LeBron James' Marketing Efforts Examined In Esquire Profile
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| James Quickly Building Marketing Empire |
Cavaliers F LeBron James is profiled by Esquire's Lisa Taddeo as part of the magazine's series on the 75 most influential people of the 21st century. James said of firing his former agent Aaron Goodwin in '05 and beginning his own sports-marketing company, LRMR, with three of his childhood friends, "For me to grow as a businessman, and for me to become a man, I've decided I've got to start working with guys I trust." LRMR Marketing CEO Maverick Carter said, "One thing we do differently, we like to control -- well, control is a bad word -- we like to be involved in every aspect of the brand we're partnered with: who they're advertising with, what the advertiser looks like -- if it's a commercial, then who's the director? We really strive on the management side once a deal is done, so it becomes a partnership, not just a deal where they pay LeBron, he shows up." Carter added: "The biggest deal we've said no to was $2.5[M] a year. Now that's per year. ... It wasn't necessarily that the brand wasn't right. It just wasn't the right time for LeBron to do it." Taddeo wrote, "Powerful people from powerful companies have gathered like gabardine moths to the halogen glow of LeBron James," whose sponsors include Nike, Coca-Cola, State Farm, Upper Deck, MSN, Cub Cadet and WePlay. LRMR also is "developing a sitcom with ABC based on LeBron," and LRMR is "in talks with H.G. 'Buzz' Bissinger about writing a book" about James. Upper Deck VP Adam Sullins said, "If you have a guy who's as comfortable in front of the camera as LeBron, combined with the global reach of media today, yeah, you're gonna see somewhat of a perfect storm, something that's never been seen before and will be unparalleled." Taddeo: "Ask [James] what his favorite drink is, what he likes to order when he's out, and you mean cocktail, but right off, LeBron says Vitamin Water. ... He's a raging endorser; thanks to Maverick, he is always on. He knows how to be bipartisan, modeled after [Michael] Jordan. But he doesn't have the Jordan glimmer yet. LeBron hasn't proved it yet. Because he's not Jordan. Yet" (ESQUIRE, 10/ '08 issue).
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