In terms of "social-media eyeballs -- which typically relate to a younger and often more desirable demographic, it appears that mascots leave celebrity endorsers in the dust," according to Bruce Horovitz of USA TODAY. NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, who is sponsored by Go Daddy, finished "about four times higher than any other celebrity endorser in brand-related social-media buzz" in a social-media research report conducted by Synthesio. Company co-Founder & CEO Loic Moisand said that the result is "in part because Patrick often mentions GoDaddy in tweets." He added, "She appears reachable." Meanwhile, Moisand said Heat F LeBron James "probably brings a lot of value to Nike, but in terms of social media and Nike, he has virtually no value at all." Moisand suggests that Nike "consider dumping LeBron in its social-media branding and, perhaps, replace him with some sort of Swoosh-like mascot." Nike North America Media Relations Dir KeJuan Wilkins said that Nike "has no such plans." He added, "It's important to note that LeBron's overall social presence is independent of Nike -- a presence that he uses as a vehicle to connect with his fans." Horovitz notes Nike's relationship with James "ranked No. 3 in brand-related social-media buzz among all celebrity endorsers -- behind Patrick for GoDaddy and singer Rihanna for Cover Girl." But all of them, "except Patrick, were bested in brand social-media buzz not only by the Pillsbury Doughboy, but also by the Aflac Duck, 'Flo' for Progressive Insurance and Geico's Gecko" (USA TODAY, 6/10).
