What is your Brand Image Worth?

Even if you aren't a basketball fan, it has been hard to escape coverage of NBA star

LeBron James' decision to leave Cleveland and join Miami over the past few weeks. While free agency in professional sports doesn't have a lot to do with affiliate marketing, there are actually some interesting lessons that we can take from James' choices during the free agency process.

For those of you who somehow managed to avoid the hype past few weeks, here is a quick rundown of the situation. LeBron James, arguably the best player in the NBA, reached the end of his contract with his current team Cleveland. This means that he had the opportunity to sign a new contract with the team of his choosing. James narrowed down his options to a list of six teams, met with each one and then had to make the decision on where he would spend the next few years of his career. He eventually decided to sign with Miami for a variety of possible reasons (more talented teammates, a perceived better chance to win a championship, Florida's lack of state income tax, and likely many others as well).

This all seems pretty cut and dried. As any professional sports fan knows, free agents change teams every year. So, what's the big deal? For many people the news wasn't so much the decision he reached but how he decided to announce that decision. Rather than sending out a press release and holding a press conference as is more standard in typical free agency announcements he decided to make a big media splash by announcing his decision with a prime-time, 1-hour special on ESPN keeping all of his suitors in the dark until the last minute. Many viewers (the general public and media pundits alike) felt the whole production was a fairly inhospitable way to treat the Cleveland organization (and more importantly the Cleveland fans).

Over his career, James has become the most popular player in the NBA both on and off the court. He has a huge media presence and generates significantly more income from his off-court endorsements and other business ventures than for actually playing basketball. With this in mind, James has diligently built up his image as a "good guy" and a role model in many ways, to best take advantage of every marketing opportunity. This persona has helped him generate an incredible amount of revenue over the past few years. Cleveland fans in particular had come to view James as truly special a local kid who stayed in his hometown to play professionally and who transcended sports to become a cultural icon.

That highly polished image has been tarnished in the view of the media and the general public because of the way he made such a public display out of his announcement. One comparison I have heard is that James' announcement was like inviting your girlfriend to the Super Bowl, letting her know you had a big announcement, then breaking up with her on the JumboTron during half-time. It may not a perfect analogy, but probably a good parallel for how Cleveland fans felt after his announcement.

The main focus of people's disappointment has clearly been the way he seemed to go out of his way to make a spectacle of the announcement and in doing so, break the hearts of the Cleveland fans that had always been his greatest supporters. Over the course of an hour of television, years of careful image construction came crashing down.

It will be interesting to see whether or not James' image makes a comeback in the years ahead and whether he can regain his mantle as the most popular and marketable player in the NBA. Winning a few titles certainly can help a player's image in the eyes of the public. But, it is probably safe to say that the fans in Cleveland won't be buying merchandise he endorses anytime soon. It is entirely possible that many fans will never come back around, permanently damaging his value as a spokesman or sponsor for many major advertisers.

So, what can affiliate marketers take away from this whole situation? Whether you are a professional athlete, run your own company, or are in just about any sort of business, your reputation is a valuable commodity. A good reputation can help open doors, provide opportunities and lead to success. Companies want to work with people they can trust, who treat them professionally and with respect. A bad reputation can do just the opposite, making it harder to find business partners or companies that want to work with you. If you believe that someone is just out for a fast buck and you can't count on them for a long term business relationship, how likely are you to want to work with them? Focus on building and maintaining strong relationships, even with companies you may not be doing a lot of business with today. You never know when someone you worked with a few years back may become someone you really want to do business with again.

What is your Brand Image Worth?

By: Tom Wozniak

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