By Laurie Lindenbaum

Growing up, it was always exciting to watch major sporting events, though I was never one for bundling up, going out in the freezing cold and participating in winter sports. Watching the winter Olympics was always a highlight when it came to sports on TV and ice skating was, by far, my favorite event. While I can no longer rattle off the names of all the current figure skaters, the media have kept me abreast of some of the big names to watch – Apolo Ohno,¬ Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White.

With the explosive growth of the Internet and social networking along with general media coverage, I can be kept updated on all Olympic activities 24/7. The official Olympic Facebook page, for example, has nearly one million fans, with updates and images posted regularly. Not to mention the Tweets taking place around the clock and the videos on YouTube.

But for these athletes, it isn’t just their athletic ability that is being monitored and reported about. While all athletes are hoping for gold – or silver or bronze – there is more on the line for leading athletes than standing on the medal stand – they are building a great brand – themselves! After all, endorsements are on the line, and to get endorsements they have to be the complete package – the personality, likeability and relatability of a star.

It goes without saying that you have to be a great athlete to compete in the Olympics, but the personalities and stories that go along with the players are what the fans love. Learning the behind-the-scene stories of leading athletes, we connect with them emotionally and root for them regardless of their nationality, either because they overcame a major obstacle to get where they are today, or they are young with a promising future. Marketing products and communicating about them is very similar – there needs to be an emotional connection to products of interest.

Once the competition is over and the torch has been extinguished, for many athletes, the “games” will first begin, as the business and marketing deals take shape. As the athletes’ loyal supporters, we will continue to follow them as I am pretty sure many of these athletes will not only go home with medals, but will get to enjoy sizeable endorsements as a result of their successful “brand” marketing. Whether Ohno winds up on a box of Wheaties or Vonn endorses Chapstick (remember Olympic skier Picabo Street), these athletes will continue “selling” themselves to potential customers, and we’ll continue listening.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 9:44 pm and is filed under Talking PR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.