In a search of the list of the world's Most Powerfull Celebrities this year compiled by Forbes, Nike stands out as a common denominator of the 25 athletes that are included in the list. Twelve out of the twenty-five listed have a deal with Nike.
Some of the players listed include Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova, LeBron James and Ronaldo, who all together earned $702.4 million just last year.
Dean Bonham, CEO of the Bonham Group, said “Nike is perhaps the most ubiquitous marketer in the sports world. It has not only been able to attach themselves with athletes who have become celebrities, they’ve actually been able to create celebrities.”
It is quite revealing that now not only can a celebrity help (in most cases) the marketing efforts and branding of a company, but now, in the case of Nike, they can be celebrity makers.
What does that tell you about what Nike is? What does that tell you about show business? Is celebrity moving far away from the movie star model? What is the significance of this trend? Will stars of movies start to look for deals with a company that can now make stars out of people through promoting their shoes?
It seems that the world of what constitutes a celebrity has been changed forever, along with the means that some use to get there.
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