American Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte has been in the headlines recently for his shameful appearance in the Rio Olympics earlier this year. Now he is trying to win back fans and the American audience on the dancefloor of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” The road to redemption has been a bumpy one for Lochte who allegedly over-exaggerated a story about being robbed at gunpoint during this year’s Olympics. Lochte and two other Olympians lied about the details of the Rio De Janeiro incident. Lochte has since apologized but it came at a hefty price. Not long after the fabrication of the story came to light Lochte was dropped by all of his sponsors that included: Speedo, Ralph Lauren, Laser Hair Removal and Airweave. The brands did not want to be associated with a dishonest American Olympic athlete, even if he does have 12 Olympic medals. I agree they made the right choice. Sponsors pay athletes and celebrities a lot of money to uphold a certain brand and image. Lochte was the all-American boy, but because of his dishonorable character, he is not as highly regarded as before the incident.
According to AdWeek, Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops has not given up on Lochte. It signed an endorsement deal with the Olympian who will appear in both commercial and print ads for the company. When news of the deal broke, Lochte tweeted out his reply to his new endorsement saying, “Thanks to all the folks at pine bros. for your confidence in me. I look forward to making you proud.” Lochte has made other headlines this week, he appeared on the Season Premiere of “Dancing with the Stars.” Lochte’s welcome on the dancefloor was not well-received. Two men rushed the stage to protest Lochte’s appearance on the show on Monday. Lochte’s name is now synonymous with disgrace. Clearly Lochte is doing everything he can to redeem himself and un-tarnish his sullied name. I feel the damage is already done. Lochte was a well-respected athlete with true talent. He had no reason to make up a story pretending his life was at risk when it wasn’t. All he did was ruin his reputation and the reputation of two other Olympic athletes. I think any sponsor that does sign him up is only doing it for the shock factor to get its name in the headlines. You know what they say, “There is no such thing as bad publicity.” I feel Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops is doing just that, capitalizing on Lochte’s downfall. The relatively unknown company has everything to gain and nothing to lose. According to AdWeek, Lochte’s ads for Pine Bros. will include the tagline, “Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops: Forgiving On Your Throat.” The word “forgive” is visibly in the ad. Pine Bros. does not want to shy away from the bad publicity, but rather embrace it and deal with it head on. Both Lochte and Pine Bros. hope with time buyers of the throat drops, and the American public, will also forgive Lochte. I personally feel it is too little, too late.
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Birkner, C. (2016, August 25). Ryan Lochte inks endorsement deal with Pine Bros. throat drops after losing two major sponsors, a win. Retrieved September 15, 2016 from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ryan-lochte-inks-endorsement-deal-pine-bros-throat-drops-173144