Let the Post Olympics ‘Games’ Begin!

By Marty Brochstein, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations and Information for the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA)We’re well into the warm afterglow of the Summer Olympics, with a panoply of U.S. medal winners basking in the adulation. For some of those stars, there will be a chance to convert the high profile and good feelings they’ve generated into cash and marketing clout. (Some, though, will be limited if they currently compete or plan to compete on the collegiate level due to NCAA eligibility restrictions.)In most cases, these financial opportunities will come via endorsements, corporate appearances and motivational speeches. After all, NBC and the rest of the media spent the better part of a month (including the run-up to the Games) telling us the backstories of athletes in sports that many of us pay attention to only once every four years or so. A well-spoken athlete with a unique or inspirational tale to tell about the lonely perseverance they needed to succeed is an attractive commodity for corporate and other groups.In a few very rare instances, these athletes can turn themselves into “brands.” There are seemingly as many definitions of the word “brand” as there were gold medals handed out in Rio, but one that I’ve always liked is “a promise of performance.” Consumers gravitate to a label – be it Ralph Lauren, Mr. Clean, Electrolux, Mercedes-Benz, Apple or any other – because they’re confident that the product bearing the name will “perform” as expected. (“Performance” may, of course, be interpreted in many ways; somebody may buy a Mercedes mostly because of how they think others will perceive them – also a performance attribute – rather than because it’s a well-made car.)The challenge that most of the best-known and admired medal winners face in converting their appeal into product licensing isn’t so much their achievement, but the nature of their sport. There’s very little equipment involved in running, jumping, tumbling and swimming.The most obvious opportunities for the highest profile Olympians would be the creation of a signature line of specialty athletic wear under the umbrella of a larger entity, much as the Michael Jordan brand was built within Nike. For gymnasts, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, could the answer be in a signature gymnastics-wear collection? And for swimmer Katie Ledecky, perhaps it’s a swimsuit and training apparel line?One who has already gone that way is uber-Olympian Michael Phelps, who with coach Bob Bowman last year launched the MP Michael Phelps line of swimwear, goggles and training equipment with manufacturer Aqua Sphere. The MP logo was prominent on Phelps’ racing suit and race cap during the Olympics swimming competition.Beyond fitness apparel and equipment specific to their sport, the prominent Olympians could conceivably branch into health products, including food, vitamins and supplements.But let’s also remember that there are athletic stars who over time transcended their narrow identification with their particular sport. Rene Lacoste, for example, was a French tennis star in the 1920s, known as Le Crocodile, and his name has for years adorned a luxe apparel collection with the famous crocodile emblem.Similarly, Arnold Palmer is a golf immortal, but his apparel line around the world has stretched far beyond golf wear; his brand also has famously been attached to the iced-tea-and-lemonade concoction.Noted hockey great Tim Horton’s name today is as well known for his ubiquitous coffee-and-bakery shops in Canada – and in many U.S. cities – as for his exploits on the ice.Opportunities, whether obvious or not so apparent, are most definitely out there for some of our most noted Olympians. So, let the financial games begin…![author] About the Author: Marty Brochstein is responsible for LIMA’s outbound communications, as well as many of its educational efforts, such as the year-round webinar program and the extensive Licensing University seminar program that takes place each year in conjunction with the Brand Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. He also has spoken at conferences and seminars around the world on a wide range of licensing- and retail-related issues, and is widely quoted on issues related to licensing, marketing and branding. He joined LIMA in 2008 after 12 years as Executive Editor of The Licensing Letter, a New York-based newsletter that covers the global licensing business. He also was Editorial Director of the parent publishing company, EPM Communications. In addition to writing and editing the twice-monthly newsletter, he also compiled the publication’s industry numbers and edited EPM’s other licensing-related publications, including International Licensing: A Status Report, and The Licensing Letter’s Sports Licensing Report. Brochstein was a business journalist for more than 30 years, primarily covering the consumer products and retail industries. Before joining The Licensing Letter, he spent five years as Senior Editor of Television Digest and founding editor of Consumer Multimedia Report. He also has been editor of several publications in the consumer electronics and retail fields. He is a graduate of Boston University.  [/author]