The Esteemed Andre Agassi

For an endorsement to be effective, the athlete must be held in high regard, respected, and deemed credible by potential customers. Add to these traits a bit of flair and a touch of personality, and the makings of a great spokesperson are in place.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, American men dominated the tennis scene, but there was one distinct problem. Most of its star power was as about as vanilla as you could get, especially when compared to the sport's earlier characters, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.

Many tennis players, including Michael Chang, Jim Courier, and Pete Sampras could win, but only Andre Agassi did so with style. In business, plenty of executives can put up big numbers, but few do so with the Agassi-like optimal blend of flair and personality.

Agassi quickly climbed up the ranks. After turning pro in 1986, he improved from being ranked 91st in the world to 25th. In 1988, he won 63 of his 74 matches, six titles in seven finals, and found himself ranked third in the world with an increase in earnings from prize money and endorsements of $2 million.

He was the only one among the new young group that actively played to the crowd, and did so while taking full advantage of his status as a sex symbol. After a win, he'd brush back his bleached long hair, blow kisses to the crowd, and throw them his pink and yellow Nike shirts and leftover denim shorts.

Competitor and fellow American Jim Courier believed that because Agassi was from Las Vegas he understood show business and that Agassi knew what the people wanted and knew how to give it to them. Agassi came from the school of giving the people what they wanted and understood that innately. Courier, for one, thought that Agassi just knew something most didn't about pleasing crowds.

In 1988, Michael Jordan was already 25. Many teens could relate better to Andre Agassi, who was just 18. Norm Salik of Bausch and Lomb understood this sentiment and set up a booth at the U.S. Open where it was swarmed by kids asking for "the kind of Ray-Bans Andre Agassi wears."

In a Canon commercial, Agassi told his fans that "Image is Everything," and it seemingly was. Because of his age and pizzazz, Agassi joined Jordan and Bo Jackson as Nike's most marketable stars in the late 1980s.

Tennis great Pete Sampras maintained the sport's top ranking from 1993 to 1998, but fans had a closer relationship with Andre. They felt as if they knew his girlfriends, including his future wife, Brooke Shields.

Sampras didn't fall out of the top 10 at any time in the 1990s, yet it was Agassi who provided the story line. In 1997, due to a wrist injury, he plummeted to 141st in the world. At 27, he could have quit, but he didn't. Returning with a shaved head, we rooted for him to come back and he did, jumping to No. 8 in 1998 and winning both the French and U.S. Opens in 1999.

He was familiar to us he'd been a star on the American sporting scene for 15 years. Agassi was fresh in our minds because he won, but more so because we viewed him as "real." On the other hand, he struggled on occasion with this perception.

Much of Andre's early marketing exposure was linked to a tagline that he didn't think accurately portrayed him. Agassi indicated that the "Image Is Everything" phrase used in the Canon commercials wasn't reflective of who he was, even then. It was sad to say, according to Agassi, that even in saying the line and filming the campaign, that it never quite occurred to him what was being said or expressed. In essence, he sought to be esteemed and believed that he could grow to earn this designation, but believed his portrayal as a pop culture icon with a trendy catch phrase limited his ability to transcend pop culture and truly be esteemed by mass markets.

Agassi's assessment highlights an important point in the personal branding process. Regardless of how harmless a passing remark or politically incorrect e-mail might appear to be, it is important for business people to try to manage their careers as if they are being covered on the front page of The New York Times on a daily basis. If they don't manage the little things that define their personal brands, they might find that, over time, there will be no personal brand or personal or professional endorsements to manage at all.

Throughout business, those executives who garner respect, and do so while showing just the right amount flair and personality, find themselves esteemed by colleagues and customers alike.



On the Ball. What You Can Learn About Business from America's Sports Leaders
On the Ball: What You Can Learn About Business From Americas Sports Leaders
ISBN: 013100963X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 93

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