Brand trust and loyalty takes years to build, sometimes lifetimes. But a high profile athlete has the ability to build a successful brand overnight.
As an example let’s compare two brands.
1. Chiko Roll
2. Stephanie Rice
One has been around for nearly 60 years, the other about three years. One has spent millions on marketing and advertising, the other has coasted on free publicity. Yet both brands are equally recognised in the public eye and hold much the same loyalty and respect from consumers. How did this happen?
The emotion of sport backed by huge media exposure makes it easy for an athlete to achieve what most brands take 20 years to do.
The biggest challenge for an athlete though, is to change, adapt and evolve to prolong their shelf life. Athletes retire, they stop winning, they grow older. Suddenly all the qualities that made them attractive no longer exist.
In my next post I will tell you the secret to prolonging the life of an athlete’s brand.
Tags: athlete's brand, Chiko Roll, Stephanie Rice
