welsh
Junkmaster
Ok, as an American I have to ask, what's the deal with this guy? Is he and Posh the new celebrities of Europe?
And yes, I know Americans are not immune. Mike Jordan Inc makes more in international sales than some countries.
Footballers' lives
B*nd it like B*ckham
Apr 7th 2004
From The Economist print edition
Will reports of infidelity damage Beckham Inc?
PA
Celebrating synergies, Beckham-style
THE brands are intertwined. One is strong, the other failing and increasingly costly to run. What to do? From a business point of view, it has been hard for some time to see what David Beckham, Britain's best-known footballer, gains from his marriage. He has been lonely but successful playing football in Madrid. His wife Victoria has insisted on staying in England with the children, vainly trying to relaunch her flagging singing career.
Now a business conundrum has become an emotional one too. The News of the World, Britain's largest-circulation Sunday tabloid, this week published a steamy story about Mr Beckham's alleged dalliance with his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos. Supporting evidence included a series of text-message exchanges, with the most sizzling bits tantalisingly replaced with asterisks in a touching burst of primness amid all the hanky-panky.
Mr Beckham terms all this “ludicrous” but stops short of outright denial. Some commentators feign world-weary boredom: footballers and affairs go together like dogs and lampposts. But the truth is that both individual Beckham brands, plus the composite one, are dented and may need relaunching.
Mr Beckham has made millions of pounds from sponsorship deals. His pleasing face and innovative haircuts have been used to market, among other things, a mobile phone network, a line of clothes for a department store, sunglasses, football boots, shirts and biscuits. He has also scored some memorable goals. He enjoys iconic status as a devoted father and—until this week—a model husband.
Mrs Beckham, known as “Posh” from her time as a Spice Girl, has by contrast failed to match her early successes as a pop singer. Her showbiz connections seem sleazy rather than wholesome. She has annoyed the press by her snootiness.
This disparity matches the price difference on Celebdaq, an online market set up by the BBC that allows users to trade celebrities with pretend money. Shares in both Beckhams were floated in August 2002, when Mrs Beckham's star was already waning: Mr Beckham fetched £93.05 ($169), while Mrs Beckham started at £24.55. Though both shares have since plunged, Mr Beckham is still much more valuable than his wife.
Logic dictates taking the weaker brand off the market, allowing Mr Beckham to work on his appeal without wifely drag. John Allert of Interbrand, a consultancy, says Mr Beckham could carry the Beckham brand independently, while Mrs Beckham would struggle.
But there is a synergy in the strategic future of the Beckham business that makes a split unlikely. When Mr Beckham (now 28) stops playing football, the combined brand will be the best long-term bet. Some marital problems now will make the couple more interesting, particularly in hard-to-crack America. Watch for them holding hands on a talk-show couch in about 2010; all talk of *** and ****** behind them.
And yes, I know Americans are not immune. Mike Jordan Inc makes more in international sales than some countries.
Footballers' lives
B*nd it like B*ckham
Apr 7th 2004
From The Economist print edition
Will reports of infidelity damage Beckham Inc?
PA
Celebrating synergies, Beckham-style
THE brands are intertwined. One is strong, the other failing and increasingly costly to run. What to do? From a business point of view, it has been hard for some time to see what David Beckham, Britain's best-known footballer, gains from his marriage. He has been lonely but successful playing football in Madrid. His wife Victoria has insisted on staying in England with the children, vainly trying to relaunch her flagging singing career.
Now a business conundrum has become an emotional one too. The News of the World, Britain's largest-circulation Sunday tabloid, this week published a steamy story about Mr Beckham's alleged dalliance with his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos. Supporting evidence included a series of text-message exchanges, with the most sizzling bits tantalisingly replaced with asterisks in a touching burst of primness amid all the hanky-panky.
Mr Beckham terms all this “ludicrous” but stops short of outright denial. Some commentators feign world-weary boredom: footballers and affairs go together like dogs and lampposts. But the truth is that both individual Beckham brands, plus the composite one, are dented and may need relaunching.
Mr Beckham has made millions of pounds from sponsorship deals. His pleasing face and innovative haircuts have been used to market, among other things, a mobile phone network, a line of clothes for a department store, sunglasses, football boots, shirts and biscuits. He has also scored some memorable goals. He enjoys iconic status as a devoted father and—until this week—a model husband.
Mrs Beckham, known as “Posh” from her time as a Spice Girl, has by contrast failed to match her early successes as a pop singer. Her showbiz connections seem sleazy rather than wholesome. She has annoyed the press by her snootiness.
This disparity matches the price difference on Celebdaq, an online market set up by the BBC that allows users to trade celebrities with pretend money. Shares in both Beckhams were floated in August 2002, when Mrs Beckham's star was already waning: Mr Beckham fetched £93.05 ($169), while Mrs Beckham started at £24.55. Though both shares have since plunged, Mr Beckham is still much more valuable than his wife.
Logic dictates taking the weaker brand off the market, allowing Mr Beckham to work on his appeal without wifely drag. John Allert of Interbrand, a consultancy, says Mr Beckham could carry the Beckham brand independently, while Mrs Beckham would struggle.
But there is a synergy in the strategic future of the Beckham business that makes a split unlikely. When Mr Beckham (now 28) stops playing football, the combined brand will be the best long-term bet. Some marital problems now will make the couple more interesting, particularly in hard-to-crack America. Watch for them holding hands on a talk-show couch in about 2010; all talk of *** and ****** behind them.
8)
