Wizards Players Brand Watch (off-court stuff)

[keynote]

Hey, all:
I noticed that Damian Lillard just signed a mammoth deal with Adidas. If the size of that deal is any indication, he's clearly ahead of Wall on Adidas' endorsement roster.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nb ... a/7169799/

(note: Wall's name isn't even mentioned in the article)

I had hoped that Wall's showing during All-Star Weekend had given him an outside chance to become the heir apparent to Adidas' marketing machine, but unless Adidas plans on giving Wall a similar deal when his current contract is up, it looks like they're gonna run with Dame.

In any event, I'm not sure if a post like this belongs in the Wall thread: that should probably be focused on his performance and development as a player, not as a brand. It's off-topic for the "Wizards in the Media" thread. So, I'm starting a thread for off-court, brand-related topics. E.g., Wall's recruiting of Desean could've gone here; as could a post about Gortat's work with the Polish embassy. Back in the day, posts on Etan's poetry slams and Baltche's Lapdance Tuesdays could've been stashed here as well.

Thoughts? Mods: if you have a better solution, feel free to move this where you see fit.

[Illmatic21]

Wall should just move to Nike.

Most of the Adidas bball sig lines are hideous too

[keynote]

Wall should just move to Nike.

Most of the Adidas bball sig lines are hideous too

I'm a solid Nike buyer as well. I'm mainly glad that Wall was able to transition out of Reeboks. I've had terrible experiences with Reebok basketball shoes -- both in terms of quality and in terms of customer service.

In any event: I wonder whether Wall's "competition" for Adidas dollars and marketing power isn't Lillard, so much as it is RGIII. Adidas is solidly behind RGIII, and he's a bigger name in the same market. Sure, they'd be promoting different products, but every endorser is primarily promoting the overall brand, no?

[Illmatic21]

Wall should just move to Nike.

Most of the Adidas bball sig lines are hideous too

I'm a solid Nike buyer as well. I'm mainly glad that Wall was able to transition out of Reeboks. I've had terrible experiences with Reebok basketball shoes -- both in terms of quality and in terms of customer service.

In any event: I wonder whether Wall's "competition" for Adidas dollars and marketing power isn't Lillard, so much as it is RGIII. Adidas is solidly behind RGIII, and he's a bigger name in the same market. Sure, they'd be promoting different products, but every endorser is primarily promoting the overall brand, no?

Idk if I'd say that, Adidas basketball and Adidas football are kinda like two separate entities. You can still have two major stars in different sports, but it's tough with the same sport.

With Rose falling off, Lillard is the new face of Adidas basketball. There just isn't going to be room for anyone else.

Wall does have a sig line coming out next year, but the prototype looks pretty awful imo:



I think he'll play out his adidas contract then switch to Nike asap, if he's smart. There's more competition over at Nike but also more money, and hopefully by then he'll be a bigger star.

[keynote]

With Rose falling off, Lillard is the new face of Adidas basketball. There just isn't going to be room for anyone else.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.

Wall does have a sig line coming out next year, but the prototype looks pretty awful imo:



I think he'll play out his adidas contract then switch to Nike asap, if he's smart. There's more competition over at Nike but also more money, and hopefully by then he'll be a bigger star.

That prototype is ugly, agreed. But it looks like they have some tooling left to do on the midsole. Maybe they'll give Wall that new Boost cushioning system that they've been trotting out in their running shoes, .e.g.,
http://burntech.tv/wp-content/uploads/2 ... detail.jpg

[Illmatic21]

With Rose falling off, Lillard is the new face of Adidas basketball. There just isn't going to be room for anyone else.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.

Wall does have a sig line coming out next year, but the prototype looks pretty awful imo:



I think he'll play out his adidas contract then switch to Nike asap, if he's smart. There's more competition over at Nike but also more money, and hopefully by then he'll be a bigger star.

That prototype is ugly, agreed. But it looks like they have some tooling left to do on the midsole. Maybe they'll give Wall that new Boost cushioning system that they've been trotting out in their running shoes, .e.g.,
http://burntech.tv/wp-content/uploads/2 ... detail.jpg

Ha, yeah I sure hope they're going to improve on that design. I don't wear adidas shoes so I have no idea if that stuff works or not. But if it's a light/comfortable shoe it will do well

[keynote]

Kyrie's disappointing 2013-14 season hasn't appeared to hurt his off-court marketability one bit. I was in the grocery store, and I saw this:

(FWIW, it was right next to John Cena's Fruity Pebbles version)


Kyrie certainly isn't LeBron, and he certainly isn't Kobe or KD, in terms of market presence. But he's probably right there in that third tier with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Kyrie has deals with Pepsi, Chevy, and Post Cereal -- in addition to the obligatory sneaker deal. And this despite the fact that he's in a small market on an unsuccessful team. It's not like he has Griffin's gifted comic timing, either.

I'd like to see Wall get some endorsements -- including some commercials where he's doing more than simulating basketball highlights on moodily-lit courts.

[JWizmentality]

Kyrie...never have I seen a player that has accomplished so little garner so much attention.

[keynote]

Kyrie...never have I seen a player that has accomplished so little garner so much attention.

Agreed. And Irving will probably get the nod to replace Westbrook on Team USA this fall to boot.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/russell-we ... 42199.html

[Wizardspride]

Wall needs to think outside the ball (box).

Under Armour.

[keynote]

Wall needs to think outside the ball.

Under Armour.

That'd be a good look, but they're rolling w/ Stephen Curry for now. I haven't seen any ads for Curry, either, so I don't know if their ad budget can compete w/ Nike or Adidas.

[JWizmentality]

Kyrie...never have I seen a player that has accomplished so little garner so much attention.

Actually no I take that back. Lolo Jones....but she has boobs.

[keynote]

Kyrie...never have I seen a player that has accomplished so little garner so much attention.

Actually no I take that back. Lolo Jones....but she has boobs.

Yeah, the rules of marketability are completely different in women's sports.

[pancakes3]

Kyrie sparked lightning with his crossovers (especially the ones on Knight on all star weekend) and bottled up that lightning with his Uncle Drew commercials. It's really as fickly stupid as that. FWIW, I really like underarmor's shoes and I've never been a guy who bought shoes based on who endorsed it or understood why someone would. Pricepoint, quality, and comfort.

[keynote]

I see Wall is doing some endorsements for Diddy's Sean John clothing line. Coming soon to a Macy's near you...?

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/07/ ... oot-video/

[keynote]

Here's a better look at John Wall's new personal logo w/ Adidas:


https://twitter.com/NBACourtside_/statu ... 20/photo/1

[keynote]

Bumped.

Wall and Adidas are at a bit of a standoff, it seems:

http://www.nicekicks.com/2015/12/30/inside-john-walls-sneaker-free-agency-break-with-adidas/

As both sides made progress towards a new extension this summer, the discussed number was hovering around a guaranteed base of $5 Million per year – a noted jump from his prior deal, and landing Wall in the same tier as fellow signature athletes Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard.

Make no mistake about it, the relentlessly splashy $200 Million headlines surrounding James Harden’s sneaker free agency and eventual 13-year adidas deal most certainly became a factor in Wall’s negotiations as the summer progressed.

After appearing to be headed towards agreeing to terms with adidas, the Harden numbers clouded where Wall’s representatives felt his true market value should land.

“They wanted Harden money,” another source simply said.

John’s agents pushed hard towards the $10 Million mark, to no avail. Much like the NBA’s restricted free agency window, there was a “match clause” on Wall’s shoe deal, meaning his agents at Relativity Sports had the summer of 2015 to take pitches from other brands, and adidas could fully match any new offer Wall agreed to.

The problem was that John Wall simply had no other brands making a concrete offer. No other brand was offering the coveted trio of pure cash, marketing push and a signature line. The offers just weren’t there.

Nonetheless, adidas still stepped up to make what was considered a sizable direct offer of their own, eventually meeting halfway between their $5 Million starting offer and Wall’s $10 Million asking price, according to multiple sources.

Wall simply declined the extension offer.

While he’s an All-Star point guard in a major market, with an explosive and exciting game, his signature shoe track record of poor sales and his lackluster social media presence unfortunately makes it all but impossible for Wall to command a new deal in the $10 Million range that he was hoping for. His window for leverage towards “Harden money” was last summer, as it’s the restricted match clause that can spike the dollars so high.

I haven't been impressed with Wall's image handlers -- both the team @ Monumental Sports, and his own team. Wall is playing all-star quality basketball in a lucrative consumer market. His style of play (exciting passes, ball-handling tricks; blinding speed) generates lots of highlights. Yet he's simply not thought of as an elite player or an elite endorser. On-court success helps, but it is by no means the only criteria for off-court endorsement success (otherwise, we'd be seeing a lot more of Kawhi Leonard). And Wall's been to the second round for two straight seasons -- which should be good enough to earn some shine. More shine than he gets, anyway.

I'm not one to lecture players for going out and partying after games, but the fact that Wall is a sneaker FA means that he should be more careful to curate and promote his brand. Which means getting caught on video spraying $40K at a strip club may not be a wise move. It also means that he shouldn't be whining in the press about all-star votes, and commenting on other players' salaries. All that seemingly minor, unrelated stuff chips away at his marketability. I'd wager that Wall's relatively low star wattage played a big role in the NBA's decision to showcase Anthony Davis and the Pelicans over Wall and the Wizards for the Christmas game.

If this were Year One, I'd chalk it up to the ongoing ripple effects from Cowherd's dog-whistle hatchet job. But that was a long time ago. Wall's image team(s) should've come up with a way to dig him out of that hole by now.

[Dark Faze]

If he was given a deal on par with Kyrie and Damian--then that was absolutely market value.

I think he effed up. Nike may not even want to offer Wall anything--they have a strong stable as is.

If we land KD this summer--then he'll get a much better deal. Only then though.

[doclinkin]

What was the stat where John Wall was the athlete most followed by other athletes on twitter? I think the smart way to go would be to market John Wall as a pro's pro, to take that outsider no respect status and elevate it a secret club that you're only allowed into if you know what you're talking about. " If you don't know then you just don't know". I would publicly market the disprespect that he gets, and encourage Wall to shrug and shake his head and give a knowing smile.

Then blitz with ads of coaches and other players' quotes discussing how he took them apart on any given night or erased their shot off the blackboards, came out of nowhere like a ninja. Same way his highschool superstardom was unknown. Use his stealth superstar status to promote him as the real gritty true underground baller. Low key, no big deal, overlook him if you want to, but if you don't know then you just don't know.

That'd be my pitch.

[doclinkin]

And yes, UnderArmor would be the first place I'd go. Creep into Durant's back yard. I'm taking over your City KD. And promote JW not just for sneakers but clothes, sunglasses, headphones, whatever. The shoes almost as an afterthought, like yeah of COURSE the shoes, but really the EVERYTHING else. There's more offcourt time in an athlete's life than anything else. So if you see him branded even off the court then his hanging out with other famous names just promotes his own gear. I might go low key on the sneakers. Classy not flashy, able to be worn off court as well as on. Let his game speak for itself. Literal and metaphorical game.