MARKETERS have been playing a new, more cautious game when it comes to signing athletes as endorsers, winnowing their rosters of jocks peddling products to proven performers with national — or international — profiles like LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams and Derek Jeter.
The rising costs of signing athletic talent to build brands — not to mention deals gone sour because of shortcomings in the professional or personal arena — have made advertisers wary of rookies, single-game sensations, one-season stars or even talents with local appeal.
So what is a player like Drew Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, to do? He is no slacker, to be sure, but neither is his surname Manning.
Mr. Brees and his representative, Chris Stuart of Encore Sports and Entertainment, have signed with a company called Brand Affinity Technologies, which offers a Web site (brandaffinity.net) as a one-stop-shopping opportunity for advertisers seeking star power in more efficient, and affordable, forms.
Rovell makes a couple of key arguments about this new strategy - particularly questioning if short, small-pay endorsement deals are worth the risk to these athletes?? While they may open the door to more lucrative, meaningful commercial activities in the future, the risks certainly outweigh the potential for athletes earning above and beyond anything these endorsements can promise.
That said, there is nevertheless something behind this model. As the company argues, many valuable, marketable athletes are being overlooked both in regional and national markets, with the majority of athlete endorsement contracts going to the elite commercially-viable athletes. This is a chance for new partnerships to be formed, new athletes to come to light and test their brand value, and a new direction in sports marketing, away from the traditional reliance on only a select few. What remains to be seen, however, is how athletes and their representatives approach these opportunities: will they be seen as merely cash-grabs, a chance to earn some pocket change on their days off? Or rather, will athletes take a more strategic approach, and attempt to build their images and brands through the connections made by Brand Affinity Technologies?
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