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View Full Version : Analyst: Champion-Mendenhall divorce a multifaceted move



stillers4me
05-06-2011, 07:54 PM
Champion waited just three days to drop Pittsburgh Steelers (http://www.nfl.com/teams/pittsburghsteelers/profile?team=PIT) running back Rashard Mendenhall (http://www.nfl.com/players/rashardmendenhall/profile?id=MEN393702) as an endorser after his controversial comments about Osama bin Laden's death (http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d81fa71e1) created a national stir.
Thursday's move (http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d81fb309d) might have served two purposes: to disassociate the athletic apparel manufacturer from a controversy while trying to attract consumers.

"I'd bet more than 99 percent of sports fans didn't even know that Rashard Mendenhall had a deal with Champion," CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell told NFL.com. "They did a terrible job. So distancing themselves from him in a public way allows them to make a stand and also let people think about their brand. (this is exactly what my husband and were saying to each other only about an hour ago.)

"Mendenhall's words can't be condoned, but I'm pretty surprised how quickly Champion made their decision."..................

Read more @ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81fb73c7/article/analyst-championmendenhall-divorce-a-multifaceted-move

stillers4me
05-06-2011, 07:56 PM
Personally, I think this was all about selling more merchandise by firing him than they did when he was there. Nobody even knew he was a Champion endoser before this all happened.

GBMelBlount
05-06-2011, 09:21 PM
Personally, I think this was all about selling more merchandise by firing him than they did when he was there. Nobody even knew he was a Champion endoser before this all happened.

Perhaps doing the right thing just happened to also be best for their brand... :tea:

GBMelBlount
05-07-2011, 07:17 AM
But as a business, I agree with you that it was a very likely motive.

SteelerEmpire
05-07-2011, 08:12 AM
Wise move. But if that's the biggest extent to Champion's marketing savvy... their in "big" trouble...

zulater
05-07-2011, 08:18 AM
Personally, I think this was all about selling more merchandise by firing him than they did when he was there. Nobody even knew he was a Champion endoser before this all happened.

Smart on their part then.

As for Rashard I'm sure whatever he was getting from them was fairly inconsequential, so I don't think we'll be needing to hold any benifits in his behalf.

The end result here is that you'd have to think Rashard will give a little more thought about what he tweets from now on. And I can't see that being a bad thing.

tube517
05-07-2011, 04:44 PM
Exactly. I wasn't beating down the door of Foot Locker demanding a pair of Champion sweatpants because Mendy was an endorser of them. He isn't that well known anyways.


Personally, I think this was all about selling more merchandise by firing him than they did when he was there. Nobody even knew he was a Champion endoser before this all happened.

siss
05-07-2011, 05:18 PM
I think it was more of an annulment than a divorce!

Craic
05-07-2011, 10:12 PM
Smart on their part then.

As for Rashard I'm sure whatever he was getting from them was fairly inconsequential, so I don't think we'll be needing to hold any benifits in his behalf.

The end result here is that you'd have to think Rashard will give a little more thought about what he tweets from now on. And I can't see that being a bad thing.

Exactly, from sports players to the Dixie Chicks, it is about time people understand that freedom of speech does not equate to freedom from non-govt. consequence. It only means the govt. will not interfere.

solardave
05-08-2011, 10:42 AM
Perhaps doing the right thing just happened to also be best for their brand... :tea:

Win/Win (for Champion)