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Marketing and Sponsorship

Some U.S. Olympic Hopefuls Having Trouble Signing Sponsorships Before Pyeongchang

With the Pyeongchang Games approaching, U.S. Olympians like biathlete Lowell Bailey and snowboarder Alex Deibold are "finding a different sponsorship landscape than the one they anticipated," according to Rachel Axon of USA TODAY. Bailey "hasn’t signed with any sponsors" yet despite being a medal contender. Deibold has signed with Lululemon, Bose and "some smaller sponsors," but has been "doing the legwork of pitching himself and reading contracts." These Olympians are facing the "shifting reality" that "medals are nice, but they’re not enough." Bailey said, “It’s a tricky dilemma for an elite athlete at the Olympic level because it takes a lot of time and effort to get to the Olympic level and compete at this level. To then turn your focus from that to trying to build social media branding or brand recognition, I can say for sure it doesn’t come naturally to me.” Deibold said, “I sort of have these expectations that I would have thought more doors would have opened, and I’m finding out how hard it is. You have to work so hard to capitalize on an opportunity.” Toyota North America Olympic Marketing Group Manager Dedra DeLilli said, “We primarily focus on athletes that have interesting, compelling stories to tell that very much align with our brand story. I think a large social media presence is icing on the cake, but it’s not a core requirement for our athletes.” DeLilli also said that "deciding who to sign is a holistic decision" with the company "looking also at diversity in ethnicity, gender and a variety of sports." But athletes "aren’t the only ones seeking support before the Games." The NGBs for each sport also "sign sponsors, and US Biathlon -- like Bailey, its best athlete -- is still looking for a title sponsor" (USA TODAY, 12/21).

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