Brand News: Thursday, January 31, 2008
Professional Athlete Power Brands
by Brad Sarna
Walking down a block in any city in America there might be a kid wearing the latest edition of Air Jordan sneakers, some Hanes underwear, a Jumpman 23 t-shirt, dribbling a Wilson basketball on his way to McDonald’s to get an ice cold Coca-Cola passing a brand new Chevy in the parking lot. What does this scenario have to do with athletes? Every brand mentioned has been endorsed by Michael Jordan and includes his own brand, the Air Jordan collection and the Jumpman 23 Brand. In addition to his millions made playing basketball, Michael Jordan has parlayed his financial success and marketability into many endorsements and the creation of his own brand.
In this day and age professional athletes make more money during their career than an average person will ever see in their lifetime. However, there are few athletes that can transcend their sport and become a brand upon themselves. Athletes like Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and David Beckham are icons whose status and achievements raise the individual above their teams or sports. Many athletes have been successful professionally through endorsements but have not been able to become their own brands. Superstars like Wayne Gretzky, Peyton Manning, Andre Agassi, and Derek Jeter all fall into this category. It takes a special person to rise to the top and achieve this level of success.
The classic case of an athlete becoming bigger than his sport and blurring the line between the sporting world and the business world is the aforementioned Michael Jordan. His combination of skill, success, and personality raised his presence beyond basketball. He made millions in salary and even more in endorsements over his career with Nike, Gatorade, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Wheaties, Sara Lee, and Chevy among many others. He was the inspiration for one of the most successfully branded athletic shoes in history, the Air Jordan collection. The Air Jordan logo, a silhouette of Jordan flying through the air, continues to be instantly recognizable. He was well known around the world and his name was strong enough on its own that the Jordan Brand, also known as the Jumpman 23 Brand, was created in conjunction with Nike to spread his marketability beyond the Air Jordan shoe collection. He has also used the Jordan name for restaurants, bars, and cologne showing the versatility of licensing a strong brand to create mass market opportunities. The more recognizable the brand is, the more versatile the opportunities will be.
Two current athletes are following the plan mapped out by Jordan and creating their own brands and one athlete has the potential to join them. Tiger Woods and David Beckham are two world class athletes who have established their own global identity apart from their sports and in Beckham’s case, the teams for which he has played. LeBron James is the athlete who many say may ultimately pass all of them in career earnings and become the most well known athlete/brand. All three of these athletes also have their own logos, with Tiger Woods becoming about as instantly recognizable as Jordan’s logo.
Tiger Woods is a very accomplished golfer and made over $11 million in winnings last year alone. He also has endorsements deals with Nike, worth over $100 million for 5 years, American Brands, Buick, American Express, Gatorade, and Gillette among many others that bring in additional millions of dollars every year. These successes led Tiger to partner with Nike and create a Tiger Woods Brand, similar to Michael Jordan’s brand. His performance in golf has given him the recognition and Nike provides the power that is necessary for a brand to excel and the Tiger Woods Brand is on its way.
David Beckham is in a similar situation in that he has been very successful in his sporting career and is a globally recognized celebrity. He has made millions playing soccer and currently has a deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy for as much as $250 million over 5 years. He has a lifetime sponsorship deal with Adidas worth $160 million and also has endorsement deals with Gillette, Milk, Pepsi, IBM, VodaFone, and Giorgio Armani to name a few. The unique combination of skill, popularity, and press coverage, due to his marriage to a Spice Girl, has made the David Beckham name known worldwide. This recognition allows Beckham to spread his name on many products and even have his name associated with a hit movie, Bend It Like Beckham. He has also expanded into a variety of sponsorship deals and has released his own cologne.
LeBron James is the athlete who may have the potential, according to some, to surpass Michael Jordan and become the biggest and most well known athlete/brand. He recently signed a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers averaging $20 million a year for 3 years, and has a $100 million deal with Nike along with endorsements deals for Upper Deck, Coca-Cola, Cadbury Schweppes, and Microsoft. He already has the money and some of the recognition, thanks to the Nike marketing machine, to become a brand upon himself and above his team, but he has yet to accomplish team success which is vital in establishing a brand separate from the sport and team. His is still young and has many years of playing left, but it is important for him to have constant success and rise above the competition the way Jordan, Woods, and Beckham have. From this connection to sustained success and a marketable persona will come the growth of the LeBron James Brand.
Many superstar athletes have been successful professionally and become celebrity endorsers, but not all athletes can become their own brands like Jordan, Woods, and Beckham. These athletes are extremely talented and their ability to rise above their sport by winning is what pushes them into iconic status and allows their names to grow as brands. The creation of their own brand enables an athlete to expand his/her opportunities and extend their earning potential beyond the playing field and their professional career.
If you would like to understand the value of your brand, please
contact AbsoluteBrand at 
.