Brand partnership failure breakdownfrom @jordanrogers

Transcript

Steph Curry and Under Armour have announced a split. This is shocking to some, but not surprising if you've been paying attention. Let's break down how we got here rank where Steph might be going next. Hey. I'm Jordan. I spent a decade in brand marketing at Nike, so hit that follow button if you like stuff like this. Speaking of Nike, let's start by dispelling one of the salacious stories you'll see all week. The story goes that Steph left Nike because someone mispronounced his name in a pitch meeting. It makes for a great tier, but let's look at the actual numbers. At the time, Nike had Kobe, KD, LeBron, and Kyrie. The reported offer was 2 and a half million dollars per year, and Under Armour came to him with almost double and the chance to be a signature athlete in the face of basketball. Under Armour was on the rise at this time, and this was one of the best signings they've ever made. And this may go down in sports marketing history as one of the best runs of signings any brand has ever done. At one time, Under Armour had the MVP in multiple sports and a major winner in Jordan Spieth. Cam Newton won the only national championship for Under Armour in a football uniform at Auburn and went on to have a very successful football line. And let me tell you, Nike was paying attention. That all happened right about here. Shortly after the twenty sixteen election, Kevin Plank's support of the president drew criticism from many of his athletes and entertainers. The company also spent over $700,000,000 acquiring digital properties that all failed. In 2020, there seemed to be reconciliation, and they established the Curry rank, a la Jordan rank, under the Nike umbrella. But UA continued to struggle. They had to give up the UCLA contract, then they had to back out of their Major League Baseball contract, which cost them another $50,000,000. And a key part of this Curry brand deal was Steph was paid in stock. That stock has just continued to go down nearly 50% in the last few years. So where does he go next? Nike, Adidas, start his own thing? Or does he continue the trend of many athletes going to a Chinese brand? Let's go through the process of elimination. First, I don't think he's a candidate for Nike or Adidas. As we've seen with big stars like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer, as athlete brands and demands continue to rise, some of the footwear and apparel brands have not. Equity is expected, and the democratization of manufacturing has gotten much more widespread. Tiger has started his own brand in partnership with TaylorMate, and Roger Federer joined on while they were on the rise and has made over $350,000,000 in stock. So I don't think he goes to one of the big brands. The Chinese brands could be an interesting option. Dwyane Wade was one of the first big athletes to do this towards the end of his career. Kyrie Irving has breathed new life into his brand with Anta, and a couple of Steph teammates have done the same. The benefits of a Chinese brand are that they also have their own manufacturing, so their margins are significantly bigger. But as we've seen in this era of athlete empowerment, athletes like Jaylen Brown can start their own footwear company. I don't think Steph needs any of these brands. I think he takes investment from private equity or an investment firm and continues to build out the Curry brand under his own better. And he may even diversify into golf as well. What do y'all think? Drop your predictions below and stay tuned to boardroom for all your sports, business, and culture.