Jazz F Karl Malone has signed a deal with MA-based
Converse that will have him wearing the company's basketball
shoes beginning this season (Converse). Malone wore Apex
shoes until the end of last season (THE DAILY).
CAN HE DELIVER? In Boston, Greg Gatlin reported that
the agreement is a "multiyear" pact and wrote that Converse
hopes that Malone "can deliver a boost to its image as an
authentic basketball brand." While Converse has increased
its number of NBA endorsers, company Dir of Marketing for
Basketball Pete Blacklow said that it "does not intend to
make pro players 'the story behind the shoe.'" Blacklow:
"We talked a bit in the last year or so of getting away from
the endorser shoe or hero product. This is definitely not
going back to that formula. We won't be coming out with a
signature Karl Malone shoe." Blacklow said that "there are
no plans yet" to use Malone in ads (BOSTON HERALD, 10/26).
NU SPORTS ATTITUDE: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Liz
Mullen reports that Nu Skin has inked a two-year endorsement
deal with Malone as part of a "major sports marketing push"
that also includes its new Olympic sponsorship (see THE
DAILY, 10/18) (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/25 issue).
