Geologie Signs McKibbin Brothers To Dynamic Sports Marketing Partnership
Summer. Beach. Sunscreen — three words that are synonymous with one another during the months of June through August. However, despite the many sunscreen options for consumers to choose from, growing skincare brand Geologie saw an opportunity in the market.
“We first connected with our founding dermatologist Dr. Steve Xu because he had just completed a seminal study on SPF,” said Geologie Founder Dave Skaff. “Like all dermatologists, Steve recommends SPF 30 but he’s also done a ton of studies that show that people choose and use SPF according to its wearability — so we wanted to make something that was powerfully protective but also lightweight, oil free and goes on invisibly — everything we know people need to wear an SPF like they should.”
This led to the creation of Geologie’s SPF30, the company’s latest release in a line of products geared toward encouraging young men to not shy away from learning about and discussing skincare among their peers. And to help ensure a successful launch, Geologie tapped AVP Beach Volleyball professional athletes Riley and Maddison McKibbin through its relationship with Hochberg Sports Marketing (HSM) to promote the product.
This is Geologie’s second partnership in the last year with the McKibbins, who have emerged as two of the faces of AVP Beach Volleyball — the premier beach volleyball league in the United States. The “Bearded Brothers” starred at the University of Southern California before playing professionally overseas. In 2015, they made their way back to the US and began their beach volleyball careers on the AVP Tour.
Riley McKibbin credits the success of the first Geologie partnership — and the excitement between the two parties to work together again — to three key brand attributes:
- Geologie’s product-market fit
- The creative freedom provided to the McKibbins
- Authentic product integration into their everyday lives
“Firstly, Geologie has filled a niche that men have needed for years. Our experience with skincare was effectively nonexistent until we discovered Geologie, a company that tailors its skincare products to match individual needs. Absolutely brilliant,” said the 32-year-old McKibbin.
“But what really got us excited about working with Geologie was the confidence they had in their own products, allowing us ample time to try them out and see if we really liked them, and then allowing us creative control as to how we would integrate Geologie into our YouTube channel. My brother and I have spent four years building up our channel and it’s so important to us to collaborate with brands that we truly believe in and products we actually use (we’ve come to realize that we are terrible actors so this part is especially important!).
And now Geologie has launched SPF30 in a category in which we have years of experience with as beach volleyball players. The beach is our office, and we spend countless hours in the sun nearly everyday… To say that we are excited to be working with a brand that truly addresses the specific needs of those that play our sport would be a serious understatement.”
The McKibbins have amassed more than 90,000 YouTube subscribers and bring in roughly 500,000 views per month on their channel, in which they frequently discuss their own journeys as professional athletes while also breaking down the latest beach volleyball news and highlights. Their ability both on the beach and behind the camera led to the formation of the Geologie partnerships — a brand aiming to inspire young men to honestly discuss skincare.
“If you want to get guys to have an open conversation about skincare, you’ve got to talk to them where they feel most comfortable,” said Stephen Racano, Head of Growth at Geologie. “Whether that’s on the volleyball court, YouTube or during an esports competition, Geologie wants to be there. That’s why we enjoy working with Riley and Maddison. They are real guys, and can have honest conversations where other guys will listen.”
The McKibbins, who also work with companies such as Microsoft, Wilson, and Lululemon, are successfully monetizing their own social platforms in a way that is becoming more commonplace among professional athletes — specifically athletes in niche sports — and highly valuable to brands.
Given the ease in which anyone can pick up a phone and begin creating content — whether that takes place on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or one of the many other popular social platforms — sports sponsorship is more democratized than it has ever been before.
“The broadcast and streaming distribution of most niche sports cannot compare to mainstream sports — we all know that,” said Riley McKibbin. “So, niche sport athletes can’t rely on being seen on television and use that as a launch point to build their brands. Ten years ago, this was a major obstacle for niche sport athletes, especially for those athletes who weren’t the absolute best in the world at their craft, or went to the Olympics. However, today, anyone with a smartphone can effectively create their own means of distribution through strategic brand-building and content creation.
“We taught ourselves how to film and edit, and although we have never played on broadcast television, we’ve been able to build a large audience through our YouTube channel — which averages about half a million views per month — by creating content based around our sport and our lives,” McKibbin said.
To stay up-to-date with this partnership, be sure to follow the below Instagram & YouTube accounts:
