Super marketing deals up for grabsBRIAN MILNER
Globe and Mail
If the favoured Indianapolis Colts prevail in the Super Bowl on Sunday, quarterback Peyton Manning will finally remove the stigma of never being able to win the big game. But regardless of what he accomplishes on the field in Miami, he will not reap the largest rewards off the field. That's because Manning is already a commercial superstar, with a high profile, a bankable image and a slew of impressive sponsorship deals unsurpassed in the National Football League.
Thanks to lucrative contracts with such major consumer marketers as Sony, Reebok, Sprint, DirecTV, MasterCard and PepsiCo's Gatorade brand, Manning raked in close to $12-million (all figures U.S.) last year, putting him first among NFL players and ninth among all athletes. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Manning's leading rival, ranked second among NFL players at $9-million in Sports Illustrated's annual tabulation.
"From a marketing standpoint, his upside is a little bit limited," David Carter, the executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute, said of Manning. "He's already pretty much the gold standard for the NFL endorser. He really can't get much higher." But if Manning has little room in his crowded marketing portfolio for more deals, others taking the field on Sunday, or just walking the sidelines, stand to make big scores if their team does well. While everyone else watches the game, the marketing pros will be keeping a close eye on a handful of players from each team, as well as their coaches.
Indeed, Colts head coach Tony Dungy and his Bears counterpart, Lovie Smith, could outdo any of their players in endorsement revenues. Both have what marketers seek: intriguing personal stories that include triumphs over adversity, a renowned work ethic, strong personalities and the respect and admiration of peers, players and fans. The fact that they are the first two black coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl may add to their appeal, but probably isn't going to be a big factor for marketers. For the winning coach, "you're looking at seven figures per year, multiple years," said Marc Ganis, the president of SportsCorp., a sports industry consulting firm in Chicago. Dungy's life story, which includes the tragedy of a son's suicide, and his classy demeanour will make him a sought-after pitchman, should he choose to cash in on his marketability. Smith may not turn into a Mike Ditka, Carter said. "But if you can win in Chicago, you can get big recognition," he said.
Among the players, star linebacker Brian Urlacher is the only Bear who stands to reap a windfall from a dominant performance. Urlacher is already well known in the national arena, where he has pitched products for Nike, Under Armor apparel and Sega, among others, and has even appeared in one of Manning's MasterCard advertisements. If the Bears win, he'll be a natural choice for soft-drink, fast-food and other national marketers, Ganis predicts. For the rest of the Colts and Bears, the Super Bowl should be viewed as a platform to help build their images, Carter said. Those who have the one brilliant game will undoubtedly get some short-term endorsements, particularly in their local market, but they will soon be forgotten unless they can parlay the acclaim into a solid career.
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