The companies endorsed by Colts QB Andrew Luck may "appear to have hit certain pay dirt," but he is "anything but a sure thing -- at least not yet," according to Anthony Schoettle of the INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Schoettle: "Luck is not yet a household name. Not even close." Corporate interests are "often looking for larger-than-life figures that transcend the sport they play," and Davie-Brown Index data shows that Luck "ranks far behind the NFL’s biggest stars in almost every category measured." Only 36% of U.S. consumers "know who Luck is," compared with 45% who are aware of Redskins QB Robert Griffin III and 83% who aware of Broncos QB Peyton Manning. Griffin rated No. 18 out of more than 3,000 celebrities "in terms of how much the American public aspires to be like him," while Luck ranked No. 126 in that category. That is "largely a function of exposure." Companies looking to boost the image of their products are willing, despite the risks, to "roll the dice on what Luck could become," as his "clean image, his Stanford degree and his articulate yet aw-shucks demeanor make him a good bet." Deals with Luck are a "much bigger gamble for companies, like Klipsch, who are not as directly involved in the sports world as some of Luck’s other corporate partners such as Nike and Body Armor" (IBJ.com, 9/18).
