Tom Brady, the Advertisement Man
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Hey Team,
Thanks for tuning in to The Fast Break.
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Hertz, yes, the car company, is going “green”. After emerging from its May 2020 bankruptcy in early July 2021, Hertz announced this week that it’s buying 100,000 Teslas from the electric automaker giant. Reported first by Bloomberg, the deal is reported to be worth upwards of $4.2 billion and the car rental company expects to have its first 100,000 cars by 2022. It’s expected that Tesla’s Model 3 sedans will be available to rent at Hertz locations in major U.S. markets and parts of Europe by November. It’s estimated that electric vehicles (EVs) will now make up 20% of Hertz’s global fleet. Also, this is the largest purchase of electric vehicles in history.
As a part of the business play, Hertz hired NFL superstar Tom Brady and his creative agency Shadow Lion to create an ad campaign around the quarterback’s signature line, “Let’s go!” to promote the massive new deal. The campaign comprises two ads – “Plugged in” and “Speed” – featuring Brady renting and recharging a Hertz electric vehicle.
Let's Go! :30
The deal also boosted Tesla’s stock price and generated significant financial growth for the company and its founder. The electric-car maker’s stock jumped 4.5% at market open on Monday, peaking at 18.8% growth on Tuesday morning. Its market capitalization hit $1.03 trillion making it the sixth $1 trillion public company in the world after Apple, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, Alphabet, and Amazon. The deal also made CEO and Founder of Tesla Elon Musk the richest person in the world at a net worth of $253.8 billion as of October 27th. Musk previously furthered his journey into the sports and entertainment space by joining the board of Endeavor who owns the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in Spring 2021.
This partnership isn’t Brady’s first rodeo.
Brady’s on-field and endorsement money put him at number 8 in Sportico’s Top 100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World with a cool $80.4 million over the last calendar year as of May 2021. The 44-year-old Brady raked in $59.4 million in salary/winnings and $22 million in endorsements. Brady only made $25 million in base salary last season but earned another $30 million in incentives by winning his seventh Super Bowl.
The top 100 include athletes from 10 sports, 23 countries, and $4.2 billion in total income, including $2.9 billion in salary and prize money, as well as $1.3 billion off the field or court from endorsements, licensing, memorabilia, and appearances over the last 12 months https://t.co/vEKPu4nmdb
Top-100 Highest Paid Athletes List
The part we’re more interested in here, though, is his business ventures and endorsements. Brady’s main endorsements include:
Christopher Cloos – a leading maker of premium eyewear (included the launch of Brady’s own collection).
Fanatics – online retailer of licensed sportswear, sports equipment, and merchandise.
IWC Schaffhausen – leading maker of luxury wristwear
T-Mobile – mobile communications and telecommunications company
Under Armour – sports equipment company that manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel
Wheels Up – private jet and charter company
Aston Martin – luxury British sports car manufacturer
Foot Locker – athletic-inspired shoes and clothes store
Ugg – footwear company
Among others.
Brady also owns several companies including:
199 Productions – named after his selection number in the 2000 draft, Brady launched 199 Productions to serve as a global multi-platform content company aiming to develop original premium content including documentaries, feature films, and television shows. His first project, titled Unseen Football, is be produced via a partnership with Joe and Anthony Russo.
TB12 Method – along with his body coach and business partner Alex Guerrero, Brady launched TB12 as a company that’s the focus is to help clients live better and longer by changing the way they prepare, perform and recover. The company follows a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Autograph – an NFT platform called Autograph that Brady launched on DraftKings. Autograph will sell digital sports memorabilia from other athletes including Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, Tony Hawk, among others. The mission is to provide fans and collectors with the opportunity to own a piece of iconic moments in sports and entertainment through authenticated and official digital collectibles.
Among many others.
Brady is one of the leaders the field in terms of athlete advertising income. As discussed at the start of this newsletter, the guy gets ads. A lot of that has to do with his marketability, his polarization as an athlete, and his synergy to a lot of these companies. Most North Americans at least know of Tom Brady. Not to mention, he is married to international superstar businesswoman Gisele Bundchen, who holds almost double Brady’s net worth and is known around the world – talk about marketability.
To finish today’s newsletter off, here are Brady’s 5 best acting jobs in his commercials (h/t Sporting News):
“Big Game ad” by T-Mobile ft. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski:
Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski | Big Game Ad | #TheGOATin5G | T-Mobile
“I’m In” – FTX ft. Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen
FTX. You in?
“Not Enough Time” – Subway ft. Tom Brady, Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams & Steph Curry
Tom Brady on New commercial for Subway!
“Foot Locker Week of Greatness” ft. Tom Brady
Foot Locker Week of Greatness Featuring Tom Brady
“Do Nothing” ft. Jeff Bridges and Tom Brady
UGG for Men | Song feat. Jeff Bridges & Tom Brady | Do Nothing
At 44-years-old, Brady continues to be one of the most marketable athletes in America. Though his age usually means retirement from the NFL, Brady shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. He’s been quoted as saying he could play until 50 if he wants to. If he doesn’t, there’s no doubt that he is setting himself up well for life after football with his businesses and endorsements outside the game. Leaning into production companies, cryptocurrency, luxury companies, and his own health and wellness brand will give Brady lots to do when he retires.
Thank you very, very much for reading. Have a great day, and we’ll talk on Friday.
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Kendal