As many of you have probably heard, seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has made the decision to return to racing for the 2009 Tour. Brandweek’s article about his return and the impact that it will have on his marketing deals features insight from First Call’s Managing Director David Schwab.
We here at First Call have long been championing the use of influencers in marketing campaigns. We’ve said it over and over again, but, alas, there’s always someone who falls in love with the name a celebrity can bring to a campaign instead of the credibility an influencer can lend to a product. It’s the whole bad boy/girl complex; you (the brand) get caught up in all the hype, the good looks, fast cars and denim jackets. And you forget to figure out if this person (a celebrity) is actually good for you (adds true value to the product and accompanying marketing campaign). The next thing you (the brand) know your significant other has run off with all your money (marketing budget) and is shacking up with that person you hate from work (agreeing to a deal with your biggest competitor, after the exclusivity term expires, of course). We here at First Call have seen it happen hundreds of times, if not thousands, and every time we see it happen it breaks our hearts—no, really, it does. There are good influencers out there just waiting for the right campaign to come along. So, when we see a good product paired with the right influencer we feel compelled to showcase their good sense (and our own sage advice being put in to action).
Take Sharp Emmons for example, a former cyclist and burgeoning entrepreneur, Sharp understood that nothing is better for a fledgling company than having an influencer use its product. Unfortunately for Mr. Emmons, Lance Armstrong was no longer riding in the Tour de France when he launched his product so he went out and got the next best thing, Robbie McEwen, a 3-time winner of the Tour’s Sprint Competition. McEwen, a native Australian, is a cycling star in his home country and this year’s Tour de France will mark the 11th time he has competed in the race. Last year McEwen decided to wear Mr. Emmons’ product in several of the Tour’s stages.
At this point you’re probably wondering what Mr. Emmons is selling, well it’s…socks. Yes, socks, high performance Swiftwick Socks. Emmons saw that cycling is “one of those industries where when you have the key influencers promoting your product, it begins to take off.” And once McEwen wore the Swiftwicks in the Tour de France they took off. In fact, they flew off the shelves at Mellow Johnny’s, Lance Armstrong’s Austin-based flagship cycling store, selling out in the first two weeks upon arrival. Emmons did what all marketers ought to do. He understood his market and the kind of leverage an influencer could provide his brand in the marketplace. Now Emmons is looking to expand in to new markets. Start looking for Swiftwicks in golf shops, athletic apparel stores, uniform catalogs and upscale boutiques some time in the near future.
By: Zola Short
Recently, the beverage space has become increasingly competitive. While traditionally dominant companies Coca-Cola and PepsiCo still compete against each other, many emerging companies are fighting to create a name for themselves in the beverage market. And they’re getting big name celebrities to sign on as endorsers.
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor, is a chief spokesperson and part-owner of FRS energy drink. The all-natural, vitamin-rich drink made by little known beverage and wellness company New Sun Nutrition has made a big jump in sales since the endorsement of the cycling hero.
Likewise, Jessica Simpson has invested in an emerging beverage called VIB (Vacation in a Bottle). The lightly carbonated pomegranate drink is marketed as a relaxation drink that calms and takes the edge off. And, as we have mentioned before, the fitness guru Richard Simmons has recently promoted Ocean Spray’s newest energy drink, Cranergy.
It appears as if the traditional powerhouses have some new competition in the market– for consumers’ dollars and celebrity spokespeople.
On the same line, David Beckham has partnered with GO3, a supplier of family-friendly health supplement products. While the company is a leading supplier of supplements in the UK, they chose the soccer superstar to introduce and endorse the product line in the US, hoping that Beckham’s fame will spill over to the company’s line.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation and Nike will announce later today that they have sold more than 70 million yellow Livestrong bracelets since the program began three years ago. All told, the wristbands have raised more than $63 million for cancer research and programs. The bracelets have become the “ultimate case study” of cause marketing success. The program has all the elements needed; an A-list superstar with a real illness; a corporation that has invested millions into the marketing campaign; a disease that affects all ages, genders and races; and even a little bit of controversy (personal divorce, drugs in cycling, etc.).
