Michael Phelps lights up some Subway buzz

There's plenty of dopey drug-related wordplay on the Web today surrounding Michael Phelps' debut as a Subway pitchman. I'd rather not add to that and bring anybody down. Sure, I could ask what the creatives at ad shop MMB were smoking when they decided to pair swimmer and power-eater Phelps with slimmer everyman Jared Fogle. I could note that the split-screen opening and choice of Sly and the Family Stone on the soundtrack are overtly wink-wink trippy — but, hey, it's Subway's prerogative to roll its own commercial as it sees fit.  If I did point out that Phelps seems to prefer his jalapeños piled high and bun toasted, I'd be doing so in a purely blunt descriptive fashion. Then there's the fact that the spot drives viewers to SubwayFreshBuzz.com. And even if some chose to make less than literal interpretations of such observations, it would only fan the sweet rising flames and further stir Subway's promotional pot.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on July 7, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Gianatasio, Michael Phelps, Subway

Will Debbie Phelps lose any endorsements?

In the wake of Michael Phelps' little marijuana faux pas, Kellogg's has said it will not be renewing his sponsorship contract, saying his behavior is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg." This removes him from both the boxes of regular corn flakes and flakes of the frosted variety. Of course, in the office betting pool of which endorsement deal will be the next to go, everyone seems to be forgetting about Debbie Phelps. You remember Michael's mom and her myriad sponsorships, which amounted to more moolah that most actual Olympians saw. Well, if you agree with many of the "leave Michael alone" columnists and celebrities who point out that he's just a dumb kid, then Debbie's really the one we should be blaming. She clearly is not the champion mom we thought she was if she lets her 23-year-old child engage in behaviors like these! Chicos? SC Johnson? I demand immediate action. Or at least a promise not to fund that crazy baby-collecting octuplets lady.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on February 10, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3)
Filed under Celebrity endorsements, Cullers, Michael Phelps

Debbie Phelps has become an ad star, too

Behind almost every great Olympic athlete is a dedicated mom. But only one has her own endorsement deals. Debbie Phelps, mother of the greatest Olympian ever, is proving to be a powerful brand in her own right. Johnson & Johnson, a family company, chose Debbie Phelps as the official "Mom of the Olympic Games." The distinction comes with a donation in her name to J&J's global charity program and of course, a sugary-sweet ad, "Thank You from Mom," which played during the Olympic closing ceremonies (and which, I admit, made me tear up like a total sap). Excellent pick, J&J. Debbie received more on-air time than most athletes, including those rowers you sponsored. All that exposure has also had another unexpected side effect: a boom for Chico's, a Florida-based clothing retailer, which has seen a spike in sales since Ms. Phelps wore their line almost exclusively at the Olympics. They're currently in talks to get her as an official partner. Despite the complete lack of a contract or the official right to use her name, Chico's has already added "The Debbie Phelps Collection" to its Web site (along with a horrible low-res picture of Ms. Phelps). Debbie, sweetie, you gotta remember: In this business, don't ever give it away for free.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on August 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Cullers, J&J, Michael Phelps, Olympics, TV

Visa vanquishes rivals with 'Go Phelps' ads

If you've been watching the Olympics, you've seen Visa's "Go World" commercials from TBWA\Chiat\Day, in which the impressive feats of Olympic athletes are recounted in gold-tinted slow motion. They made an impressive number of spots (all viewable at the Go World site), but what really struck me were the three executions specifically created for Michael Phelps that aired right after each of his wins. There was the generic, Michael-isn't-a-dolphin spot, which came after the first few, then the specific congratulations on winning more gold medals than anybody ever, and of course, another one for surpassing Mark Spitz's record with eight golds in one Olympics. In the bevy of ads that followed Phelps's wins, Visa stood out as the only advertiser with a relevant message. The spots were given extra gravitas by narrator Morgan Freeman, who was injured in a car crash recently. So, of course, they were recorded far in advance, even though the footage was turned around in less than a day from Phelps's previous victory. What I wonder is what the ad would have said if Phelps hadn't pulled it off. Did they have a special "You're still crazy-awesome, Michael, and we still love you" commercial ready?

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Published on August 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Cullers, Michael Phelps, Olympics, TBWA, TV, Visa

Would Jesus shop at Wal-Mart?

Which is more ungodly, Wal-Mart’s agency review or its business practices? In this new ad from Wake Up Wal-Mart, pastor Joe Phelps, a Baptist minister from Louisville, Ky., questions the morality of shopping at the retailer, particularly during the Christmas season. “Jesus said, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ ” Phelps says. “But if these are our values, can we continue to shop at Wal-Mart without insulting God?” Also, some 130 evangelical ministers have also written a joint letter to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, urging him to make Wal-Mart “a Golden Rule company.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on December 15, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)
Filed under Michael Phelps

Speedo is sick and tired of all those jokes

MediaDailyNews has a piece on Speedo’s efforts to “gain a beachhead as a fashion and lifestyle marketer.” Primarily, this seems to mean getting people to forget the only thing they associate with Speedo—i.e., the super-short swimming trunks made popular by such celebrities as Mark Spitz and Donny Deutsch. Speedo actually does have all kinds of sportswear lines, only one of which carries the unfortunate brand name of Fastskin. U.S. Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps and Amanda Beard both endorse the brand, and Beard was scheduled to meet fans at a Speedo store in Key West on a recent episode of MTV’s The Real World. Unfortunately, something got screwed up, and hardly anyone showed. Maybe Speedo should think about having some fun with the stereotype instead. There isn’t a person out there who doesn’t have a mental picture of a Speedo, for better or worse. That has to count for something.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on August 3, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (4)
Filed under Michael Phelps

Swimming upstream

We’re not sure how to interpret this little bit of post-Olympic endorsement news: that multiple gold medal winner Michael Phelps has signed a global deal to promote an MP3 player from Hong Kong that no one ever heard of (pictured at left).

Is this a sign of the diminished interest in Olympic swimmers like Phelps after the Games are over? Or is Phelps—known for listening to DMX’s “Party Up” before races—just so ahead of the curve that he’s onto the next big thing before it even qualifies as a thing? The spin on the subject, according to this story in USA Today, is that Phelps, who is expected to compete again in the 2008 Games in Beijing, wants to promote the sport of swimming on a worldwide basis and this, he says, "will help establish a platform for me to do that."

Oh, almost forgot. The company that makes the MP3 players is called Matsunichi. Mat-su-ni-chi. Again, class, Mat-su-ni-chi. Its home page says it’s soon going to come out with a player called the Bebop.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Published on March 11, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Michael Phelps