"For Blake Griffin, Lockout -- and Short-Lived Ping-Pong Career -- Ends Just in Time"

From Marketwire


Review by Kristen Rauch in KIN 435 (section 3)

The NBA lockout was obviously a hot topic in the sports world this season. With no games being played, rookie and veteran players alike had a lot more time on their hands to spend as they pleased. For rookie Blake Griffin, he chose to sign an endorsement deal with Red Bull Energy Drink—and have fun while doing it. The article I reviewed, titled “For Blake Griffin, Lockout -- and Short-Lived Ping-Pong Career -- Ends Just in Time,” discusses Griffin’s recent signing with Red Bull and provides a link to the promotional video of the product. The video, running just under three minutes in length, shows Griffin (sporting Clippers colors and a Red Bull sweatband) playing a ping-pong match against professional player Soo Yeon Lee. Although the whole idea of the basketball superstar ‘aspiring’ to become a professional ping-pong player has a sarcastic undertone, the benefits of this creative and humorous ad are far-reaching. Some may think it is risky to endorse an athlete in a sport that is currently undergoing lockout, but I believe in this case it was a smart move on Red Bull’s part. Who better to pick than a fan-favorite, Slam Dunk champion, and they successfully use Griffin’s popularity and charismatic personality to their advantage to promote the brand. This is also a smart business move on Griffin’s part. Not only is he making money for himself—and being likened to other great athletes who have been sponsored by Red Bull, including Reggie Bush and Rajon Rondo—but he is also helping his team, the Los Angeles Clippers, make money. Fans will be attracted by this humorous marketing video and be more enticed to watch Griffin play, increasing ticket sales for the Clippers. Anytime people see a Red Bull logo they will be reminded of the ad and will think to purchase tickets to Clippers games. The article also states that Red Bull “is now the official energy product of the Los Angeles Clippers,” so it is clear that this NBA franchise will see many sales benefits from selling Red Bull products at the arena. Although Griffin’s ping-pong career was short-lived, his signing with Red Bull will continue to bring in revenue for all that took part in the deal far into the future.