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Brand Beckham in terminal decline

Posted in Advertising January 24th, 2007 by Arif Durrani

Q. When do you know rats are leaving a sinking ship? A. When you see them sail by on another boat.

Gillette looks set to become the latest big name brand to abandon ex-England football star David Beckham, as his descent into mortal ‘has-been’ continues.

By announcing Thierry Henry, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer as new global ambassadors yesterday, the shaving brand appears to have drawn a line under Beckham’s three year, £40m contract – which is up for renewal this year.

Gillette’s new ad campaign is currently being developed by BBDO and is set to hit the UK in July.

The move must surely be another nail in the coffin for the marketing phenomenon that is Brand Beckham. First his wife tumbled off the music radar. Then she was usurped by younger WAGS in Germany. Meanwhile, David has struggled both on and off the pitch since leading the country to yet another quarter-final World Cup exit last year.

In addition to losing his captaincy, his place in the national side and his day job at Real Madrid, he has already been dropped as the face of Police sunglasses (£1m a year) and now Gillette. Last year, Beckham made more than £10m through deals with Pepsi, Adidas, Motorola, Gillette and Coty perfume. Earning potential from this pool has already halved since then.

Still, it could be worse. Beckham’s deal with America’s LA Galaxy is reported to be one of the biggest in global sport. The footballer is set to earn more than $250m thanks to a never-seen-before deal based on shares in merchandising and club-ticket revenue.

Good for you Goldenballs, enjoy it while you can.