http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/f...ll-endorsements-follow.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2
Apparently, some effort will be given, following the Summer Olympics, to find some endorsements for Meryl & Charlie. The problems illuminate only too clearly how far skating has fallen out of the public consciousness.
They apparently have resisted two approaches that might have led to more popularity:
1. They refused to pose nude for the ESPN's Body magazine
2. They refuse to pretend to be in a relationship, other than friendship and partnership.
Apparently, some effort will be given, following the Summer Olympics, to find some endorsements for Meryl & Charlie. The problems illuminate only too clearly how far skating has fallen out of the public consciousness.
“Clearly this is an amazingly marketable couple who are talented,” said Marc Beckman, founder of the Designers Management Agency, which represents athletes. “But to get endorsements they need to have a story to tell that helps them emotionally connect with the American Public.”
“I have never heard of them,” he said, “and that is in itself a problem as they have won an Olympic medal. Clearly their agents or managers are not doing enough. It is not their sport that is unpopular, it is more about building a brand for them, and a platform.”
...
“I think they have no large endorsements at this point because it is a challenging time in the economy,” Ms. Ohnuki (eta, their IMG agent) said. “But after the Summer Olympics we plan to get them out there more. They care about literacy issues and kids’ nutrition, so we try to reach out to companies who care about those issues as well.”
They apparently have resisted two approaches that might have led to more popularity:
1. They refused to pose nude for the ESPN's Body magazine
2. They refuse to pretend to be in a relationship, other than friendship and partnership.