The Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals represents a chance for Under Armour and endorser Stephen Curry to "challenge Nike Inc.’s decades of basketball dominance," according to Matthew Townsend of BLOOMBERG NEWS. UA, which "is about a 10th the size of Nike in sales," took a "chance on Curry, signing him away from Nike before last season." UA Exec VP/Global Marketing Adam Peake said that to "capitalize on the moment, the company may air television commercials during the games," and added that it "also plans to release Curry-themed videos and other content through social media." SportsOneSource data shows that the Curry One, UA’s first shoe named after a basketball player that was released in February, "has helped the company’s basketball-shoe sales triple this year in the U.S." SportsOneSource VP/Business Development Neil Schwartz said that the shoe "sold out, thanks in part to limited supply." Townsend notes UA "kept inventories low -- a strategy Nike has used for decades to drive demand -- and it worked." However, Townsend notes even when a shoe company "is blessed with a red-hot athlete, it can be hard to capitalize on it." Former NBAer Allen Iverson was with Reebok "when he was arguably the most popular player in the league," but he "did little to chip away at Nike’s empire." Meanwhile, with Curry making his first Finals appearance, his exposure and popularity "will probably surge." Marketing consultant Shawn Bryant said that Curry’s diminutive stature "only adds to his appeal." Curry’s 2-year-old daughter, Riley, "also has broadened his appeal" (
BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/4).
WARRIORS, COME OUT AND PLAY: CNN MONEY's Paul La Monica reports should the Warriors win the NBA title, Curry's sponsorship potential "could explode." Octagon Sports' Jeff Austin, who reps Curry, said that he has been "fielding many calls from potential sponsors as the season progressed." Austin: "We've got a lot of things coming at us. I've told him we'll sit down after the season is over and talk about current partners and possible future partners." La Monica notes UA is Curry's "most well-known partner," but he also has deals with State Farm, Express, Kaiser Permanente, Degree deodorant and Muscle Milk. Curry recently signed with JBL and he "has a relationship with 2K Sports." Curry plays in Silicon Valley, and Austin said that some tech companies "are interested in Curry as a spokesman," though no deal has been reached yet. Austin did say that featuring Riley Curry in any ads "is definitely not in the cards." Austin: "We have had companies wanting to send up products for Riley but this is not a direction Stephen wants to pursue" (MONEY.CNN.com, 6/4).
SILVER SCREEN: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver this week discussed the marketability of his league's stars, saying, "If you watch our games or any sporting event these days, it’s amazing to me how many commercials feature NBA players.” He added many of the ads feature the players “out of uniform” and "every one of those companies … are investing tremendous amounts of money and buying primetime inventory to support those commercial campaigns." Silver: "It’s the kind of marketing where the NBA independently is just scratching the surface. But when you have huge marketing partners around the league promoting our players, it’s a virtuous circle and keeps growing the popularity of the game." He said seeing players in commercials is an "indicator of how relevant the NBA has become over the last several years" ("Francesa," WFAN-AM, 6/2).
