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Marketing and Sponsorship

Serena Williams' Pregnancy Likely To Boost Sponsorship, Experts Say

A pregnant Serena Williams makes the tennis player "even more attractive to corporate sponsors, allowing her to extend her reach into maternity wear and motherhood products," sponsorship industry execs said, according to Ben Klayman of REUTERS. Williams, 35, on Wednesday confirmed her pregnancy. She is "already known around the world for her dominance of women's tennis," but pregnancy would make her "even more likeable in the eyes of the wider public," sponsorship experts said. McCarter & English attorney Gary Fechter, who has represented companies in sponsorship deals, said, "You take an iconic name who's now a brand and you add pregnancy to it, you get a happy story. This just makes her even more valuable." Williams "could add to her earnings by appealing to new audiences," the experts said. Existing sponsors "could tell new stories with an expecting superstar athlete," and new corporate sponsors "might sign up with the mom-to-be as well." IEG SVP Jim Andrews said, "This just adds another dimension to Serena the person." Industry officials agreed that "no existing sponsor would ever drop Williams" as a spokesperson because she remains "at the top of her sport" and any move by a company to distance itself from a pregnant woman would "likely be heavily panned by the public." Doug Shableman, president of Burns Entertainment, which matches celebrities with corporate sponsors, said, "There are a lot of different products and a lot of different brands that will feature families, motherhood, young kids and here's somebody who would be potentially a great working mom if she continues her career" (REUTERS, 4/19).

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