Inside Pitch: Bleiler One Of Many Prominent Snowboarders

By Jon Show, Senior Staff Writer

THE DAILY continues "Inside Pitch," which over the next two weeks will profile U.S. Olympic athletes and their endorsements. Today we feature snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, who won a Silver Medal in this morning’s halfpipe competition. Bleiler is part of a group of snowboarders dubbed “The Collection” that is managed by Octagon Dir of Olympics & Action Sports Peter Carlisle. An attractive, well-decorated athlete, Bleiler has posed in provocative photo shoots for the pages of FHM and ESPN The Magazine, and filmed three 24 Hour Fitness TV spots for these Games. Without being specific, Carlisle said some of Bleiler’s sponsors that do not have Olympic rights are planning promotions after the Games.

PARTNER	CATEGORY	SINCE
Aspen/Snowmass	Resort	^
Oakley	Apparel, Eyewear	2001
K2	Snowboard	2002
Grandoe	Gloves	2003
Giro	Helmets	2003
Swix	Wax	2003
Napster	Downloaded Music	2005
Snickers^^	Candy/Confectionary	2005
Nick.com^^	Media	2005
24 Hour Fitness	Fitness	2005

NOTES: ^ Exact origination date unknown. ^^ Group deal signed with The Collection.

Bleiler’s Portfolio Includes Magazine Spreads And TV Spots

STRATEGY: Carlisle said the marketing strategy for Bleiler, and successful snowboarders in general, differs from the average Olympian. Carlisle: “You have a little more leverage and a little more risk in committing to an Olympic-based deal where it would impact her marketability in the snowboarding industry and the action sports industry. You really don’t have that with the traditional Olympic athletes. ... The window for those guys is so much smaller than the snowboarders.” The advantage lies in the amount of promotion Bleiler gets through annual TV exposure of snowboard events. Carlisle: “The out-of-industry deals that she has, or that she will get, won’t be entirely predicated upon performance at the Olympics. The strategy that you apply to other Olympic athletes is purely an Olympic play and it’s totally dependent upon results at the Games.” Carlisle said Bleiler’s Olympic appearance “enhances her marketability and increases the value” of her sponsorship deals, but he added, “I suspect she’d probably have most of those deals even if she didn’t compete in the Olympics.” A number of companies have inquired about using Bleiler in a one-off around the Games, but the focus of Carlisle and Bleiler is on the long-term. Carlisle: “You have to ask yourself, ‘Do you expect that there will be another suitor in that category after the Games?’ ... For Gretchen it’s less likely you would do a deal like that.”

SKIN IS IN: Bleiler has not shied away from using her sex appeal in suggestive magazine spreads. Carlisle: “She’s interested in continuing to do those types of things on a case-by-case basis, but I wouldn’t say there is a concerted effort to push her out there in that way. ... She is interested in doing more fashion-oriented stuff. We’re actively involved in those types of things — more fashion and health and beauty.”

BANDING TOGETHER: The Collection is a group of six snowboarders that, in effect, have formed a group licensing agreement to help expand their portfolios. But each individual retains exclusivity for any category left unfilled by the group as a whole. Snickers signed on last year for a two-year stint as the group’s presenting sponsor. Carlisle: “I don’t think Snickers would have jumped into this sport for one-off individual athlete deals.”