OUGD505 - Study Task 1 - Trainers: Celebrity Endorsements

Celebrity endorsements are a large part of consumerism. They're sometimes the persuasion that people need to buy the product. In terms of sneakers, these endorsements have played a huge part in gaining popularity and loyal customers for the brands.

Keds
Taylor Swift

With Keds being the original sneaker company, they needed something to really bring them to modern day and keep up with the countless endorsement deals that are done by brands such as Adidas or Nike.
To do this they have recently signed Taylor Swift to endorse the product, which features a ad campaign, centred around Taylor and her life. What they have also done is created a section on their website which is 'Taylor Swift for Keds Collection' - a collection of patterns/designs created on collaboration between Keds and Taylor.

Nike
Nike is very well known for having a lot of big endorsement deals with the biggest stars in a variety of sports. Recently they have ventured out from sport and started using people in popular culture such as Kanye West.

Maria Sharapova - $70 million

Sharapova signed a deal with Nike, recently extending it until she is thirty, and taking the endorsement up to a price of $70 million. This is the largest endorsement for a female athlete. This endorsement features a collection of tennis-wear designed for Nike specifically for Sharapova, which is also on sale to the public.

LeBron James - $93 Million

In 2003 LeBron James secured a deal of $93 million for seven years. This included a range of shoes named after James. In 2010 when this deal ended, Nike gave him a new one for a longer period of time. None of the details have been specified but it is believed that it is for a similar amount of cash as his first deal.

Tiger Woods - $100 million

Woods has been endorsed by Nike since the beginning of his professional career. He recently signed a new deal with them for $100 million over five years.

Rory McIlroy - $250 million

McIlroy is the newest golf endorsement for Nike, signing a deal in early 2013. His deal is $250 million over ten years/

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan as been with Nike since 1984. From this endorsement Nike created the popular range of sneaker 'Air Jordan', which Jordan got royalties for.

Kobe Bryant - $40 million/5 yrs

Kobe Bryant is one of the most successful basketball players ever, and recently renewed a contract with Nike for $40 million for 5 years.

Kanye West

Outside Nike's usual sportsperson endorsement, Nike struck a deal with Kanye West to collaborate on designing sneakers. Selling at a limited release, both pairs of shoes designed by West have done remarkably well. The 'Yeezy II' has become the most expensive sneaker of all time after someone spent $93,000 to buy it on ebay.

Adidas
Adidas are also well known for investing a lot of money in celebrity endorsements with the biggest stars in sports, and have recently moved onto popular culture in a big to get a younger audience interested.

David Beckham - $160 million

David Beckham signed a lifetime contract with Adidas in 2003. He has already been paid half the $160 million, and on top of this, get's royalties and paid promotional work. Adidas endorsement money is counted are 15% of Beckham's income.

Derrick Rose - $260 million

Derrick Rose's endorsement deal of $260 million is the largest deal ever done in endorsement. In 2012 Adidas extended his deal for 14 years, putting the total up to $260 million.

Katy Perry, Justin Biber & Selena Gomez

Adidas has also started to endorse popular culture. After the success of Kanye West with Nike, it seemed Adidas wanted to get in on that too, so has recently signed deals with Katy Perry, Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez to endorse the company. Bieber & Gomez are currently endorsing the 'Neo' range, which is street wear for teenagers.

Converse
Converse started the trend of celebrity endorsements way back in the 1920's. Since then they have collaborated with celebrities instead of just endorsing them.

Chuck Taylor

Taylor is the first endorsement Converse ever made, and probably the most famous ever in how Taylor has become a prominent part of converse. Initially it started as Taylor's name on one pair of shoes he was endorsing, but it became a permanent fixture of the logo very quickly, and has stayed that way since.

Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman's collaboration with Converse was different in the fact that instead of designing a pattern/colour for an already existing sneaker, a new one was created.

The Who

One of the most well known collaborations with Converse is this recent one with The Who. With a range of designs which all included the union jack, these quickly became popular and very well known.

Ozzy Osbourne

Jimi Hendrix

Reebok
Reebok has a relatively small portfolio when it comes to celebrity endorsements. Being the sister-company to Adidas the endorsements are not as big or well known, but are still for large amounts of money.

Venus Williams - $40 million

Williams is the largest endorsement deal with Reebok. Starting in 1995, Reebok renewed the deal for another 5 years back in 2000.

Allen Iverson - $10 million a year

For a good while, Allen Iverson collaborated with Reebok and designed a number of sneakers.

Rick Ross

Rick Ross was Reebok's attempt at signing someone in popular culture. The deal went sour when a track by Ross was controversial and Reebok had pressure from a number of organisations to drop him.

Sources
http://www.therichest.com/sports/top-10-current-biggest-athlete-endorsement-deals/
http://money.cnn.com/2003/08/18/news/companies/nike_endorsements/
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1708424/rick-ross-reebok-endorsement-mmg.jhtml