Skaters' commercial endorsements for the Sochi Olympics | Page 5 | Golden Skate

Skaters' commercial endorsements for the Sochi Olympics

ForeverFish

Medalist
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Congratulations to Liza! What a great way to start the Olympic season. Even though I don't live in Russia, I'm sure someone here will post pictures/videos of her Samsung endorsement. ;) I agree wholeheartedly with karne -- who better to promote cutting-edge technology than a young, fresh-faced, talented athlete?

Of course, this means she MUST make the Olympic team. But that shouldn't be a problem.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
I disagree, on many levels. I'm sure a company like Coca Cola does a lot of market research before it pays athletes to do endorsements. Advertising is first and foremost about getting the viewer's attention. Michelle Kwan has a ton of name recognition and has only been out of the sport for a few years. Evan became famous through his DWTS gig (and, to a lesser extent, because of his OGM). The average Olympic games viewer is not like the people on this board. They have never heard of Gracie Gold or Ashley Wagner. As pretty as both of those young ladies are, they are not going to sell many cans of Coke.

As for political ads, no figure skater's endorsement--young or old, famous or not famous-- is going to have a significant impact on a presidential campaign.


Someone has to say it: Kwan's advertising potential as a skating legend is way overrated. Take the example of another skating legend: The last major ad campaign Kristi Yamaguchi was in was a campaign ad for Mitt Romney. *sadtrombone* Casting faded skaters and Dancing with the Stars alumni was one in a long line of hilarious misfires from Romney's much derided ad team. And now, Coca-Cola has decided to learn from them.

But Romney's team didn't stop with just Ms. Yamaguchi. A giant lineup of former Olympic medalists were hoisted on stage for the 2012 Republican National Convention, including our very own Scott Hamilton. The Democratic National Convention went with just one. Guess which one got more press?

See, people don't want that old, busted stuff. They want that new new. Powerful young athletes with more medals to look forward to are scintillating, bursting with possibilities and hope. Old athletes whose glory is in the past make people think of decay, entropy and the inevitable breakdown of the human body that dooms us all, Olympians and mortals alike. Coke already tastes a bit medicinal. Do they really want to strengthen the association by putting granny Kwan on the cans? :biggrin:
 

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
On the subject of Kristi as a gold medalists with few sponsors, I remember that situation and always felt bad about it. The most obvious possible reason for it (she was our first Asian-American champ) reflected very poorly on U.S. society or at least on U.S. corporate thinking. I'm glad Kristi has had such a long span as a skater and a public figure that she's reaped some added benefits along the way.

I recall a lot of people citing her being Japanese and not getting as many endorsements as other OGM'ists. If I recall correctly, there was an anti-Japanese corporation sentiment at the time.
 

GGoldberg

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Kristi did indeed seem to be less able to get the level of corporate sponsorship - for a female figure skater/Olympic Gold medalist - than one would have thought, and I do also recall that anti-Japanese sentiment (at the corporate/commercial level) was often commented upon as a contributing factor.

I however cannot think of that many public figures/athletes who have been able to sustain such a high "quality" of reputation as Kristi, and find her very deserving of opportunities to "represent" athletes, the sport of figure skating, and women of any/all ethnicities.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Kristi did indeed seem to be less able to get the level of corporate sponsorship - for a female figure skater/Olympic Gold medalist - than one would have thought, and I do also recall that anti-Japanese sentiment (at the corporate/commercial level) was often commented upon as a contributing factor.

I however cannot think of that many public figures/athletes who have been able to sustain such a high "quality" of reputation as Kristi, and find her very deserving of opportunities to "represent" athletes, the sport of figure skating, and women of any/all ethnicities.

Yeah, isn't it nice how things worked out? Sometimes poetic justice really is poetic.
 

Serious Business

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Yeah, isn't it nice how things worked out? Sometimes poetic justice really is poetic.

It's not really justice, though. Two years after Kristi won gold, skating's popularity in the US exploded thanks to The Whack. Unfortunately for Ms. Yamaguchi, her ascent coincided with the apex of the US' freakout over Japanese corporations. It was around that time when Sony won the Betamax case, bought Columbia Studio, and its chairman co-wrote the scandalous tome The Japan That Can Say No. The American populace was rife with anxiety over what it thought was an imminent takeover of the US' economy and culture by Japan. Kristi's success at the Olympics merely confirmed those fears. As a result, she lost out on countless opportunities. Getting sponsorships here and there later on don't really come close to the bank she could've made, or the opportunities she would've had to increase her profile. She might even have continued on as an amateur skater and won the 1994 Olympics, too, had people been more supportive of her victory.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
She might even have continued on as an amateur skater and won the 1994 Olympics, too, had people been more supportive of her victory.

Sincere question (not intended to sound snarky):
- Is this sentence based on comments that came directly from Yamaguchi's own mouth -- at least the part about continuing to skate as an amateur?
- Or is it your opinion, SB?
You are entitled to any opinion, of course. But I am curious whether Yamaguchi herself has said that under different circumstances, she might have continued to the 1994 Olympics. Thx.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I am pretty sure that Kristi's own explanation about why she turned pro was basically this. After she won the Olympic gold medal she sat down with her financial brain trust (her uncle was her primary money manager) and went over all their options. The conclusion was that the amount of money she could earn by staying in amateur competition for two more years was about the same as what she could earn by turning pro immediately.

With money issues a wash, she decided to go the pro route. IIRC she skated one season with Brian Boitano's show (I am not certain about that), before she negotiated a tough deal with Scott Hamilton. (I have read that the deal included hiring Sandra Bezic as SOI choreographer, but I might have some of these details wrong).

I have read an entertaining account (I am not sure how accurate it is) that goes like this. After the 1992 Olympics, Scott Hamilton sat down with his marketing people and raised the issue of what SOI needed to do to rejuvenate itself in the public eye. Scott felt that what they needed to do was sign some of the recent Olympians, "like Kristi Yamaguchi."

The money people said, "No, Scott, you don't need someone like Kristi Yamaguchi -- you need Kristi Yamaguchi." :laugh:
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
so Tuk for Samsung , does that mean she's a lock for Russian team ?:confused:

hatefor that to happen if she cant fix bombing her SP and her alarming weight issues.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
so Tuk for Samsung , does that mean she's a lock for Russian team ?:confused:

hatefor that to happen if she cant fix bombing her SP and her alarming weight issues.

Yawn, yawn, yawn, you're at it again. Liza does NOT have "alarming weight issues". She developed CURVES. You know, something that happens to EVERY SINGLE TEENAGE GIRL EVER.
 

ForeverFish

Medalist
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Yawn, yawn, yawn, you're at it again. Liza does NOT have "alarming weight issues". She developed CURVES. You know, something that happens to EVERY SINGLE TEENAGE GIRL EVER.

I wouldn't bother trying, honestly. sky_fly20 has been endlessly criticizing Liza's weight since Worlds, despite the repeated attempts of myself and many other posters to correct his/her knowledge about human biology (which I, and probably others, have actually studied). I can think of three possible explanations:

1. He has never been/will never be a teenage girl.
2. She is not yet a teenage girl.
3. She has forgotten what it was like to be a teenage girl.
 

Serious Business

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Sincere question (not intended to sound snarky):
- Is this sentence based on comments that came directly from Yamaguchi's own mouth -- at least the part about continuing to skate as an amateur?
- Or is it your opinion, SB?
You are entitled to any opinion, of course. But I am curious whether Yamaguchi herself has said that under different circumstances, she might have continued to the 1994 Olympics. Thx.

This was purely a guess on my part.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Small new (Jun 27) -- but news-free ;) -- item re Tuktamysheva and Samsung.

Not surprisingly, it is written as if Tuktamysheva definitely will qualify for Sochi.
"Elizaveta has a promising career ahead, and is certainly one to watch as she makes her Olympic Games debut in Sochi in February."​

ETA:
I did not mean that Samsung has control over selection of Team Russia's Olympic competitors. I meant only that the item on the Olympic website (understandably) referred to Tuktamysheva in the most optimistic way -- making the assumption that she will compete in Sochi.​

~~~~~~~~

Also:
Belated thanks to Serious Business and Mathman for their replies about Yamaguchi.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Small new (Jun 27) -- but news-free ;) -- item re Tuktamysheva and Samsung.

Not surprisingly, it is written as if Tuktamysheva definitely will qualify for Sochi.
"Elizaveta has a promising career ahead, and is certainly one to watch as she makes her Olympic Games debut in Sochi in February."​

~~~~~~~~

Also:
Belated thanks to Serious Business and Mathman for their replies about Yamaguchi.

this is kind of unfair, she makes the Olympic team because of a Samsung sponsorship ?
what if Tuk has a horrible season ?, if Julia and Adelina does better than her then she should be left out
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
this is kind of unfair, she makes the Olympic team because of a Samsung sponsorship ?
what if Tuk has a horrible season ?, if Julia and Adelina does better than her then she should be left out

Sorry, I will go back and edit my post above.
I did not mean to suggest that Tuktamysheva will automatically qualify for Sochi because of her Samsung sponsorship.
What I meant only is that the item on the Olympic website (understandably) referred to her in the most optimistic way -- making the assumption that she will compete in Sochi. I made note of that because IMHO it will be a little bit awkward for the Samsung marketers if she ends up not qualifying for Sochi. Although Samsung has no control over selection of Team Russia's Olympic competitors, it must have felt reasonably confident that she will be a member.
aftertherain mentioned much earlier in this thread (post #5) that Coca-Cola lost a similar "gamble" that was part of its marketing campaign tied to Vancouver 2010. Among the Olympic hopefuls that Coke had chosen to showcase were the American pair McLaughlin/Brubaker ... who, to everyone's surprise, did not qualify for Vancouver.

Why wouldn't Coke go for a young, bubbly, handsome, smiley young man like Max Aaron? Reigning National Champion? Hello? Anybody? ...

I don't care for Max Aaron's skating style one bit... but I agree he'd be a good bet for Coke to sponsor. From my research, he's not getting sponsored by anybody else. ... Internationally, he's the highest ranked US male. He's had respectable results outside the US, and of course he is the reigning US champ. If they have to bet on someone to make the Olympic team, it'd be him. He has a pretty good chance of medaling in Sochi, too... in the team competition. :biggrin: Yeah, sure, individually, he's not even going to sniff that podium. But if they can give John "Floppy Giraffe" Isner a sponsorship, why not Aaron?

.... In the case that Meryl and Charlie's previous endorsement contracts preclude them from signing with Coke, I still think it would have been smarter in the long run to have chosen one of the younger, up-and-coming skaters such as Max Aaron. Even if the U.S. men's field doesn't have many sure bets this coming year, it's unlikely that Evan's competitive career will go much further whereas the younger skaters will still be around for the next Olympic cycle (besides, I get the feeling that Max is probably going to be on the team for 2014 anyway, particularly in this quad-emphasized era). Just for an example, if Coke played up Max Aaron's Nationals-winning Tron/Daft Punk program (which apparently already has a small tumblr fandom and tumblr already skews young demographically, something of interest to all corporations), I feel like Max would be just as marketable as Evan, if not more so.

Wishful thinking that the marketing team for Dr. Pepper will see this photo of Max Aaron, which would be pretty difficult to resist, IMHO.

Michael Buckley ‏@buckhollywood
Hey drpepper - here is your next #OneOfAKindSkater - US Champ @maxtaaron! http://instagram.com/p/cZSwvXuKET/
8:31 AM - 30 Jul 13
https://twitter.com/buckhollywood/status/362234095436181505
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Congratulations to Liza! What a great way to start the Olympic season. Even though I don't live in Russia, I'm sure someone here will post pictures/videos of her Samsung endorsement. ;) I agree wholeheartedly with karne -- who better to promote cutting-edge technology than a young, fresh-faced, talented athlete? ...

liza ‏@Tyktamisheva
Это Samsung GALAXY Team. Со мной в команде еще 9 спортcменов, вместе мы расскажем болельщикам о подготовке к Играм. pic.twitter.com/4od3GQIp0A
12:26 AM - 7 Aug 13
https://twitter.com/Tyktamisheva/statuses/365011144055865344

Nice photo showcasing both the phone and LT. ;)
Rough translation (I think??) of her tweet: This is the Samsung Galaxy Team. Nine more athletes are on the team with me. Together we are telling fans about preparation for The Games.

BTW, Volosozhar/Trankov recently tweeted their regrets that they could not attend the official announcement of the new group of Samsung athletes (to which they belong). Trankov tweeted "class photos" of the new group anyway, LOL.
 

aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Hmmmm .... @AshWagner2010 has a new sponsor: BP -- as in British Petroleum. :think:
So proud to be a part of @BPTeamUSA! Working with other talented Olympic athletes is such an honor!
9:10 AM - 9 Sep 13
https://twitter.com/AshWagner2010/statuses/377101707526029312

I think it's only unusual because the B stands for British. But other than that, it's not so unusual. Many athletes are sponsored by multinational corporations. Tuktamysheva is sponsered by Samsung, which is a Korean company. Yuna was once sponsored by Nike, an American company. Mao is sponsored by Nestlé, a Swiss company and was once sponsored by Coca-Cola, an American company.
 
Top