Smiling before more than 24,000 fans at the official victory ceremonies tonight at BC Place -- aptly dubbed "Quebec Night" -- new Canadian winter sports hero Alexandre Bilodeau of Rosemere, Que. basked in the immediate afterglow of his historic Vancouver 2010 gold medal win in the men's moguls freestyle ski final Sunday at Cypress Mountain.
These past 24 hours have been life-changing for the first Canadian to win Olympic gold on home soil.
Live North American TV coverage of his clutch winning run Sunday night -- in both languages on CTV and RDS in Canada and NBC in the U.S. -- and global television exposure in Europe and Asia, not to mention Australia, where sports fans watched as Bilodeau dethroned their reigning Olympic champion, transplanted Canadian Dale Begg-Smith...front-page newspaper headlines from coast-to-coast and top story billing on television and radio...and many more millions of media impressions throughout the day on the web, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
It's only the beginning of the transformation of Bilodeau's career, lifestyle and economic clout.
Gold medal success carries financial rewards for most modern Olympians and Bilodeau will become one of Canada's have athletes on the strength of "des plus brilliants exploits" he recorded at Vancouver 2010.
Yet Bilodeau's commercial upside will be larger than usual. The lift he'll see through endorsements -- and new sponsorship opportunities for both himself and his sport -- will be buoyed in large part because of the sheer history of his moment. Firsts sell because firsts are remembered. Think Charles Lindbergh as the first to cross the Atlantic and ask yourself who was second. Think Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon and admit that, 41 years later, #2 Buzz Aldrin has nowhere near the same name recognition.
The moniker of "first Canadian to win Olympic gold at home" will be with him -- and his sport -- forever. That is irresistable for companies looking for positive association with athletes. So is the youthful demographic of freestyle skiing, which made its debut on the shoulders of Lillehammer 1994 men's mogul gold medalist Jean-Luc Brassard and has been taken to the next level by Turin 2006 women's champion Jennifer Heil and now Bilodeau.
His marketing potential -- and career opportunities in broadcast and the media, which should resemble Brassard's -- are enhanced by his camera-friendly smile, personality and team player personna. Bilingualism is another feather in his cap.
Arguably the key to Bilodeau's terrific opportunity to market his gold medal, however, is the compelling story-telling around his career; including the inspiration he received as an eight-year-old watching Brassard win moguls gold in Lillehammer 16 years ago, his switch from hockey to freestyle skiing and his role as the "good guy" in the slaying of "the villain" Begg-Smith.
Even moreso, it is the story-telling around his personal life that makes Bilodeau such an attractive proposition as more than just a gold medal-winning Olympian. The story of his personal commitment and deeply-layered relationship with his brother Frederic, who lives with Cerebral Palsy, gives Bilodeau an authentic platform as a cause marketing champion.
Whether we're talking corporations and media companies drawn to the opportunity to raise the public awareness of Cerebral Palsy or those such as RBC, Subway and TSN looking to enhance their investment in the Special Olympics, Alex Bilodeau gives them all of that. And the best part is it's real.
That's why Bilodeau's marketing potential is greater than most.
www.TheSportMarket.biz
Monday, February 15, 2010
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