AtlantaDan
12-14-2018, 01:41 PM
Another long article on JuJu building his brand - excerpt and link below.
To max out monetizing it obviously would help if he made it to a Super Bowl. But AB managed to do well on endorsements without getting there and without as engaging a personality
As much as he has thrived on the field and charmed his team, Smith-Schuster also has succeeded as a savvy cultivator of his "brand." ...
He has become the kind of person friends text you about to say, "I think he's my favorite player in the NFL!" ...
He can break down the demographic makeup of his followers by age, region and gender. ("Twenty-five percent women, that's pretty high!") He can explain the subtle nuance of proper tone on various social media platforms. And he refuses endorsement deals with products he doesn't use. This is very important to him.
"I want everything that's organic, everything that's naturally me," he says. "So 'Call of Duty.' Video games. I love video games. Pizza. So we did Pizza Hut."
I interrupt. Pizza Hut is organically you?
"That's organic JuJu. I'm not going to do Subway when I don't like Subway. I won't promote something that I don't want."...
Whatever the case, Smith-Schuster's marketing instincts and very online lifestyle culminated in the most sui generis brand-enhancing social media moment of 2018 when, in March, he played Fortnite on Twitch along with the world's most popular gamer, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, and the rappers Drake and Travis Scott.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25518609/juju-smith-schuster-pittsburgh-steelers-living-best-all-worlds-nfl-2018
To max out monetizing it obviously would help if he made it to a Super Bowl. But AB managed to do well on endorsements without getting there and without as engaging a personality
As much as he has thrived on the field and charmed his team, Smith-Schuster also has succeeded as a savvy cultivator of his "brand." ...
He has become the kind of person friends text you about to say, "I think he's my favorite player in the NFL!" ...
He can break down the demographic makeup of his followers by age, region and gender. ("Twenty-five percent women, that's pretty high!") He can explain the subtle nuance of proper tone on various social media platforms. And he refuses endorsement deals with products he doesn't use. This is very important to him.
"I want everything that's organic, everything that's naturally me," he says. "So 'Call of Duty.' Video games. I love video games. Pizza. So we did Pizza Hut."
I interrupt. Pizza Hut is organically you?
"That's organic JuJu. I'm not going to do Subway when I don't like Subway. I won't promote something that I don't want."...
Whatever the case, Smith-Schuster's marketing instincts and very online lifestyle culminated in the most sui generis brand-enhancing social media moment of 2018 when, in March, he played Fortnite on Twitch along with the world's most popular gamer, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, and the rappers Drake and Travis Scott.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25518609/juju-smith-schuster-pittsburgh-steelers-living-best-all-worlds-nfl-2018