Vick Contract Lands Nike in the Doghouse and with an Asterisk!*

On July 1, Nike announced it renewed its contract with Michael Vick for “promotional services.” The amount of the contract is undisclosed. In less than five days, a Facebook page called “Boycott Nike for Signing Michael Vick” had garnered close to 6,000 “likes.” Several online petitions and letter-writing campaigns have begun.

CNBC reports that this marks the first time that a brand that broke ties with an athlete re-signed them. It makes me and, obviously scores of others, wonder what the heck Nike — typically a masterfully managed brand – is thinking.

Sure, Vick “served his time” (19 months in prison) for running a dog-fighting ring and is a tremendous athlete. In an impressive comeback, he rose above some passionate media and fan protests to win the starting quarterback job and lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFC East Championship last season.

But, as they see him associated with Nike’s famed “Just do it” slogan, will people reflect on Vick’s comeback and prowess — or on his cocky, cavalier and violent demeanor as he “just did it” and subjected innocent dogs to torture and death?

Personally, I’m surprised and feel this is a backward-looking, ill-advised brand decision. Nike can have just about any spokesperson it chooses. By linking itself with Vick, it has placed itself in the proverbial doghouse with many current and potential consumers.

I’m all in favor of people vindicating, improving, and renewing themselves. It’s true Mike kept quiet and just did what he had to do to regain his life and career. It seems however, that his name will be forever mentioned with an asterisk by it, just like baseball players accused of using performance enhancing drugs — and those brands who endorse them.

The larger-than-life message and culture that Nike spawned many years ago seemed to tell us how life should be. The brand guided us. Nike aligned its brand not just with hard work and achievement, but also with goodness.

Vick’s re-signing will likely (but unfortunately) sit just fine with most true football fans. We are such an entertainment-driven society that fans don’t really care as long as he plays good ball. Vick is hot right now, so Nike stands to ride his tail and make lots of money. You can bet the moment Tiger Woods roars back to another Major tournament win, Nike will come-a-calling. With a contract and asterisk in hand!

– Tom McManimon

– Diane Blaszka

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Celebrity Endorsements: Risky Business?

It is a risky proposition when you partner a celebrity with your ad campaign.  You are relying on the image of a public person to represent your brand.  Not only that, your company will be inextricably linked with this person if say, they get busted for drug possession.  Or if it’s revealed to the public that said person’s spouse went after them with a golf club after learning of extramarital affairs.  Something to that extent.  However, the risk is often worth it.  Let’s take a look at a few favorable pairings.

William Shatner for Priceline.com

Shatner has crafted a quirky personality for himself over the years, both onscreen and off.  He has been the Priceline.com spokesperson for years as “The Negotiator”, helping people negotiate in strangely effective ways.  The public seems to respond well to the goofy nature of William Shatner and his lovable persona boosts Priceline’s credibility as the go-to site for travel needs.

Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake for Sony

What do a Superbowl ring wearing quarterback and a Grammy award winning singer have to do with electronics?  Simple: what do you watch on your tv?  Sports and entertainment.  It’s a natural pairing and the most recent campaign is to promote Sony’s new 3D tv.  Sony is hoping that Manning’s likability and Timberlake’s comedic chops will sell their cutting edge technology.  The two have also been featured in past ads as panel experts on electronics.

In these two examples, the choice of spokesperson is built upon preconceived celebrity images.  Sony wanted to link up with modern, relevant personalities to represent their slick electronic offerings.  Priceline continues to work with William Shatner because he has established himself as a pop culture icon.

Another example of a celebrity endorsement is a recent campaign designed by StimulusBrand for iXP Corporation, a prominent national provider of public safety and emergency response solutions.  Yogi Berra,  NY Yankee Hall-of-Famer, was chosen for the ads because he has an established reputation of being trustworthy and a history of success, excelling in 14 World Series over his career.  For iXP, accountability is a large part of their corporate culture and thus Berra is a natural representative.

For companies with strong brand representation, any issue with public image can affect their campaign.  Take Tiger Woods, who I not so subtlety referenced above.  He lost endorsement deals with Accenture, Gatorade and AT&T.  Only Nike remains.  A controversially received ad was released not long after Tiger’s scandal broke.  Take a look…what are your thoughts on how Nike repositioned their campaign?

– Jordyn Haas

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