Assuring that The Greatest’s legacy endures commercially falls to Authentic Brands Group, a firm that also represents the estates of the King of Pop, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll and Hollywood’s ultimate blonde.
ABG, which handles the commercial estates of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, in late 2013 bought the vast majority — sources said 80 percent — of the rights to Muhammad Ali’s intellectual property, along with a collection of memorabilia, more than 11,000 photos and signature trademarks such as “The Greatest of All Time” and “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
During an interview last week at ABG’s New York offices, Chairman and CEO Jamie Salter said his main concern was getting his family to Louisville, Ky., for the funeral. However, he said that in the approximately 2 1/2 years since acquiring the Ali IP, sales income from licenses and commercial endorsements have grown five times.
Among the deals added by ABG were TV ads for Toyota (a 2015 Super Bowl ad) and more recently Porsche, in which Ali boxes himself. On the licensing side, there has been a deal with Under Armour that promised a comprehensive line of men’s, women’s and kids footwear, apparel and accessories, but thus far the collection has been largely T-shirts. Among the 50 licensees or so in the Ali stable, Salter also pointed to apparel brand Roots of Fight.
“You don’t see many celebrities that pass without any baggage, but Ali did,” Salter said. “You can make the argument that Ali was not only the greatest athlete, but the greatest person of all time, and that is why I am taking my kids to the memorial service.”
Around 75 percent of Ali licensing revenue is from the United States. Salter said that during the past week “your typical candidates have called. The ones we are taking inquiries from are from Asia, Latin America and Europe. So we are hoping to have that split to 50/50 by next year.”
Salter said to watch for an endorsement deal, signed with a big accessories brand before Ali’s death, to be rolled out before the end of the year. There are deals in the works for commemorative coins, social gaming, another Ali documentary film, and even a Broadway play is in the works.
“Sports equipment will be an interesting opportunity,” Salter said. “I could see a whole gym concept now that was probably not appropriate before. … Maybe supplements. We will just stick to the DNA of who he was — a champion athlete and a humanitarian.”
