GOING FOR GOLD!
Watching Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics achieve the extraordinary and become the greatest Olympian of all time made me feel both humble and intrigued. Humble because of the sheer magnitude of this humans physical ability in water. One commentator after another reflected that Phelps appeared to be more comfortable in water than on dry land! The margin with which he won and his ability to crash seconds, not hundredths or even tenths of seconds, off world records was simply spectacular. Intrigued? As someone with a passionate interest in the development of brands I await with great anticipation to see how brand Phelps will develop. If I look to another great (although not quite so remarkable) sportsman, Greg Norman, the Australian golfer it has been interesting over the years to see how the Shark and his brand have developed. Norman earned the nickname The Shark. Being Australian helped but the name was really earned by the way he would take apart even the most challenging of golf courses in tough weather conditions. Norman is a lethal predator on the golf course, something which was proved again this year when at the age of 54 Norman finished runner up in the British Open.
Norman quickly also proved his predator skills in business and in developing his very own brand. Just visit www.shark.com and you will see how exhaustively Norman has optimised his brand name. The shark brand covers golf course design, equipment, clothing and apparel, Great White Shark Enterprises and more. Even the website has its shark bites for news and Shark watch for updates on the man himself! The power of integrated branding really is at work and man and brand in this instance are in complete unison. The values of brand Shark are truly being lived and developed. Please note all those who are trying to develop a powerful brand.
So how will brand Phelps develop if at all? This page in the Phelps history is unwritten as yet but if Phelps can be half as potent out of the water as in the water it will be a story worth reading and if brand Phelps can be developed in such a way as to inspire and engage the youth of today in sport and fitness then the memory of this great white will surely outlive the other!
