- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Here is the news release mentioned by SkateFan66 where Coca-Cola discusses its rationale for its choices. of athletes.
http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2013/06/12/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Coke-Sochi.aspx
Let's look at the 8 athletes Coke picked for London: Shawn Johnson, John Isner, Henry Cejudo, Jessica Long, David Boudia, Marlan Esparaza, Alex Morgan and David Oliver. Out of those, only Johnson could be considered a household name. ... The rest of them are nobodies. Of the rest of them, the only one I know is John Isner, and that's because I follow tennis. ...
(I'm a lot more skeptical of them going with Lysacek, who couldn't even beat a Pussycat Doll on Dancing with the Stars the year after he won the Olympics)
The ladies will never have a problem because the American attitude is that ONLY ladies can be superstars, thus, they attract most of the sponsorships.
But the men never seem to get anything. Why wouldn't Coke go for a young, bubbly, handsome, smiley young man like Max Aaron? Reigning National Champion? Hello? Anybody? Nope.
I am glad for Evan cause I don't think he had any endorsements really after Vancouver, and not many pro opportunities outside a few Asian shows. I too wish it were a current female who needs the money like Wagner or Gold to pay their huge expenses. No offense to MK's marketability but she is a millionaire many times over and it is just rotten the marketers won't promote the eligible who need it bad. Even WC Chan says pretty much all that comes in goes right out. MK had so many gigs as an eligible. The rich get richer. If she were still skating as a pro it might make more sense. We the ubers remaining on the boards will never forget her, but the general public likely has. Agree with Serious Business. Sheesh, let some current skaters catch a break!
In this case it is actually deserved.
None of the new-age competitors have captured the hearts of the public. They don't create the magic Michelle did.
It's unfortunate that most competitors are so unaware of what choreography and interpretation really are. They are too busy chasing the points.
What BoP said.
Sorry, it's not Coke's fault that no current US ladies can measure up. Just because Michelle is a "millionaire many times over" doesn't mean she's unworthy of the Coke sponsorship/endorsement.
It is not marketers' job to promote Ashley and Gracie. When A and G become a big star, Coke and others will follow.
If they had to pick a "legend", why not a female skater who at least won the Olympic gold medal (Yamaguchi, Hamill, Fleming or Lipinski)?
If they had to pick a "legend", why not a female skater who at least won the Olympic gold medal (Yamaguchi, Hamill, Fleming or Lipinski)?
Evan is the reigning Olympic champion and will always carry the title of Olympic champion, he was a good choice. If they had to pick a "legend", why not a female skater who at least won the Olympic gold medal (Yamaguchi, Hamill, Fleming or Lipinski)?
Evan is the reigning Olympic champion and will always carry the title of Olympic champion, he was a good choice. If they had to pick a "legend", why not a female skater who at least won the Olympic gold medal (Yamaguchi, Hamill, Fleming or Lipinski)?
And Nike at least makes things for people to get healthy and active in. And kids get a great workout lifting the heavy boxes and operating the machinery in their factories!
Having said all that, I detest Coca Cola, and wish the Olympics had a sponsor one can actually associate with the idea of a healthy lifestyle :scowl:
Wagner and Gold both got sponsorships with Nike this season, which should help cover some of their costs. I expect more companies to jump on the bandwagon as the Olympics get closer.