Stafford May Struggle To Ink Endorsements In Current Climate
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Advertisers May Be Leery Of Signing Stafford
Because Of Economy, Lions' Record |
Advertisers both locally in Detroit and nationally "may be leery" of signing Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford as an endorser due to the "catastrophic economy, the Lions' winless 2008 season and the specter of the failed Joey Harrington still looming over the team," according to Bill Shea of CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS. The Radiate Group Exec VP/Sports & Entertainment Jan Katzoff said of Stafford, "He's going to be one of the most challenged No. 1 draft picks. When you factor that in with not only the global economy but what Detroit is dealing with, you've got factors nobody else is dealing with." Shea notes that is a "change from just two years ago," when QB Brady Quinn came into the NFL Draft "already armed with deals from Subway, Hummer, Xbox, Nike and Sprint." Quinn, who was selected by the Browns with the No. 22 pick, has started "just three games since then, but has become the marketing face of the team." IMG's Alan Zucker, who reps Stafford, said that he is "in talks for a handful of national and local deals." Zucker: "There's not a ton of them, and the ones we're working on are not available for release at this point. They're all in contractual form right now." Zucker added, "It's much easier to get national deals in New York and Los Angeles than Detroit, but there's much more going on in those cities." Meanwhile, Katzoff predicted that Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez, the No. 5 pick in the draft, could earn $5-10M in '10 in endorsement "if he performs well in what is potentially the most lucrative market in the NFL" (CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS, 5/25 issue).
TOUGH SELL: In Detroit, Terry Foster writes, "Let's look at why Stafford's endorsements won't ring true -- unless, of course, he becomes an elite quarterback." Stafford "plays in an area with a depressed economy," and he "plays for the Lions, who went 0-16 last season." The Detroit area "hasn't had a national endorser despite big stars such as Isiah Thomas, Steve Yzerman and Ben Wallace." Also, the Lions "don't plan on marketing Stafford the individual" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/28).
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