NBA Stars Each Have Different Appeal in Courting Advertisers

They compete fiercely on the court, but because of their distinctly different appeal, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson probably won’t go one on one for corporate endorsements, sports marketers say.

“They do really speak to different groups,” said Keith Bruce, the San Francisco-based sports marketing director for advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding. “Kobe Bryant has the broadest appeal of the trio, which is reflected in his [sponsorship] portfolio. Shaq clearly is relevant for some products and services. And Allen Iverson has a sense of hipness and street relevance.”

Reebok, which signed Philadelphia 76ers guard Iverson to a multimillion-dollar deal in 1998, clearly is benefiting from the diminutive player’s regular season MVP award and his gritty post-season play. Electronic game manufacturer Sega is the only other corporate sponsor to have signed Iverson, but marketers say more deals could come his way.

“There will be a segment of the population that will never want anything to do with Allen, and a segment of corporations that will want to go with a safer icon, say, Kobe Bryant or Vince Carter,” acknowledged Todd Krinsky, manager of Reebok’s sports division. “But I think things are changing. It could be an interesting summer for Allen.”

But don’t expect mainstream corporations to embrace Iverson, who has an estimated $5 million in sponsorship deals. If the tattoos and cornrows don’t make them nervous, corporate executives still remember Iverson’s arrest on a drug charge shortly after his rookie season and a subsequent flap about rap lyrics--and the fact that an upcoming CD could be equally edgy.

Iverson’s time in the media spotlight is providing an unexpected assist to the new OTC (Off The Clock) shoe and apparel line from Reebok that draws on Iverson’s street-driven sense of fashion. Reebok’s focus remains squarely on young male consumers in urban and suburban neighborhoods, but in an interesting twist, “our focus groups are showing a strong interest among females,” Krinsky said.

Sports marketers clearly are more comfortable with Lakers guard Bryant, who counts several blue-chip corporations as partners. Bryant, whose sponsorship deals are estimated at more than $10 million in value, “currently is the only athlete we have in a multiyear partnership,” said McDonald’s spokesman Palmer Moody.

“He’s an extremely mature, wholesome and credible player,” said Dan Touhey, an executive with Spalding, which signed Bryant to introduce the Infusion, a high-end basketball that incorporates a pump. “We’ve seen all of the comparisons between Iverson and Kobe, and we’re extremely happy with the guy we’ve got.”

O’Neal, the dominant force in the NBA during the last two seasons, hasn’t been sitting idly on the endorsement industry sidelines. O’Neal no longer has deals with Taco Bell and Pepsi-Cola that pushed his sponsorship revenue to an estimated $25 million. But the Lakers center has signed new deals with EBizJet, Nestle’s Crunch and Swatch.

O’Neal also plans to introduce a Dunkman line of apparel to be distributed by Official Starter and sold through Wal-Mart and other chains. The moderately priced Dunkman line will go on sale during the fourth quarter.

“Swatch is interesting because it can do things for Shaq on a global front,” said Los Angeles-based sports marketing consultant David Carter. “That’s important because athletes don’t necessarily want to do just the most lucrative deals. They need to do deals that reinforce what’s important--in this case, Shaq’s music, acting and online ventures.”

Stars still have a certain cachet in the sports marketing world. The NBA Finals’ key players finished on top in a recent poll of sports marketing, television and advertising industry executives who were asked which NBA players were most marketable. Bryant was No. 1 in the Sports Business Daily newsletter poll, with O’Neal a close second. Iverson was fourth behind Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter--whose team didn’t make the Finals.

“Sports marketing is a cyclical business,” said Doug Shabelman, a senior vice president with Burns Sports & Celebrities. “First and foremost, there might still be fallout from the Michael Jordan years. Or, it might be that the NBA hasn’t been able to showcase its stars as well as it has in the past.”

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Net Income

Five most marketable NBA players*

1. Kobe Bryant

McDonald’s, Adidas, Coca-Cola (Sprite), Spalding

2. Shaquille O’Neal

Snickers, Digex, Starter (athletic apparel), Swatch, EBizjet

3. Vince Carter

4. Allen Iverson

Reebok, Sega

5. Kevin Garnett

10 most marketable athletes**

1. Tiger Woods

2. Michael Jordan

3. Lance Armstrong

4. Anna Kournikova

5. Mia Hamm

6. Marion Jones

7. Andre Agassi

8. Muhammad Ali

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Wayne Gretzky

*Results of a survey of sports marketers and TV and ad executives conducted by The Sports Business Daily newsletter. The survey was completed before the NBA Finals.