IS CHRIS FROOME ANY LESS ‘BANKABLE’ THAN SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding  Chris Froome’s personality  and whether he is going to be any more or less popular than Sir Bradley Wiggins. As always Sports Journalists are drawn to various comments by Sports Marketing experts for a ‘sponsorship by numbers’ quote. Whilst this is useful  reference point for a sports personality or music artist’s popularity  and commercial appeal it fails to scratch the surface of the point.

Firstly you have to look at the personalities as products and brands – what do they do well and what type of brands are they going to be.  There are several  immediate categories

1. Successful performance brands with big personalities
2. Successful performance brands with more ‘reserved’ personalities
3. Big personalities who are less successful  performers

Froome and Wiggins are both successful performance brands (product) although Wiggins has a the edge at this stage (although time will tell)  due to an longer and more successful career as well as Olympic success.

Wiggins, just like Andy Murray has a slight advantage over being ‘the first’. For proof look at Fred Perry’s ‘brand’ and commercial appeal which has lasted well over 70 years and beyond his actual lifetime

They are also different personalities. This doesn’t make Froome’s ‘brand’ any more or less appealing, for example Wiggins has a more irreverent brand and Froome’s is more corporate.

What is critical is that they, just like Andy Murray (another reserved ‘brand’) keep on performing on the road/ track – this is untimely what drives commercial success during and long after your career has stopped. Just look at Fred Perry’s brand.