Be Like Mike
When the rumor hit the streets that Nike had re-signed Michael Vick to an endorsement deal, it caused a bit of media frenzy. While this turned out to be only a rumor, it won't be long before it becomes a reality. Any major brand's decision to endorse Vick will only be based on one thing. Money.
When Michael Vick was reinstated to the NFL, we watched and waited. Aside from a few rumblings within the animal rights community, there was little backlash. When Vick took the field in week 3, most people just shrugged their shoulders. The chaos and moral rioting that many anticipated never happened. Not before the season, not when Vick touched the ball for the first time, not now.
A company like Nike looks at that and realizes that people care a lot less about this controversy than predicted. That knowledge, combined with the fact that Vick's Eagles jersey is one of the NFL's highest selling, show that fans have moved on. And because Vick is still considered high risk, he can be bought for a bargain. Any public relations hit a brand would take by endorsing Vick would be negligible compared to the potential financial gain.
Do consumers really buy brands based on the endorsing athlete's personal life? No. They buy them because it's cool, or because it's the trend, or because they want to be like Mike. And if this Mike follows the same philosophy of the Mike who came before him, he'll be fine. After all, dog killers buy sneakers too.
By
Sarah Schorno
|
October 2, 2009; 5:17 AM ET
| Category:
Michael Vick
,
Philadelphia Eagles
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Posted by: sarahsmile | October 2, 2009 11:30 AM
Vick should have been banned and banished from the sport. That did not happen.
But I, for one, will prohibit my children from supporting any sponsor/product of Michael Vick regardless of his accomplishments on the field. He has shown no true remorse. His rehabilitation should be in an animal emergency room where people want to save animals from cruelty and injury-- not inflict suffering and death as Michael Vick did. He is not one to be paraded in front of our youth as someone to idolize.
My donations for animals go to animal organizations other than the Human Society.
They caved...
Posted by: vtcxc | October 5, 2009 9:23 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Michael Vick is a convicted felon who not only bank rolled a dog fighting ring he particpated by killing animals. He was convicted due to his interstate gambling not the murder of innocent animals. He is a flash in the pan right now, fools support him by buying his jersey because they think it is cool. I think it is disgusting. But we all known corporate America is about one thing, money. The media attention will die down, Vick will prove he is no real QB, he'll get into some type of trouble AGAIN and he will remain exiled.