Marketing Ms. Davis & Mr. White

Maybe all the negative points we've brought up are true. But you know what? Things are impossible until they're possible. A creative person brings something new to the mix, and suddenly everyone is saying, (a) "Why didn't I think of that?" and (b) "Get me a couple who look like Meryl and Charlie!"

An example: This is the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of A Wrinkle in Time. It won the Newbery Medal, the highest honor that a book for young people can win. It's never been out of print. And yet it was unpublishable: a book full of quotations in foreign languages (Mrs. Who's sayings), a science fiction book with no rocket ships, a book that dealt with both physics and metaphysics, and adventure story with a girl protagonist....it was rejected by umpteen publishers. Some years later, its author, Madeleine L'Engle, was at a publishing function. An editor approached her to praise her book and said, "I wish you'd sent it to us!" L'Engle had the satisfaction of saying, "I did. And you rejected it."

Most of the points against Meryl and Charlie could be circumvented by clever market thinking, creative presentation, good context. Davis and White don't have to be controversial, trash-talking, scandalous, torridly in love. As for sounding wonderful in interviews, my goodness, Paris Hilton can hardly talk. And yes, Meryl is not conventionally pretty. She's something even better: she's compelling to look at. If a good photographer and stylist can't make this striking woman absolutely electric in a picture, then we might as well all start wearing paper bags over our heads.

I can't find the post where one of you clever souls suggested the Asian markets, but that's an inspired idea. I bet they could have success there. Japan especially is famous for loving blondes (and I'm sure redheads). But certainly there's scope in this country, too. After all, who'd have thought that ballroom dancing would be so huge, and that Downton Abbey would be a hit beyond the Masterpiece Theater crowd? Come to that, who would have thought that young men would be thought of as attractive with a completely shaved head? Yet celebrities from Michael Jordan to Joey Lawrence to Vin Diesel show up in the spotlight with no hair above their eyebrows. Gotta think outside the box, people.

mmcdermott said:

I think it's going to be hard to market ice dancing because a lot of people don't "get" it, and many wouldn't recognize it as a "sport". Patrick Chan gets a lot more media attention in Canada than Virtue and Moir do. And, although V/M aren't in a relationship they sure can make it look like they are!

Click to expand...

Speaking of the very handsome couple 'V/M'---don't they strike you as once having been a real couple? i see these little embers still smoldering. Perhaps they are simply just good actors. They intrigue me

You can`t Blame Charlie he is simply not attracted to Meryl, he is dating a woman ten times hotter than her i`m sure they are good friends off ice hey at least its better than grishuk and Platov who also hated each other off ice. But yeah i don`t think they are marketable i think even bowling is more popular as a current sport for the mainstream american.

Wonderful post, Olympia, and ITA!

Here's how I would market Davis/White to mainstream America, if I had to do it:

Rather than hide their weaknesses I mentioned in my previous post, I would exaggerate them. Let's make sure Meryl look even more like an alien elf. She should wear crazier makeup for publicity shots. She should wear crazier clothes, outfits. Meryl has very unique features, let's make sure they're noticed and remembered. Charlie is totally white bread. Let's emphasize that too and make it an interesting contrast with Meryl. He should wear casual clothes off ice at all times. Also, there needs to publicity shots where Meryl is all done up and sitting on his shoulder while he wears a hockey jersey or something. Brand them as the Martian ice princess teamed up with the laid back hockey player.

The most important thing, though, is to get Davis/White hustling. They would have to work almost as hard on selling themselves as they do on their skating. In fact, they'd have to cut back on their training so they can go around meeting people, doing interviews, getting themselves out there and just plain shoving themselves down as many people's throats as possible. And now would be a good time to start to get the momentum going before the next winter Olympics. Figure skating and ice dancing particular are suffering from huge notoriety deficits in the US. If they want to turn that around they are doing to have to work like dogs.

Which of course, begs the question, would it be worth it? The answer for myself and, I suspect, for them as well, is no. The Olympic gold is the priority for them, as well it should be. It's too bad that these two didn't compete in an era when being the best in the world is enough to get an American figure skater recognition in his/her home country, when people and companies actually came to the champion skater rather than the other way around. On the other hand, they do get to compete in an era when ice dancing is a lot fairer, and being non-European is no longer a stigma in the discipline. Most Americans will just have to miss out on their artistry and excellence.

I love your ideas, Serious Business!

You're right that it would take a lot of work at a time when Charlie and Meryl might not want to spare the time for it, but if they did want to give it a try, your thoughts are exceedingly clever.

Despite what the article says, Meryl Davis does not have the looks of a princess. She is not conventionally good looking by modern mainstream standards. To make it worse, she doesn't even have the average kind of girl next door look that could make her relatable to most women. Ms. Davis has a lot of exotic and exaggerated features.

Click to expand...

You know what, I agree- I never understood the obsession over her looks. Outside of the heavy make-up I always found her very average and on top of that she has exaggerated facial features.

As for marketability- SB brings up some good points, and I'd throw in that no one ever takes ice dancing seriously. Even among many casual skating fans their attention is typically on singles and ice dance is an afterthought. The US does not have a history of ice dancing success- Belbin/Agosto are trailblazers in this regard and it's only been 6 years since they appeared in Torino. I think it will require a few more years of ice dance success here in the US before folks (including marketing people) take it seriously. But even with those setbacks, I think the RIGHT marketing folks can at least get them something- maybe a couple national interviews, a speaking gig? Attention is now on the Summer Games in London, so any serious push will have to wait until next year.

I think she's gorgeous. She's just so elegant and regal.

Agreed...and far from average. You'd never mistake her for anyone else.

She belongs in Vogue, but he belongs in Seventeen. It's a bit of a quandary.

Spun Silver said:

She belongs in Vogue, but he belongs in Seventeen. It's a bit of a quandary.

Click to expand...

That's a brilliant way of putting it. But it doesn't have to be a quandary. It can be a point of interest instead. It's the contrast between them that could make them memorable.

Serious Business said:

The most important thing, though, is to get Davis/White hustling. They would have to work almost as hard on selling themselves as they do on their skating. In fact, they'd have to cut back on their training so they can go around meeting people, doing interviews, getting themselves out there and just plain shoving themselves down as many people's throats as possible. And now would be a good time to start to get the momentum going before the next winter Olympics. Figure skating and ice dancing particular are suffering from huge notoriety deficits in the US. If they want to turn that around they are doing to have to work like dogs.

Click to expand...

There you go - of course Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian are considerably less talented than D/W, but they work hard at being famous. Do Meryl and Charlie have the time or the inclination to do that? I think they'd rather focus on their training and wait for opportunities to come to them, and this will not happen - or at least, not on the scale they are looking for - unless they win an OGM and possibly not even then.

If I were marketing D/W, I would separate them rather than trying to sell them as a package deal. Their looks don't "match" - he is more mainstream, she is not - and they don't have the sort of chemistry that can be sold to the public. But they could do well separately. Do other dance teams have major sponsorships? I know V/M have something with Roots and P/B have a deal with a skincare company. Anyone else?

Finally, whoever chose that picture for the NYT did D/W quite a disservice. Because of the skewed perspective, Charlie seems hulking compared to Meryl, and the angle obscures her features and makes her look crosseyed. While I am not on the side that views Meryl as attractive, she is certainly better looking than that picture makes her appear.

Tanith did very well in the endorsement business, etc, but it was as a solo act, if not always, a great deal of the time, so yes, marketing them separately would be the way to go, I think.

Meryl reminds me of the "Queen of Hearts".....in "Alice". Tanith was/is the American ideal as far as markening goes....tall, blond, very pretty, long-legged, and had the "girl next door look" about her...........even though she's a nice Canadian girl. I find that even in Canada those ideals come into play...eg. in curling, Jennifer Jones was used extensively as the face of curlling with her blond good looks, and still is.

They should do some kind of commercial for diamonds or chocolate or something where they can skate a romantic dance in the background while the narrator talks about diamonds, chocolate or whatever. Too bad nobody thought of this before Valentine's Day.



I don't see Meryl getting a makeup modeling contract. She's striking and dramatic looking, but not conventionally pretty at all.

Neither is Rachael Flatt conventionally pretty.

^ doesn't help that she keeps her hair short now...not at all.

I think Charlie would be more marketable if he shaved!! I guess it's just me, but I don't like the scraggly facial hair look on men. Also, I think he could tame the hair a bit, while still keeping it on the long side. He looks sort of messy compared to Meryl, whose hair and makeup are always impeccable.

I personally find Meryl quite attractive in a striking, unusual way. Certainly she doesn't have the all-American, sexy blond look, like Tanith. But in her own way she is quite attractive. And she has beautiful hair too.

Actually, I think Meryl would work well in ads for hair products or eye makeup.

Charlie is doing the unshaven thing this year as part of the Rhuma/Latin combo SD. He probably should gel his hair for it too, as he used to do for the Paso Doble CD.

Meryl is beautiful! She is couture, avant-garde.. Charlie and Tanith are more of the same and forgettable.

Tanith is ambitious and always finds a way to get in front of the cameras. She comes across as really off-putting and phony. JMO.