Laila Ali Gaining Exposure Through New Partnerships
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| Laila Ali's Brand Steadily Growing |
Boxer Laila Ali has seen her "profile skyrocket" since her third-place finish on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" in '07, according to Terry Stanley of BRANDWEEK. Since the show, she has hosted NBC's "American Gladiators" and CBS' "Early Show." Meanwhile, Ali and her reps are "in discussion for various licensing deals, and she's set for more rounds of exposure via 5 million boxes of Kellogg's Smart Start cereal, a new series on Nickelodeon's teen channel The N and a Subway sponsorship that will focus on healthy choices while eating for two (Ali's pregnant with her first child)." Ali's Subway deal was inked before her pregnancy, and the company "decided to delay the co-promotion slightly but take advantage of the life stage that Ali is now in." Premier Sports & Entertainment President Eric Kaufman said Ali "has a unique selling point in that she's relatable to a lot of demos." Kaufman said that the strategy is to "focus on building her as a long-term brand in areas like wellness, cooking, beauty and mom-to-be products, apparel and fitness gear." Stanley notes overall, Ali is "considered one of the country's top female athlete endorsers," with "some $4[M] in deals with adidas, Vaseline and Vicks" (BRANDWEEK, 6/2 issue).
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