Sha'carri x Kanye West x DRE Beats - premature?

I mean it seems pretty obvious why we are not seeing someone like Hobbs Kessler in this ad.

Majority of the US population could really care less about distance running and a phenom like Hobbs in general. Since the marijuana story involving Sha’carri started hitting major news networks, her following on social media has blown up immensely. She has over two million followers on instagram, compare that to Hobbs fifteen thousand. This was the perfect time for a company like Beats to use her to sell their product. The same thing happened with Nike and Colin Kapernick ads.

True, but Kapernick had a career as well as hype. Sha'carri has had little to no post-collegiate experience to point to, yet. Everyone knows her as the girl that flopped out of Tokyo, not even as an athlete. Is that who you use for this ad?

BrainCell wrote:

. Is that who you use for this ad?

okay so i think wrote:

She has over two million followers on instagram, compare that to Hobbs fifteen thousand.

I am surprised that she has 2 million followers on IG, very surprised. Sanya Richards has less followers. Allyson Felix after 4 Olympic appearances has less followers on IG...much less.

Only one other track star has more than 2 million IG followers. A fella by the name of Usain Bolt.

Perhaps more tracksters need to be hitting the weed.

Because here is the thing 95% of this board doesn't get.

It isn't about how fast you run anymore. It is about your marketability, social media presence, and ability to sell products.

Sha'carri gets this.

Thats why we have Tinman, Gwen, Athlete Special, etc. and ALL have more value than whoever else random dude running 3:34 no one knows.

You'd have to be a moran to buy beats anyway.

Seems like a perfect match with a flashy icon.

I can't stand her or this product. Double no for lil' old me.

How could this age badly? She is a hot commodity right now and perfect for the demographic this ad is targeting. By the time we know how her track career progresses long term this ad will be long gone.

I am literally laughing at the thought of someone sitting in a Beats sales pitch meeting and bringing up whether she is the right person since we don't know how her long term success will be and then suggesting Hobbs Kessler instead.

SUX wrote:

How could this age badly? She is a hot commodity right now and perfect for the demographic this ad is targeting. By the time we know how her track career progresses long term this ad will be long gone.

Exactly. Age badly for who? Why? The ad is already working because we're talking about it on here.

BrainCell wrote:

True, but Kapernick had a career as well as hype. Sha'carri has had little to no post-collegiate experience to point to, yet. Everyone knows her as the girl that flopped out of Tokyo, not even as an athlete. Is that who you use for this ad?

She has overwhelming public support and is a trending symbol of someone who was "wronged" by the system. She even had a congresswoman try to advocate on her behalf!

No post-collegiate experience but she did rip some hot times. Kanye and Dre are potentially getting her in their campaign for cheap by getting her this early in her career. If she beats SAFP in post-Olympic competition she will be the "uncrowned Queen" of the sprints. She has 4-years of very hard work ahead of her she has a very good shot at making boat loads of money. SAFP will be in her career twilight by 2024 so if Sha'carri can spend 4-years as the "uncrowned Queen" and then actually win the Olympics in 2024 it would be a marketing perfect storm. The weed makes her relatable but she shouldn't double down on it and try to partner with a company to make her own strain... that isn't her brand.

On the marketing topic--NB backed up the $$$truck for Sydney and I would say that it has paid off better than they could have imagined. There isn't a track athlete with more marketing potential. The contract renewal will be so much more expensive for NB if she can win gold.

SUX wrote:

How could this age badly? She is a hot commodity right now and perfect for the demographic this ad is targeting. By the time we know how her track career progresses long term this ad will be long gone.

I am literally laughing at the thought of someone sitting in a Beats sales pitch meeting and bringing up whether she is the right person since we don't know how her long term success will be and then suggesting Hobbs Kessler instead.

Thank you. It is incredible how poorly some posters can JUST see track performance, and fail to understand the point of marketing or sponsorships.

Saw this ad last night and could only smile. Buddy of mine turned to me and was like "dude there is no way that story is legit" (in response to the "devastation lead me to smoke weed - I'm only human...) angle.

Sha'Carri Richardson has become instantly more relevant and famous because of what went down. Whether planned or inadvertently (most likely started with the latter and flipped very much now to the former once the opportunity became so obvious) she is the hot figure of social justice which includes race, gender, drug legislation and even mental health.

She has the major sport stars, musicians, politicians etc all advocating for her and referencing her name and "cause" - none of which would have happened if she was just the US 100m champion or even the Olympic 100m. NONE of it. I thought at the start of all of this that despite the factual oddities in her story, the financial loss of not competing in Tokyo and potentially winning surely wouldn't have been worth it but I think I was dead wrong about that. She is worth far more now.

Let's not forget these facts about the story

1) A "reporter" told her her biological mother died yet we still do not have a name of the reporter or an outlet they work for. This despite the story being of such magnitude the president was asked about it.

2) One on one interviews were not permitted at the trials so presumably this moment had to happen in front of other reporters etc, yet not a single other person has stepped forwards to say they were there when this happened.

3) Despite rumors about who here biological mother was that died, there has been no name confirmed.

4) Richardson was so distraught by the death of the woman she refers to as not her mother but her "biological mother" she smoked weed to cope - obviously showing there must have been some very close connection there. Yet despite the close connection that would pertain to the reaction, she finds out not from a family member - but from a random reporter who came across this information before her or her family did.

5) She knew prior to smoking that she would most likely be banned but did it anyways. Maybe the first athlete I have ever heard say - "not only did I know this would get me a ban (of some type), I smoked it absolutely cognizant of the fact that I almost certainly would..... but I did it anyway".

When you realize now that Richardson is more famous, relevant and will make more money than she ever would have being a track athlete, coupled with the bizarre nature of her story (which is so impossible to question publicly because of nature of it), excuse me for thinking that this isn't a "Manti Te'o" level stitch-up. And remember how bad we all felt and how much compassion we had for that guy before the truth came out. This story is so comically bogus it defies description.

She wasn't wronged by the system you clown, she broke the rules and knew it when she was doing it, but did it anyways. Gimme a break.

That isn't what they said. They said symbol of someone who was "wronged"

Like it or not, the overwhelming public majority viewed it that way.

shootpost wrote:

SUX wrote:

How could this age badly? She is a hot commodity right now and perfect for the demographic this ad is targeting. By the time we know how her track career progresses long term this ad will be long gone.

I am literally laughing at the thought of someone sitting in a Beats sales pitch meeting and bringing up whether she is the right person since we don't know how her long term success will be and then suggesting Hobbs Kessler instead.

Thank you. It is incredible how poorly some posters can JUST see track performance, and fail to understand the point of marketing or sponsorships.

I am a sports fan and yes, I do focus on performance. She was impressive in the trials and I'm disappointed that she won't be competing in Tokyo. I couldn't care less what the general public thinks about her or how much money she might make.

Hobbs isn’t exactly an alpha male or ladies man.

Wouldn’t be appealing to push product sales.

This was the absolute best time to roll this ad out. She’s the hot topic right now, “the people’s champion”. By the time the Olympics are over, all the noise will die down.

Her popularity won’t peak this high again until she wins a gold medal at a major championship, which can’t happen until next year, OR breaks a world record which will never happen unless she runs in a hurricane the wind gauge malfunctions.

Most of her new fans are casuals, they’re not going to be following her at Diamond League meets.

BrainCell wrote:

True, but Kapernick had a career as well as hype. Sha'carri has had little to no post-collegiate experience to point to, yet. Everyone knows her as the girl that flopped out of Tokyo, not even as an athlete. Is that who you use for this ad?

She has the 6th fastest time in history. Kessler is light years away from that quality. Allyson Felix is 7th fastest in the 200. If we want to look strictly at performance, Sha'carri still wins.