Barack Obama becomes celebrity sportswear endorser

From Times Online
November 27, 2008

Hannah Strange

Tiger Woods costs $20 million a year. David Beckham, £10m. In these troubled economic times, sportswear manufacturers may find themselves having to reevaluate such costly celebrity endorsements, but fortunately for them the world's most popular gym fanatic has stepped in to offer his services. Cost: $0 for four years, with the possibility to extend in 2012.

The media fascination with Barack Obama's sporting antics is a boon for makers of leading athletic brands, which the president-elect has been pictured wearing on frequent trips to the gym and basketball court. The current presidential favourite appears to be Nike, the famous tick spotted on Mr Obama's attire so regularly that one would be forgiven for suspecting a product placement deal.

Not so, says Nike, but nevertheless the company is pleased that so stylish a figure favours its products.

"We don't make a point of giving the president-elect any products for free, but we're glad that he has such good taste in sportswear, whether he's working it out or taking it easy," Nike spokesman Charlie Brooks unashamedly told The Times.

When Mr Obama strolled down a Hawaii beach in August, it was a Nike t-shirt that he wore. When he showed off his basketball skills in a school challenge in April, his trainers bore the distinctive logo. On occasions he has turned himself into a veritable walking billboard, sporting Nike from head-to-toe.

However the President-Elect has been careful not to show too much favour to the Portland-based brand. Perhaps a little controversially, the Japanese brand ASICS seems to have recently replaced Nike as Mr Obama's footwear of choice. Pictures of post-election gym trips have shown him wearing the ASICSGel Nimbus 10, a new model which retails for around $120 (£80).

ASICS, less well known in the States than its domestic rivals, described itself as "thrilled" with the endorsement.

Eóin Treacy of ASICS UK said: "Barack Obama is said to pick only the best and brightest for his team and he's certainly done that with his footwear."

The North Face, the California-based outdoor wear company, has also benefited from a presidential endorsement. Pictures of Mr Obama in one of their fleece jackets were splashed across the pages of the world's newspapers after he wore it to take his daughters to school just five days after his election victory; he was pictured wearing it again on a gym trip the following week.

Such photo opportunities can be worth millions to sportswear companies, according to branding experts.

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