Three athletes whose brands are bigger than they are
By SAMANTA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
24-JUN-04
Though he earned over $80 million this year, Tiger Woods is not as winning as much as his fans expect. His most recent disappointment, a poor performance at the U.S. Open, has me wondering: Can an athlete's brand be defeated?
Let's talk brand management.
Is an athlete with a string of losses just like a movie star with a streak of box-office disappointments? Or is the athlete's brand deeper than this?
This week we take a peek at three noteworthy athletes whose brands are bigger than they are.
The brand-assets meter ranges from $ to $$$$.
Bruce Jenner
Jenner is an example of an athlete launching an entire brand off one extraordinary athletic performance. After winning a gold medal in the decathlon in the 1976 Summer Olympics, Jenner appeared on a Wheaties box and hasn't stopped since. He has become a multifaceted personality, with countless endorsements, TV appearances, infomercials, and even a CD-ROM and a board game.
Larry Koffler, senior vice president of Edelman Sports and Sponsorship Marketing, attributes Jenner's 30-year popularity to his squeaky-clean image, and because "Jenner established himself not only as an accomplished athlete, but also as a sports commentator and author."
Jenner has proven that proper brand management can extend "brangevity" (the life of a brand) regardless of how long ago the athletic achievement occurred. For his persistence and opportunism, Jenner gets the "milked-it-for-all-it's-worth" award.
Brand A$$$$ets
Shaquille O'Neal
As an NBA star, Shaq has endorsed a wide range of products, from Swatch watches to Nestle Crunch candy bars, and even appeared in feature films. Yet the Lakers' recent downfall and Shaq's personal performance on the court invite concern.
Jason Levien is a sports agent with Greenberg Traurig who represents a number of high-profile athletes. He refers to Shaq's brand as being "in turmoil" due to the Lakers' losses and Shaq's own trade demands. But Levien insists that there are steps Shaq can take right now to strengthen his brand.
Though Shaq can't entirely control the direction of his career, Levien says, "This off-season is critical to him. He can control his image and persona and how the public perceives him going forward, and right now he needs to focus on that."
Once again, off-court charisma is as important as on-court success, and even more so when an athlete and/or his team are playing poorly. Though the public is often more forgiving of a champion. Levien asserts that even if Shaq's sub-par performance continues, "His personality and experience will help him maintain the strength of his brand."
Brand A$$$ets
Anna Kournikova
This tennis standout proves that a brand can be created without the game to back it up. Kournikova is one of the world's highest-profile female athletes, endorsing products from sports bras to video games, yet she has never even won a WTA tournament. And despite the fact that she rarely competes due to injuries, Gillette just signed her to a major endorsement deal. Kournikova deserves credit for maximizing her endorsement potential and, whether it's intentional or not, her romantic ties to rocker Enrique Iglesias, which keep her alive in the tabloids when she isn't on the court.
Brand A$$$ets
So, Tiger, what can you learn from all this? Well, one thing is clear: As a superstar, your brand is not just about a winning record, it's about your personality, too. So lose your sudden surliness and stay positive, and the fans and endorsements will follow your lead.
Remember: The most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.
(Samantha Ettus, president of Ettus Media Management, is a leading voice on personality-driven brands. Her first book, "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do" (Random House), will be published in September. For more information, go to www.theexpertsguideto.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com) |
