Inside Pitch: Steven Lopez, Family Fight For Sponsorship Exposure
By William Cooper, Staff Writer
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Lopez (l) With Siblings Mark, Diana And
Jean Before Opening Ceremony In Beijing |
U.S. taekwondo athlete Steven Lopez followed Gold Medals at the '00 Sydney Games and the '04 Athens Games, the only two previous Olympiads in which taekwondo had been contested, with a Bronze Medal today in the men's 80 kg welterweight weight class. Steven and brother Mark, who won the Silver Medal in the men's 68 kg weight class, and sister Diana, who won the Bronze Medal in the women's 57 kg weight class, are repped by Ann Bleiker and her brother, Cecil Bleiker, of ABC Sports Management. Bleiker said she and her brother have attempted to push the Lopez family “as a package deal.” The Lopezes are the first three or more sibling group to make the same U.S. Olympic team in 104 years. All three Lopezes are featured as part of Hilton’s “Be Hospitable Traveler Program,” as well as in AT&T’s “Tips & Training” campaign. Family has been particularly stressed by Hilton, as the company has done a satellite media tour with the three Lopezes and their parents, whose flight, hotel and food accommodations to China were provided by Hilton. The chart below lists all of Steven’s endorsement deals.
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SPONSOR
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CATEGORY
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SINCE
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Visa
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Payment Services
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'05
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| Coca-Cola |
Beverage |
'07
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| AT&T |
Telecomm |
'07
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| Hilton |
Hotel Accommodation |
'08
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MULTILINGUAL ADVANTAGE: Bleiker said the fact Steven, Mark and Diana all can speak Spanish “adds another element for sponsors and I think that’s shown with the different sponsors that that’s something they are interested in as well, to reach out to the Hispanic community and get them involved in the Olympic movement.” AT&T is running three ads in Spanish featuring Steven, Mark and Diana as well as one ad featuring the entire Lopez family. The ads are running in 22 markets with a large Hispanic presence and represent the first time AT&T has developed Olympic advertising that is aimed at Hispanics. Bleiker added going forward she is targeting “basically any and all categories” for Steven and is working with sponsors to promote “the Hispanic angle.”
DANCE MOVES: Bleiker said after the Olympics she and her brother will try to “keep momentum going,” in hopes of keeping Steven’s story in the forefront. Bleiker said they will look into marketing Steven during the 2010 Vancouver Games in hopes of securing sponsorships for the 2012 London Olympics. Bleiker also said that Steven is interested in ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” and they currently are working to feature him in the next season of the popular show. A final announcement in regard to the season’s contestants will come Monday.
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