IN THE NEWS - A-ROD, MICHAEL PHELPS: REALITY CHECK

Why is America so shocked that A-Rod took steroids and Michael Phelps smoked weed? While older fans may be outraged, young people are less likely to care – or even notice.

As the media blitz surrounding the two continues, we looked to our Hot Sheet panel data for young people’s role models. Mainstream professional athletes like A-Rod barely make the list – versus ten years ago when Michael Jordan was king. Overall, athletes as role models have declined 25% among male panelists from 1998 to 2008.

Certainly many of the athletes panelists admire could be considered controversial – however there would be no public outrage if their favorite pro skater, snowboarder or UFC fighter was caught smoking weed.  This may be part of the reason why alternative sports such as skateboarding are becoming more popular. While traditional sports are being precision tuned and their stars perfectly packaged for corporate deals, skateboarding culture allows its stars be wild renegades who may or may not party. It’s also perfectly possible that Michael Jordan had his indiscretions during the height of his fame – but luckily for him, that was pre-internet and pre-cell phone cameras.

In an age of transparency, marketers are advised to re-evaluate their approach to endorsement deals with athletes.


Lessons for Marketers:

- Marketers need to fully comprehend their brand personae – for example, Nike can get away with more renegade behavior than a family brand like Kellogg’s

- Marketers need to be prepared that their star might flub here or there – and the public will know about it instantly. Just how far are marketers willing to go to support the star they have paid to endorse their brand?

- Athletes (particularly top stars) are used to living outside of the rules. To get a real sense of who you are supporting and linking your brand to, go beyond Q scores. Check gossip blogs and Facebook fan pages.