Inside Pitch: Shaun White Could Be Breakout Star In Turin

White Could Be Breakout Marketing Star Of Winter Games

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 Shaun White, who reportedly earns around $1M annually in endorsements and is favored to win gold in Sunday’s halfpipe competition. Mark Ervin of IMG has been representing the 19-year-old multi-sport phenom for 3-1/2 years. Projected as a potential breakout star at these Games, White has already appeared in a national Pepsi campaign with Jeff Gordon, Alex Rodriguez and Freddy Adu. He has also been the subject of MTV’s popular “Cribs” and “Punk’d” series and co-starred in Universal Pictures snowboarding documentary “First Descent.” Also a successful professional skateboarder, White’s endorsements span both of his athletic pursuits

PARTNER	CATEGORY	LENGTH OF DEAL (YRS)
Burton	Snowboard	12
Volcom	Streetwear	5
Oakley	Eyewear	5
Birdhouse	Skateboard	4
Adio	Shoe	2
Mountain Dew	Beverage	3
PlayStation	Console	5
Target	Department Store	4

WHITE STRIPE: Ervin said his strategy in marketing White is to depict him in an authentic manner. Ervin: “Our goal is to align him with brands and projects he believes in that properly reflect his personality.” His deal with Burton includes an outerwear collection and a signature line of boards. He also has signature goggles and sunglasses with Oakley. As far as the Target deal, Ervin said, “You see a balance between Shaun’s sponsors, between mainstream and more core brands.” Ervin added that there are a couple of national campaigns under discussion to feature White, and points to his appearance in the Pepsi campaign last summer as an example of White’s “transcendence of action sports.” He has also filmed a national spot for the Sony PSP. The creation of year-round action sports events and White’s skateboarding interests has helped to boost his exposure and marketability. Ervin: “The fact that Shaun competes on a year-round basis is attractive to companies because it creates an ongoing platform to activate sponsorships and the like.”