Nike, NBA, State Farm, Vitaminwater, Bubblicious., Tampax…what’s this guy not pitching these days? It’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing him in an ad. He was the top non-golf endorser a year ago and he’s only turned it up since then.
The problem isn’t in the way it’s affected his performance on the court. The Cavs are a game behind the Celtics in the East, and Lebron is second in scoring in the league behind D-Wade. So he must be getting some practice in somewhere.
The problem isn’t in sponsors’ ability to do very good ads with the King. You’ve seen the NBA ads. You’ve seen the Nike ads. And you’ve probably seen this new State Farm ad.
Fun. Some terrific moments (I especially like him rejecting the field goal). But I’m not so sure about the wrap-up and how it works for State Farm. What exactly are they selling? The NFL? State farm? Sundays?
Therein lies the problem: I’m not sure he’s figured out how to develop and nurture his value for each specific brand he endorses.
Or his ability to effectively deliver a message that helps to sell and promote each specific brand.
Sounds too marketing-ese and over-analytical? Should we just watch an ad and if we enjoy it be happy with it?
Not so fast. I’d argue that you swapped out the Nike logo for the State Farm logo for the NBA logo in those ads above, the ads would still work. None of those brands has developed an insight about Lebron and connected it to the brand to make it completely ownable. I’m not the only one who thinks so.
So maybe it’s not that he’s being overused; it’s in the way he’s being used. Wonderful ads, to be sure, but better insights would create better value.
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2 comments:
i agree that the much-hyped team that manages lj, LRMR seems to have missed the boat in their recent blitzkrieg of tv and print ads featuring the king.
but according to some profiles of them (the one from esquire especially stands out in my mind), they don't even seem to care. they just want lebron out there. everywhere.
i mean, it might not be the most effective way to get out, but does it really matter? lj is top tier right now, does he really need a focused image?
There are those that argue that the days of specialization is over. That the young brains of America think in too fragmented a fashion to worry about focus.
That said, I do still believe that a brand needs to stand for something if it's going to survive in the long run. The long term future of "G" will be a great case study for that theory.
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