Constantly companies the world over are looking for sports personalities to be their brand ambassadors.
In Ghana, the situation is not different. This is because many sportsmen and women are excelling in their various disciplines, particularly football.
These sports personalities are picked because they have become the people’s choice and, therefore, people prefer to associate with the personalities as a way of showing off.
For instance, telecoms giant, MTN, continues to hold on to Michael Essien, an affable and well-behaved soccer player who continues to inspire the youth. The company had in the past relied on Stephen Appiah during his days as the captain of the national team.
Fanmilk Ghana has also become glued to Andre Dede Ayew, once the BBC Africa Footballer of the year.
The youth love to see Dede play and since the major target of the Fanmilk products are targeted at that segment of society, it is not a mistake for the company to do so.
The former goalkeeper of the Black Stars, Richard ‘Olele’ Kingston, is also associated with Interplast as a reliable and dependable goalkeeper who seldom fails.
The use of these personalities is not deliberate. The reason is because their performance clearly communicates the values of the brands of the companies.
But what are brands?
There are diverse definitions of brands. A brand name is a name used to distinguish one product from its competitors. Brands can apply to one product, an entire product range, or even a company. Usually a brand name is associated with a logo or other graphical representation of the brand in order to strengthen the brand image.
As mentioned, a core purpose of branding is basically to differentiate the products and services of one product or business from those of competitors.
Successful brand-building helps profitability by “adding values” that customers are prepared to pay for.
Strong brands inspire customer loyalty leading to repeat sales and word-of mouth recommendation. The brand owner can usually charge higher prices, especially if the brand is the market leader
Better access to distribution - retailers, distributors and other sellers usually want to stock top-brands. With limited shelf space it is more likely the top brands will be on the shelf than less well-known brands
Way Forward.
This phenomenon indicates that there is value in raising more sports personalities in the country.
This is because apart from making names for themselves, they also serve as icons for companies and institutions which wish to make their brands more popular and visible.
The sector ministry, therefore, has a great responsibility to turn around the sector to develop more talents in the country.
By Charles Benoni Okine / Graphic Business / Ghana
