Stand by your man?

By Aneysha Pearce, February 18, 2009 — All the press coverage and online buzz about Michael Phelps’ unfortunate and wildly publicized “marijuana incident” underscores the importance of making appropriate, “on brand” choices for celebrity endorsers.

Clearly, winning eight gold medals – and all that goes with being a superb athlete – makes Phelps a highly sought after individual. But when a celebrity endorser is caught making less than ideal choices for the world to see, it puts the company’s brand and reputation on the line.

So why did some like Speedo and Subway maintain their support and endorsement of Phelps when others like Kellogg’s did not? The heart of the answer lies with the specific goal or objective of the endorsement. Was it to reinforce current brand attributes which Phelps personified? Was it to appeal to new target audiences by extending the brand’s attributes into new areas?

Regardless of the intent, an endorsement should have well-defined criteria outlined. Whether it is about dialing up new or reinforcing existing brand attributes, the key is to fortify relationships with the brand’s target audiences, not alienate them.

I have no inside knowledge as to the specific reasons these various companies sought to have Phelps endorse their products, but I can certainly speculate. For Speedo, it might have been about demonstrating “pure performance and innovative technology” of the LZR Razer suit that Phelps wore during the Beijing Olympics. For Subway, it may have been about reinforcing “healthy eating choices for people on the go.” Contrast that with the “wholesome and mom approved’’ image that Kellogg’s likely wants to maintain and it’s not hard to see why the company had to publicly “end” the endorsement relationship, while Speedo and Subway did not.

Speedo’s CMO, Craig Brommers, recently expressed his strong continued support of Phelps at Ad Age’s recent Marketing 50 Awards, stating, “Michael has been part of the Speedo family since 2001 – and just like all of our family – we believe we should support people through good and bad times.”

Personally, I found those words comforting – particularly in these tumultuous and often un-forgiving times. However, I suspect that Speedo would have been much less forgiving had Phelps been caught using performance-enhancing substances rather than the recreational (albeit illegal) one. My guess is the Speedo relationship would “flounder” as well…