Advertising and PR
Athletes and Advertising
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JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
A popular trend with companies is to have athletes endorse their products. There are even companies that name their products after an athlete. Jordan and Nike....need I say more. However, can the use of some athletes actually tarnish the image of your products and company?
Recently, LA Gear reached an agreement for Ron Artest, of the Indiana Pacers, to endorse their new sneaker, the "Tru Warrior". Ron Artest is a well-known player with a propensity to being hot-headed. He has been suspended over half a dozen times within the last couple of years. Just recently, at the end of a Piston-Pacers game, Artest got into a fight with the the Detriot FANS (personally I think the fans deserved it...am I'm not even a Pacers fan!). Because of this, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season. LA Gear now must decide what to do about using him as a spokesperson. Should they take a lose and just drop him or should they stay with him and risk poor publicty and sales? I feel the real question that needs to be examined is, do companies need to make better choices in terms of who thy hire?
I think that companies look to hire people who are more infamous than famous. For instance, Terrell Owens gets commercial deals because he talks a lot and does lots of "showboating" on the football field. Everyone knows he will most likely say or do something that will offend someone else. Conversely, Curtis Martin, that's right, of the NY Jets football organization, has had ten consecutive seasons of 1000 yards or rushing and is a model and modest citizen. He has never had a commercial deal. Is something wrong with this picture? I feel that companies need to start looking for athletes that have notoriety, not that are notorious. May I suggest looking for athletes that appear in those nifty "United Way" ads.
Recently, LA Gear reached an agreement for Ron Artest, of the Indiana Pacers, to endorse their new sneaker, the "Tru Warrior". Ron Artest is a well-known player with a propensity to being hot-headed. He has been suspended over half a dozen times within the last couple of years. Just recently, at the end of a Piston-Pacers game, Artest got into a fight with the the Detriot FANS (personally I think the fans deserved it...am I'm not even a Pacers fan!). Because of this, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season. LA Gear now must decide what to do about using him as a spokesperson. Should they take a lose and just drop him or should they stay with him and risk poor publicty and sales? I feel the real question that needs to be examined is, do companies need to make better choices in terms of who thy hire?
I think that companies look to hire people who are more infamous than famous. For instance, Terrell Owens gets commercial deals because he talks a lot and does lots of "showboating" on the football field. Everyone knows he will most likely say or do something that will offend someone else. Conversely, Curtis Martin, that's right, of the NY Jets football organization, has had ten consecutive seasons of 1000 yards or rushing and is a model and modest citizen. He has never had a commercial deal. Is something wrong with this picture? I feel that companies need to start looking for athletes that have notoriety, not that are notorious. May I suggest looking for athletes that appear in those nifty "United Way" ads.