Athletes and Their Brands
Famous athletes have long been part of the marketing world, whether they're endorsing their "favorite" brand--sure Derek Jeter drives a Chevy--or they're starting their own (i.e., Michael Jordan). Today the brand + athlete pairing is as creative as ever, so let's take a look at how some of today's top athletes have worked with their brand teammates and how it has affected their respective brand's performance.
When a Tiger gets in bed with a Gator(ade) ...
Tiger inked his first beverage endorsement with Gatorade worth a reported $100 million, adding to his golf bag full of huge brands (think Nike & Cadillac). If you're wondering what Tiger's favorite flavor is (orange is ours) ... the catch is that Tiger doesn't just get a flavor, he gets his whole line of drinks!!!
Tiger is a proven winner in the brand + athlete game. The fact that it's his own line of beverages makes it a great deal for him, and it'll probably be a hole-in-one for Tigerade, too.
David Beckham's $200 million right foot (that his left ankle is jealous about)
This past summer, the MLS's LA Galaxy just wanted to show off their new multimillion dollar import: David Beckham and his brilliant right foot. Unfortunately his left ankle was severely sprained, limiting him to a few matches and leaving the Galaxy in the cellar of the western division and out of playoff contention.
Although Becks has yet to have an impact on the Galaxy's play, he immediately revitalized MLS's brand resulting in the best attendance levels the league has seen and merchandise flying off the shelves.
A-Rod-iculous turn of events ...
While the idea of an athlete thinking they're bigger than their actual sport isn't quite new, Alex Rodriguez has surely taken it to a new level with the free agent announcement during Game 4 of the World Series, his refusal to meet with Yankee execs, and his then personally meeting with the Steinbrenner's to work out a new contract (which was aided by Goldman Sachs and Warren Buffet!).
Baseball's biggest team brand and biggest player brand were meant to be together, and it appears that they will be, but at what cost? Unfortunately it took way too long for A-Rod to realize that, and his brand took a major hit. But if he could just win a World Series ...
Hingis just says no ... to professional tennis
Test positive for Cocaine → Deny Allegations → Retire. Hmmm ... her reasoning that it'll be a hindrance for the rest of her career sure seems to be a cop-out. Hingis was a great comeback story for Women's Tennis, and if the allegations are untrue (cocaine is not performance enhancing anyways) then why just hang it up?
Sounds like the old playground ploy where a kid gets caught doing something bad and then stubbornly doesn't play with the other kids. Nobody likes a sore loser ... especially all those companies paying her (Adidas, Omega, Yonex...) to represent their brands.
NFL Top Quarterbacks: Tom Brady = Sexy; Peyton Manning = Wholesome
A recent NYTimes article looked at the two QB's brand endorsements and how they relate to their own brand image: Tom Brady's sexy, high-fashion image to Movado, Stetson, and Vitaminwater versus Peyton Manning's wholesome, mid-America image to MasterCard, DirecTV, and Gatorade ...
Other than the initial shock that Stetson is still around and still trying to be sexy (really?!?), Double Chin Brady seems to be a good match ... and Peyton's hamming it up usually gets a good chuckle on a Sunday afternoon.
And Not to be outdone: Michael Vick
Because no convo about athletes making bad decisions these days is complete without mentioning his name ... the downed Atlanta Falcon decided to start serving his anticipated jail term early.
Tiger inked his first beverage endorsement with Gatorade worth a reported $100 million, adding to his golf bag full of huge brands (think Nike & Cadillac). If you're wondering what Tiger's favorite flavor is (orange is ours) ... the catch is that Tiger doesn't just get a flavor, he gets his whole line of drinks!!!
Tiger is a proven winner in the brand + athlete game. The fact that it's his own line of beverages makes it a great deal for him, and it'll probably be a hole-in-one for Tigerade, too.
David Beckham's $200 million right foot (that his left ankle is jealous about)
This past summer, the MLS's LA Galaxy just wanted to show off their new multimillion dollar import: David Beckham and his brilliant right foot. Unfortunately his left ankle was severely sprained, limiting him to a few matches and leaving the Galaxy in the cellar of the western division and out of playoff contention.
Although Becks has yet to have an impact on the Galaxy's play, he immediately revitalized MLS's brand resulting in the best attendance levels the league has seen and merchandise flying off the shelves.
A-Rod-iculous turn of events ...
While the idea of an athlete thinking they're bigger than their actual sport isn't quite new, Alex Rodriguez has surely taken it to a new level with the free agent announcement during Game 4 of the World Series, his refusal to meet with Yankee execs, and his then personally meeting with the Steinbrenner's to work out a new contract (which was aided by Goldman Sachs and Warren Buffet!).
Baseball's biggest team brand and biggest player brand were meant to be together, and it appears that they will be, but at what cost? Unfortunately it took way too long for A-Rod to realize that, and his brand took a major hit. But if he could just win a World Series ...
Hingis just says no ... to professional tennis
Test positive for Cocaine → Deny Allegations → Retire. Hmmm ... her reasoning that it'll be a hindrance for the rest of her career sure seems to be a cop-out. Hingis was a great comeback story for Women's Tennis, and if the allegations are untrue (cocaine is not performance enhancing anyways) then why just hang it up?
Sounds like the old playground ploy where a kid gets caught doing something bad and then stubbornly doesn't play with the other kids. Nobody likes a sore loser ... especially all those companies paying her (Adidas, Omega, Yonex...) to represent their brands.
NFL Top Quarterbacks: Tom Brady = Sexy; Peyton Manning = Wholesome
A recent NYTimes article looked at the two QB's brand endorsements and how they relate to their own brand image: Tom Brady's sexy, high-fashion image to Movado, Stetson, and Vitaminwater versus Peyton Manning's wholesome, mid-America image to MasterCard, DirecTV, and Gatorade ...
Other than the initial shock that Stetson is still around and still trying to be sexy (really?!?), Double Chin Brady seems to be a good match ... and Peyton's hamming it up usually gets a good chuckle on a Sunday afternoon.
And Not to be outdone: Michael Vick
Because no convo about athletes making bad decisions these days is complete without mentioning his name ... the downed Atlanta Falcon decided to start serving his anticipated jail term early.
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