By Rena Tsangari, PR & Events Manager

Every major sports transfer creates noise. Fans react, analysts assess the impact, commentators debate what it means for the league and headlines move quickly to what comes next.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s move from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat is one of those moments. For basketball, it marks the end of a defining chapter between a player, a franchise and a city. For brands, it offers a clear communications lesson about reputation, trust and the people organisations choose to stand beside.

Reputation rarely begins when a campaign starts.

When the Milwaukee Bucks selected Giannis in the 2013 NBA Draft, they were investing in potential. At that point, there were no MVP awards, no NBA championship and no global recognition. There was talent, discipline, work ethic and belief in what he could become.

Over the following thirteen years, Giannis, the team and the city grew together. He became one of the most important athletes of his generation, helped bring Milwaukee its first NBA title in 50 years, and became closely connected to the city’s identity. That connection was built through shared history, consistent behaviour and public trust developed over time.

This is why the reaction to his departure carries such emotion. It is about basketball achievement, of course, but it is also about something deeper. People trusted the relationship because they had watched it take shape year after year, through success, pressure, loyalty, leadership and contribution.

The same principle applies to brands.

Trust is built through patterns. It comes from how people behave under pressure, how they speak about others, how they respond to success and how consistent they remain when attention grows. In Giannis’ case, the public story has always extended beyond performance. His humility, family values, discipline, gratitude and community involvement have shaped the way people see him.

That is the real strength of his personal brand.

Through initiatives such as the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation and other community-focused actions, his values have become visible through behaviour, rather than statements alone. This matters because audiences can sense the difference between a message that is promoted and a reputation that has been earned.

For organisations, the lesson is clear. Choosing an ambassador, spokesperson, creator, founder figure or strategic partner is a reputation decision before it becomes a campaign decision.

Too often, brands start with reach. They look at followers, engagement, media value, audience size or expected exposure. These numbers matter, but they cannot tell the full story. The stronger question is this: what does this person represent?

Every collaboration transfers reputation. When a brand chooses someone to represent it, the public reads that choice as a signal. Values, credibility and perception move in both directions. A strong partnership can strengthen trust, while a weak or poorly matched partnership can raise questions before the campaign even reaches its audience.

This is what we call reputation transfer.

The strongest partnerships work because the connection feels earned. The person already carries credibility. Their behaviour already supports the message. Their public image already reflects qualities the brand wants to be associated with.

Giannis illustrates this well. By the time global brands wanted to work with him, his reputation had already been shaped by years of performance, character and consistency. The commercial value followed the public trust. His partnerships reflected a reputation people already recognised, which made the connection feel credible.

That distinction matters for every organisation.

Before choosing who represents your brand, you need to look beyond visibility. Public perception, behaviour, values, previous partnerships, media history, community contribution and reputational risk should all be part of the assessment. The right person can give credibility to your message. The wrong person can weaken it, even when the numbers look strong on paper.

This is especially important in a communications environment where audiences are alert, vocal and quick to challenge brand choices. People notice who a company works with. They notice whether the partnership feels credible. They notice whether the values match the message.

Campaigns can create attention. Reputation creates trust.

For communications teams, this means due diligence should sit at the start of every partnership, covering values, behaviour, public sentiment, past visibility, and potential risks. It also means that the decision should involve strategy, reputation management and brand positioning, rather than being treated only as a media or influencer marketing choice.

For brands, the Giannis Effect is a reminder that influence is strongest when built on character, consistency, and contribution. The people who represent an organisation should reflect what the organisation stands for, even after the campaign has ended.

At Purpose Communications, we help organisations shape partnerships, campaigns and public narratives that protect reputation as much as they create visibility. Because the right collaboration should strengthen what a brand stands for and give audiences a credible reason to trust it.

Reputation grows through actions long before it is communicated through campaigns.