as, “any advertising message that
consumers are likely to believe
reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings,
or experience of a party other than
the sponsoring advertiser”. It may
also include the person’s public
expression of approval or support
for a product or service – a perfect
example being the non-profit
projects such as UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador given to outstanding
sports personalities.
Enter the juggernaut Jordan – the
biggest sports endorser by one
Michael Jordan who in 2014 had
a net worth of $640 million with
annual earnings of $80 million –
more than most active athletes in his
favoured sport of basketball. He was
responsible for 20% of the NBA’s
gross retail sales in his career and still
an important cog of the Nike brand.
In its 32 years of existence, the brand
Air Jordan controls over 50% of
the US basketball shoe market up
to this day with younger basketball
stars including Blake Griffin, Chris
Paul, Ray Allen to name but a few
endorsing the brand. The brand
managers have also expanded their
sports endorsements into major
US sports leagues including Major
League Baseball (MLB), National
Football League (NFL), NASCAR
and Women’s National Basketball
Association (WNBA).
Consumers will usually purchase
athlete-endorsed products based
on perceived benefits from the
knowledge of the sport and
entertainment, such as is offered by
the NBA; nostalgia, affiliation and
other benefits peculiar to the buyer.
I remember whenever Air Jordan’s
brands would be released in the late
1990s, whoever donned them first in
college would have bragging rights
and a bevy of admirers to boot.
Endorsement Attributes
What can brands look for when
seeking an athlete to endorse a
product?
In any successful endorsement, the
92 MAL 11/16 ISSUE
‘‘Ultimately athletes
are experts in their
own field and sports
discipline, they
cannot be expected to
be equally as vocal in
the field of business,
human rights, labor
and other sociopolitical issues.
However they do have
a responsibility to
know what’s going on
with the corporates or
brands they endorse
and speak up if
corrupt conditions
are deemed to be in
existence.’’
personality has to do much more
than sell the product. To be clear on
this, the key attributes can be largely
broken into two – on-field and offfield attributes.
On-Field Attributes: These include
the following;
- Performance quality – top notch
if not ground-breaking - read
Tiger Woods and Lewis Hamilton
triumphs in sports not traditional
to black people.
- Potential – what potential does the
athlete represent for now and the
future? Such are the attributes that
sportswear companies such as
Nike and Adidas sought in
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in
their rookie years.
- Skill – when Michael Jordan
played basketball, he not only won
6 championship rings but also
dueled one Dominique Wilkins to
win the Dunking competition held
during the NBA All Star
Weekend.
- Style – the athlete must bring on
some sense of style, Usain Bolt
and his signature Bolt strike (
which is copyrighted by the way
…), and finally
- Winning record – we’ll go to one
Venus Williams who’s Grand Slam
victories are just short of tying the
record if not surpassing it.
These attributes are what makes
endorsements one of the more
attractive ways of brands engaging
with consumers.
Consumers are expected to buy
products endorsed more than those
not endorsed at all. Fans and brands
also love being identified with a
winning athlete and/or team.
Younger and future people usually
mimic their role models and the
endorsing athletes – it becomes easy
for them to have someone to look up
to and even mentor too.
Off-Field Attributes: These are
usually what the athlete does off their
normal sport or once they hung up
the boots, gloves or whatever it is
that put the spotlight on them. They
include;
- Fans relations – if the athlete is
not good with his fans or those of
the team, it becomes difficult for
them to still rake in any revenue
from sales.
- Personality – how do the athletes
relate with the media and local
people off their normal schedule?
It does make or break many a
careers and even might determine
the post- active years of the
athlete.
- Physical attractiveness – Beckham,
Hamilton or Anna Kournikova,
need I say more.