects include:

• Delayed team preparation due to missing coaching staff
• Reduced medical or performance support on arrival
• Disrupted logistics and scheduling
• Reputational damage when travel issues become public
• Increased cost from rebooked flights, accommodation changes and emergency staffing

In tightly scheduled tournaments and tours, even a 48-hour delay can create competitive and commercial consequences.

What typically triggers historic social media flags

It is rarely one dramatic post. More often it is pattern-based digital context that creates concern during screening.

Examples include:

• Old political commentary that conflicts with destination country sensitivities
• Aggressive or inflammatory language in historic debates
• Association signals such as follows, groups or repeated interactions
• Deleted content that still exists in screenshots or archives
• Public arguments tied to employers, governing bodies or institutions
• Mismatches between declared identities and public digital behaviour

Most of this content was posted years earlier, long before international travel was part of the individual’s role.

A simple travel readiness framework for support teams

A practical vetting process does not need to be complex or invasive, but it does need structure. The first step is identifying which roles carry genuine exposure. Staff who travel frequently, apply for work or event visas, represent the organisation publicly or hold operational authority should be prioritised.

Once priority roles are mapped, the focus shifts to understanding the individual’s historic digital footprint. This includes reviewing public posts, old usernames, legacy accounts, forum activity and archived content. The objective is awareness rather than judgement.

From there, content should be assessed in context. Visibility, cultural and regional sensitivity, recency and likelihood of resurfacing all matter more than the emotional tone of any single post.

The final stage is preparation. Profile clean-up, privacy reviews, briefing staff for potential questioning and adjusting travel timelines should be completed during the two to four week window before travel, when scrutiny is highest.

Why this needs to be handled professionally

Many organisations attempt to manage social vetting internally without clear structure or standards. This often leads to inconsistent decisions, personal bias and poor record keeping. It can also create tension with staff if the process feels informal, unclear or intrusive.

A professional approach introduces clear boundaries, documented workflows and accountability. It ensures that assessments are based on real-world risk rather than opinion, while protecting both individual privacy and organisational reputation. When visa delays, border questioning or compliance issues arise, having a defensible process in place provides credibility and operational stability.

Turning vetting into operational hygiene

The strongest organisations now treat digital vetting as part of routine travel preparation rather than a crisis response.

When embedded into existing travel workflows, vetting becomes preventative. Risks are addressed earlier, disruption is reduced and planning becomes more predictable. Over time this creates smoother deployments, fewer last-minute issues and greater confidence across leadership and operations teams.

The goal is not surveillance or control. It is preparation, protection and continuity.

How Intelligency supports travel readiness

Intelligency’s historic social media vetting service is designed specifically for organisations managing high-mobility teams.

We help clubs, agencies and corporate teams:

• Audit historic digital footprints ethically
• Identify real-world travel and reputation risks
• Create mitigation strategies that protect individuals and organisations
• Build repeatable readiness processes
• Prepare teams before travel windows open

Our focus is not on policing behaviour. It is removing avoidable disruption before it becomes public or operationally damaging.

Is rebranding a safe idea for businesses?

Rebranding isn’t just a snap decision a company should make; it takes time, consideration, resources and can be taxing on a business if not done right, or it’s poorly received by the customers.

Whether a rebrand will achieve success or not will entirely depend on the suitability of a rebrand for the company. For some, rebrands rejuvenate businesses with branding that has gone stale. For others, it can be a sign of a complete lack of awareness of the impact of original branding.

What are the pros and cons of rebranding?

There are a number of advantages and pitfalls to rebranding; the appropriateness of a rebrand will always play a key part in how well a rebrand lands with audiences.

Pros

Rebranding sometimes can allow a business to elevate its brand identity to align with how it has evolved, or even how its customer base has evolved. This means the message and image of your brand correspond to the products or services you offer, which in turn helps the branding to feel authentic and well-fitting.

In a landscape where growth is static, businesses can revitalise their brand to pull in new engagement. Adapting branding can aid in attracting new audiences by appealing to them in ways that the branding wouldn’t have.

Rebranding can sometimes reposition businesses altogether, which can have benefits in itself. In cases where businesses may have reputationally suffered or have struggled to gain traction due to a competitive name, it creates an opportunity to re-emerge in a market.

Cons

The range of issues rebranding can pose for businesses is quite vast, and requires serious planning to ensure non-actualisation:

• Complete misalignment of rebranding, from visual to values and messaging, which then shows customers the business doesn’t understand their own brand value
• It can exhaust large amounts of resources
• Customers and audiences may become confused or alienated
• It can’t always undo previous business pitfalls; it is not a quick-fix solution
• Rebranding can impact the employees of the business; it’s a huge process shift which can sometimes break down morale and negatively impact staff

What are some well-known examples of successful rebrands?

Pringles

The Pringles rebrand back in 2021 was a subtle shift that integrated well with customers, both in stores and online. The minimalistic style adjustments help move the brand towards a more practical yet still recognisable identity.

The release of the rebrand fell upon the 30^th anniversary of the company, so rather than being blindsided, it naturally worked into an already important date for the company. It works because there are still the core elements that make the brand what it is, without disenfranchising its customers.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Formerly Dunkin’ Donuts, now recognised as Dunkin, shows again how simple rebranding, like dropping the second word, still works for audiences. The change was minor, not impacting how people identify with the brand. Instead. Listening to the customers who abbreviated the name and adjusting accordingly.

The change also positioned Dunkin’ as more than just a doughnut shop, tapping into a wider restaurant market, serving more than just sweet treats. What also worked is keeping recognisable elements of the brand intact, i.e. iconography and colour palettes.

Customers need to be able to feel like a brand is still familiar. Dunkin’ definitely demonstrates that familiarity is essential for rebranding success. Brands that champion authenticity and natural evolution grow with their audiences rather than growing apart from them.

What are some well-known examples of unsuccessful rebrands?

Jaguar

Jaguars’ Copy Nothing Rebrand in 2024 has to be one of the most memorable rebrand failures, where it couldn’t be clearer that what the brand aspired to did not align with the values or previous positioning of the business.

When they shirked their timeless and traditional aesthetic for new, simplistic and bold, the audience was alienated. Confusion around how a brand could be so off was a major point of discussion. It’s a great at demonstrating that in spite of a business wanting a newer, younger audience, when it hasn’t aligned with them previously. This then alienates the demographic that is dedicated to the previous form of branding. Essentially causing twice as many issues as it doesn’t land with the intended audience and harms the existing one.

Leeds United

When Leeds unveiled their new badge in 2018 to mark their centenary, the reaction from fans was overwhelmingly negative. Over 70,000 fans petitioned to reverse the change after feeling like the new design failed to represent the heritage, identity or values of the club.

The execution of the rebrand was fundamentally misjudged. From the unfamiliar American college-style design to the disconnect in messaging, the badge lacked the emotional and cultural impact that football branding depends on.

In a sector like sport, where identity is ingrained in the place, history and community, removing the rose from the crest strips fans of their regional pride. Which many supports deeply associate with the football club. Rather than achieving modernisation, they alienated fans.

This rebrand highlights a major lesson: when branding ignores the emotional ownership audiences feel, particularly when interwoven with heritage, even well-intended changes can feel disingenuous

Final thoughts

Rebranding can be a powerful move when it is driven by clarity, self-awareness and a genuine need for change. It is not about chasing trends or fixing deeper business issues through surface-level design, but about ensuring your brand truthfully reflects who you are, who you serve and where you are heading. When done with purpose and care, rebranding can strengthen relevance, rebuild trust and support long-term growth. When rushed or misjudged, it can dilute identity and distance loyal audiences. Ultimately, the success of a rebrand depends on understanding your brand first, then deciding whether evolution is necessary or if refinement, rather than reinvention, is the better path forward.

For UK and European sports organisations, travel to the United States has long been operationally complex but broadly predictable. That assumption is now shifting.

Recent expansions to US visa and entry screening mean social media vetting is becoming a more formal and influential part of the entry process for a growing number of travellers. While the policy is framed around national security, its implications are increasingly relevant for professional sport, particularly for clubs, governing bodies, agencies and international teams planning US-based competition, tours or commercial activity.

For those working across football, rugby, cricket, motorsport, athletics and international events, this is no longer a background issue. It is a planning and risk management issue.

What has changed

US authorities have expanded the role of social media review in visa decision-making. Applicants for work, student and exchange visas are already required to disclose social media identifiers, and proposals currently under consideration would extend this scrutiny to visa-waiver travellers, including UK and EU passport holders entering under ESTA.

In practice, this means:

• Applicants may be required to disclose up to five years of social media accounts
• Public posts, comments, likes, images and online associations may be reviewed
• Content perceived as controversial, inconsistent or sensitive can trigger delays or refusals
• Processing timelines may become less predictable

While not every traveller will be affected, the lack of transparency and discretion involved is what presents risk for sports organisations operating to fixed schedules.

What are the US potentially looking for in historic social media?

One of the challenges for sports organisations is that US authorities have not published a definitive checklist of what constitutes a risk during social media vetting. However, recent updates to US immigration policy provide strong indicators of how content may be assessed.

Changes to guidance from US Citizenship and Immigration Services suggest that social media activity is now being actively reviewed as part of broader discretionary decision-making, particularly where visas are required for work, study or exchange purposes.

Key risk indicators currently in focus

Based on recent policy updates and public statements, consular and border officials are likely to assess social media content for indicators such as:

• Any involvement with or promotion of extremist, terrorist or anti-American organisations
• Content that could be interpreted as supporting violence or public disorder
• Evidence of antisemitic activity or hate-based rhetoric
• Public statements that appear inconsistent with the purpose of travel or visa classification
• Online associations or interactions that raise concerns when viewed without a sporting or professional context

USCIS has stated that such factors may be treated as overwhelmingly negative in discretionary visa decisions. Importantly for sports professionals, context is not guaranteed. Posts made years earlier, jokes, sarcasm, or reposted content may be reviewed literally and in isolation.

Visa categories most relevant to sport

The following visa classifications are the most commonly used across professional and elite sport and are explicitly subject to social media review.

P-1A visa: internationally recognised athletes

The P-1A visa is the primary route for elite individual athletes and internationally recognised teams competing in the United States.

It is typically used for:

• Professional athletes competing at an internationally recognised level
• Teams entering the US for specific events, competitions or tournaments
• Short-term sporting engagements linked to organised competitions
• Approved training periods immediately before competitive events

For most elite athletes travelling to the US for tournaments, pre-season competitions or international fixtures, the P-1A visa will be the appropriate classification.

However, it is important to note that P-1A coverage is limited.

While the visa supports athlete participation, it does not automatically extend to coaching, medical, performance or operational staff. Those individuals must qualify separately under different visa categories, often involving greater discretionary assessment and, in some cases, higher exposure to social media vetting.

This distinction is critical for team travel planning, as an athlete may be cleared to enter while essential staff face delays or refusals.

H-1B and H-4 visas

H-1B visas are typically used for specialised professional roles, including coaches, performance staff, analysts, sports scientists and senior operational personnel. H-4 visas apply to dependents.

These visas involve discretionary assessment and are therefore particularly sensitive to adverse factors identified during background or social media checks.

F and M visas

F and M visas are used by student athletes and those enrolled in academic or training programmes linked to sport. This includes many international athletes competing in US collegiate systems.

Social media review may be used to assess character, intent and alignment with the stated purpose of the study or training.

J visas

J visas cover exchange visitors and are commonly used for short-term sporting exchanges, coaching programmes, training placements and development tours.

Given their temporary nature, J visa holders are often expected to demonstrate clear alignment between their activities and the stated exchange purpose. Any perceived inconsistency in public online content may trigger additional scrutiny.

Why this matters for UK and European sport

Pre-season tours and friendly competitions

US pre-season tours have become commercially and strategically critical for European clubs. Football teams from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga now routinely travel to the US for summer fixtures, sponsorship commitments and fan engagement.

These tours depend on:

• Tight travel windows
• Full squad availability
• Coaching, medical and performance staff travelling alongside players
• Media and commercial obligations with immovable dates

Even one delayed or refused entry can disrupt preparation, dilute commercial value and create reputational issues. Social media vetting introduces a non-sporting variable that clubs do not fully control, particularly for younger players or staff with extensive online histories.

The 2026 World Cup and major US-hosted events

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, the US will host thousands of athletes, coaches, analysts, medical professionals, officials and federation staff from Europe and beyond.

While headline athletes often receive the greatest attention, risk is frequently higher for:

• Coaching staff
• Performance analysts and sports scientists
• Physiotherapists and medical teams
• Operations and logistics staff
• Agency and federation personnel travelling with teams

These individuals often travel under different visa categories, with fewer safeguards and less margin for delay. A refused or delayed visa for a key staff member can materially affect preparation, compliance and performance.

European sports competing in US leagues and events

European participation in US-based competition continues to expand across:

• Rugby exhibition tournaments
• Boxing and MMA events
• Tennis and golf tours
• Formula 1, Formula E and motorsport
• International athletics meetings

These environments often involve frequent travel, short lead times and rotating personnel. Social media screening increases the risk of administrative friction that does not align with sporting calendars.

Athletes are not the only exposure

A common misconception is that visa scrutiny is primarily a player issue. In reality, coaching and support staff are often more exposed.

Support staff typically:

• Travel on work-related visas rather than athlete exemptions
• Receive less organisational support
• Are more likely to have extensive non-sporting social media histories
• Are essential to day-to-day performance and welfare

From a risk perspective, arriving without critical staff can undermine training, recovery protocols, safeguarding obligations and operational continuity.

Where Intelligency fits: pre-emptive social media risk management and vetting

This is where Intelligency’s historical social media vetting service plays a practical role.

Rather than reacting to visa issues once they arise, Intelligency already works with sports organisations to identify and mitigate potential digital risk in advance of US travel.

The service is designed specifically for environments where timelines are tight and the cost of disruption is high, such as pre-season tours, international tournaments and major events.

What the service does

Intelligency conducts a structured, confidential review of historical public social media activity across relevant platforms, looking for:

• Content that could be misinterpreted in a visa or border screening context
• Inconsistencies between online activity and stated visa purpose
• Legacy posts, comments or associations that may present risk when viewed out of context
• Platform-specific exposure that teams may not be aware of

This is not about policing opinion or restricting expression. It is about understanding how content may be interpreted by automated systems or human reviewers with no sporting context.

Why this matters for clubs, agencies and federations

For in-house teams, the value lies in predictability and control.

A pre-emptive review allows organisations to:

• Flag potential issues early, before visa submission
• Advise individuals on risk mitigation steps where appropriate
• Reduce the likelihood of last-minute refusals or administrative delays
• Protect commercial, competitive and reputational interests

Crucially, this can be applied not only to athletes but to coaching staff, medical teams, analysts and travelling personnel, where risk is often highest and visibility lowest.

A strategic safeguard, not a crisis response

Social media vetting is now a structural feature of US entry policy. Treating it as an afterthought increases exposure.

Intelligency’s approach positions digital vetting as part of standard travel and tournament readiness, alongside medical screening, safeguarding checks and compliance processes.

For organisations operating regularly in the US, this becomes a strategic safeguard rather than a reactive fix.

What UK sports organisations should be doing now

For clubs, agencies and governing bodies, the priority is not alarm but preparedness.

That means:

• Building longer lead times into US travel planning
• Reviewing visa categories for all travelling personnel, not just players
• Identifying roles where absence would materially affect performance
• Integrating social media risk assessment into pre-travel workflows

As US-hosted competition grows in scale and importance, off-field readiness will increasingly determine on-field success.

Historic Social Media Vetting for Sports visiting the US

Digital footprints are now part of border control. Sport is not exempt.

For UK and European sports organisations, the question is no longer whether social media vetting matters, but whether you are prepared for it.

Those who treat it as a strategic risk will travel with confidence. Those who do not may find their plans disrupted before they ever reach the pitch.

An Instagram repost is an action that allows accounts to reshare other accounts’ content. Reposts then appear on the main feed with an icon showing the account that reshared the content.

For brands, reposts typically involve sharing user-generated content (UGC) such as customer photos, videos, reviews, or Stories where the brand has been tagged. This allows businesses to amplify authentic customer voices while maintaining an active, engaging feed.

What are the benefits of reposting capabilities on Instagram?

For business accounts, there are many benefits that can be taken from incorporating reposts into a content strategy. Utilising user-generated content helps evidence real customers, rather than relying solely on brand claims. It brings visibility to the real people and stories behind a product or service.

Brands become more credible when they highlight genuine customer interactions and experiences. Reposts also demonstrate that a business listens to and values its audience, showing engagement with its customer community in an unedited, honest way.

Additional benefits include:

• Increased trust and credibility, as potential customers are more likely to trust peer recommendations than branded messaging alone.
• Stronger community building, because reposting makes customers feel recognised and appreciated, encouraging further engagement.
• Cost-effective content creation, as user-generated content supplements branded content without the need for additional production.
• Improved reach and discoverability, since reposts can introduce brands to new audiences via the original creator’s followers.

How to utilise reposts to demonstrate reliability and build trust

To effectively use reposts as a trust-building tool, brands should be intentional and strategic rather than resharing content at random.

Prioritise authentic customer experiences
Focus on reposting content that shows real-life use of your product or service. Testimonials, before-and-after results, behind-the-scenes moments, or candid reviews help potential customers visualise themselves having the same experience.

Maintain brand consistency
While reposts should feel authentic, they should still align with your brand values and visual identity. Adding subtle branded elements, captions, or context helps keep your feed cohesive without over-editing the original content.

Showcase a variety of voices
Reposting content from different customers highlights consistency and reliability. A mix of demographics, use cases, and formats such as Reels, Stories, and posts reinforces that positive experiences are not one-off occurrences.

Add social context through captions
Use captions to reinforce trust signals. Briefly explain the customer story, highlight outcomes, or quote feedback directly. This adds credibility and clarity while keeping the focus on the customer.

Engage and give credit
Always tag and credit the original creator. This transparency not only builds goodwill but also reinforces authenticity and ethical social media practices.

When used consistently, Instagram reposts become more than just shared content. They act as powerful social proof. By amplifying genuine customer voices, brands can build trust, demonstrate reliability, and create stronger emotional connections with their audience.