Olympians & endorsements: the less we know, the more athletes sell
1,215 views · Published 6 August 2012 · 3:08 · Indexed 6 November 2026
Channel: Vanderbilt University · 2012 · Education
They're put up on a pedestal, literally. Though Olympic athletes seem like they would be the ideal celebrity spokespersons, new Vanderbilt research shows that true marketing success lies in keeping impressions high and real information about Olympians at a minimum. "For Olympic athletes or any celebrity, ignorance is bliss," said Steven Posavac, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor in Marketing at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. "Olympians have lots of favorable associations such as success, hard work and dedication because much of what we know about them is within the limited scope of their work within the games." "The risk is you want to be familiar, but not too familiar with specific information on political, social or religious beliefs," added Posavac. Read more on:
