Jakob vs Parker Valby: Who’s more marketable?

If your brothers only follow pro team sports, how could they possibly have seen Valby? Do you have a poster of her up on the wall?

Have you seen Jakob talk? Truly cringe inducing.

Yes US Companies like P&G are busy in 180+ countries, but they don't use random Americans to sell product in those countries.

You choose a celebrity who is popular in the country where you are selling. In Pakistan it might be a cricket player, in Austria a skier.

If you are lucky you find someone popular in many countries, as then you can share your costs with other countries and all use same ADs, fotos, print work etc.

Jakob useful because he is now well known all across Europe, Africa, Australia etc.

Valby only has currently small awareness in USA, close to 0 anywhere else.

Tom Brady certainly has better football results, but Manning has been more marketable. He has that quirky sense of humor and comes across very likeable leading to marketing gold.

Note an athlete is dominant, not dominate.

Jakob also does not lose his marketability just because he loses an Olympic 1500. He has already established his name and reputation. If you are Jakob's sponsor, you know he will be at all the big meets from 2025-28, will always be most discussed, will contend, will be on time and engaged for his commitments, will go out at the front and lead, will attempt and probably get more world records.

He is a dependable sources of news and excitement for his brand sponsors.

I would say Jakob for the time being as he has excelled at the highest level in the sport in a marquee event on the international stage.

Valby has great potential and could be right up there with Jakob in the near future.

No, the point of marketing is to sell products.

What do you see in Valby that makes you think she will be .73 seconds off the women’s 1500m WR and set WRs in the 2,000m, 3000m and 2-mile?

She, nor any other current female American distance runner, is never going to be right up there with Ingebrigtsen.

One has over three times as many Instagram followers as the other, and will be in the hall of fame of T&F, but the other is blonde and american so who knows.

I have. That's why I said IF she doesnt talk. Both are hideous at times but that comes with influencer self absorption. Not grace, grattitude, complimentary of others etc... Jakob has more to back up his words and I would say Kerr brings a lot of it on himself. I would prefer they just settle things with their feet but that's not the world we live in any more. I had hopes for Valby but she failed in her Bowerman interview. Repugnant at best. Time to start backing it up as a pro. I think there's going to be a lot of broken hearts here on LRC just like Touhy creeps.

People rave about Valby’s looks, and rightfully so, but it’s not as if all the other female distance runners are a bunch of dogs and I don’t think she stands out enough to make a living from being attractive. She’s no Anna Kournikova.

You are in the minority.

So you consider 4 international golds and 2 silver at the age of 23 as not DOMINATING.

Can you tell us: Who has DOMINATED more at that age?

I didn´t comment about EXPECTATIONS because I don´t thing it matters much for how MARKETABLE he is. Even though he disappointed in the Olympic 1500m final he still created a lot of interest AND he is winning enough in other events and is breaking WRs to give sponsors value for money.

I suppose Nike is his main sponsor. How do you think Nike value him?

A side comment: Some people here claim that nobody knows him in the US. I think everybody who are interested in international elite running in the US know him, obviously including you and the other posters who are denigrating him on this thread.

No need to shout. We were talking about evaluating performances, and expectations are a big component of that evaluation. Sha'Carri Richardson and Kenneth Rooks each won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, but Richardson's silver was viewed by many as a disappointment whereas many considered Rooks' silver to be a huge success. Why was there such a big difference in perception? They had different expectations.

I already explained the connection between evaluation/perception of athletic performances and the association that can have with product marketing.

I'm not denigrating Jakob. Re-read my first sentence above, where I wrote, "Jakob is a great runner." Pointing out objective truths about his 1500m global championship performances the last three years isn't denigration. It's ironic you don't understand that as someone who calls yourself an "objective observer." Based on your responses here, "sensitive observer" is more accurate.