Corporate sponsors haven’t beaten down his door before, but Alex Rodriguez may have a shot at turning his world championship ring into marketing gold.
His endorsement appeal was weak, thanks to a steroid scandal, pictures of him squiring around a stripper and resentment over his huge contract.
Now Madison Avenue is taking a fresh look at the much-maligned Yankees’ third baseman after he lowered his tabloid profile and raised his game in the World Series.
Marketing experts said the win is A-Rod’s best shot yet at moving beyond the baseball field.
“There’s enough splash for a company to come in now,” said David Schwab, managing director of Octagon’s celebrity division. “The question is, who is that and what is that?”
He said Rodriguez has a lot of appeal for young men ages 18-to-34 and would be a great fit for an electronics company — but should steer clear of any product that touts “performance” because of the negative association with doping.
A-Rod still has some work to do before his image rehab is complete. According to the Davie-Brown Index, which surveys consumers to rank celebrities on certain traits, Rodriguez’s trust score is low compared to other sports figures like Derek Jeter, Eli Manning and Tiger Woods.
Unlike Jeter, whose deals with Gillette, Ford, Nike and Gatorade put him in the upper echelon of sports endorsers, A-Rod has never been very bankable off the baseball diamond.
He has appeared in a couple of Pepsi commercials and a “Risky Business”-inspired TV spot for “Guitar Hero” with NBA star Kobe Bryant, skateboarder Tony Hawk and Olympic swim champ Michael Phelps.
Last year, not content to just play baseball, A-Rod signed with Hollywood talent agency William Morris, split from his wife and started palling around with Madonna.
The bid to expand into entertainment backfired. This year he has worked to turn around his image, appearing more humble and even contrite in public. Current girlfriend Kate Hudson is seen as good-luck charm in the stands.
Most important, Rodriguez delivered in the post-season, coming through with critical home runs.
“His stock has improved in New York,” said Richard Yaffa, chief executive of GroupM’s entertainment, sports and cause partnerships. “This next period of time will determine if he has national potential.”