Interviews & Articles
Millsport's senior sports business executives are available for interviews, commentary, and analysis on a number of sports marketing and sponsorship topics. To arrange an interview, please contact Chris Anderson at (214) 259-3290.
Which players in this year's Super Bowl have best shot at landing marketing gold?
Jan 28, 2009
SPORTS MARKETING, ENDORSEMENT EXPERTS RATE THE SUPER BOWL’S MOST MARKETABLE PLAYERS
Without a Manning in the Super Bowl this year, marketers are busy speculating about which players from the Steelers and Cardinals are most likely to land endorsement deals should they turn in memorable performances Sunday night on the world’s biggest stage.
According to experts at Davie Brown Talent, a leading celebrity endorsement and Intellectual Property consulting agency, the players in this year’s Super Bowl are unlikely to have Peyton Manning-level careers as brand endorsers. But, they add that, depending on how they play Sunday, a few could earn big points as potential celebrity spokesmen.
“Because of their leadership roles with their teams, the nature of their positions on the field, and their accomplishments to this point, I think Roethlisberger and Polamalu are well positioned to score as endorsers,” said Jeff Chown, president of Davie Brown Talent, whose Davie Brown Index (DBI) rates more than 2,100 celebrities across a number of attributes such as appeal and trust. “Both are already well-known among even casual fans, and thanks to current endorsements, they’re exposure level is increasing quickly. When consumers take notice, so do brands.”
On the other sideline, experts say there are two Cardinal players who, if things go their way on Sunday, could come away with major endorsement deals.
“Larry Fitzgerald has really caught the attention of fans and the media,” said Darin David, a director for Millsport, a Dallas-based sports marketing and sponsorship agency. “His personality and smile complement the amazing plays he makes on the field. Then there’s Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, a fan-friendly guy who’s had a long career and who fans recognize and respect. Plus, he’s already won a Super Bowl MVP, which gives him additional credibility.”
Of course, winning Super Bowl MVP honors doesn’t always translate into success as an endorser.
“It helps, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you can quit your day job,” said Davie Brown Talent’s Chown, citing Dexter Jackson as an example of a former MVP whose Super Bowl success in 2003 didn’t translate into marketing dollars. “It’s about engaging consumers, it’s about having a good story to tell that captures our attention and makes consumers sit up and pay attention when they see you on TV.”
Chown and David added that big performances on Sunday by the Steelers’ Hines Ward and Willie Parker, or Arizona’s Anquan Boldin and Edgerrin James could result in increased attention from brands.
“They’re in the spotlight,” said David. “And the lights don’t get any brighter than this. If any one of them has a break out performance – if they do something remarkable or memorable – brands will figure out a way to borrow some of that equity.”
