Big Brown team eyes merchandising blitz
NEW YORK (AP) - June 4, 2008 As Saturday's Belmont Stakes draws closer, the prized colt is
the favorite to capture the first Triple Crown in 30 years. His
handlers are already eyeing ways to cash in on the feat, if he
wins, and that means merchandising - lots of it.
"We're definitely going to mass market in a way that's never
been done in our industry," said Kelly Wietsma, president of
Equisponse, a horse racing marketing agency that represents Big
Brown's owner, IEAH Stables. "I want every kid in America to be
able to walk into a Wal-Mart and buy a Big Brown shirt or a Big
Brown Beanie Babie."
To make that happen, IEAH has partnered with sports marketing
firm 16W Marketing, which handles licensing and sponsorship deals
for current and former players from the National Football League.
Big Brown's team is betting that big TV exposure for the Belmont
coupled with the rarity of a Triple Crown shot will translate into
major licensing and endorsements deals. There's even talk of Big
Brown making that most-coveted pilgrimage usually reserved for the
country's most celebrate athletes.
"We did get a phone call about him going to Disneyland,"
Wietsma said, adding that no decision has been made on the trip.
Frank Vuono, president of 16W Marketing, said other offers have
been pouring in from companies eager to attach their products to
Big Brown. While declining to name them or the financial terms of
any deals, he said plans are in the works for apparel, memorabilia,
collectibles, blankets and "probably an alcoholic beverage,"
among other products.
"It runs the gamut in licensing," Vuono said. "We've actually
got the possibility to do postage stamps."
Big Brown, who is sponsored by UPS Inc., the shipping giant he
was named after, is also being courted as a pitch horse for other
brands and to make other appearances, Vuono said.
"I don't think you'll see him on David Letterman ... but you
may see him in a milk mustache commercial or on a Wheaties box,"
he said.
But the splashy marketing blitz carries risks. For starters, Big
Brown has to actually win Saturday's race for any licensing deals
to go through. The undefeated 3-year-old colt has a cracked left
hoof but is still the odds-on favorite to win.
"All the licensing agreements are contingent on Big Brown
winning the Triple Crown," Vuono said. "If he doesn't win, there
won't be as much interest."
Besides losing, a soft economy could also foil purveyors of Big
Brown swag. Soaring costs for gas, food and other necessities have
cut into Americans' wallets, seemingly making them less likely to
rush out for Big Brown bobbleheads and tote bags.
But history may be on Big Brown's side: Secretariat, the 1973
Triple Crown winner, is still selling T-shirts, books, photographs
and DVDs more than 20 years after his death.
And even Triple Crown losers have made out OK. Funny Cide, who
won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, got his own brand of
beer, wine and ice cream after finishing third at the Belmont.
Leonard Lusky, president of Secretariat.com, which started in
2002 to sell licensed merchandise in the horse's name, said sales
on the Web site usually jump by 30 to 40 percent during the Triple
Crown.
"I would say this year it's probably even a little bit more
because of Big Brown," said Lusky. "When there's a Triple Crown
on the line, it filters down. We all feel it."
Ben Erps, president of All Pro Championships Inc. in Louisville,
the official Big Brown merchandise vendor at Saturday's Belmont,
predicted people will hit souvenir stands with open wallets if Big
Brown wins Saturday.
"The Big Brown effect will at least double our Belmont business
and, if he wins, maybe triple it," said Erps, whose company will
be selling T-shirts, caps, posters and bumper stickers. "Then
we'll see what kind of legs he has, how well he continues to
capture the public's imagination."
Some say Big Brown has already fallen short on that front.
Unlike past champions Funny Cide, Barbaro and Smary Jones, Big
Brown's face hasn't been plastered on the cover of national
magazines and doesn't appear to have won over droves of casual
fans.
Michael Iavarone, Big Brown's co-owner, has rejected the idea
that revelations that he was fined and suspended for securities
violations in his 20s should detract from Big Brown's achievements.
"Everybody makes bad decisions," Iavarone said. "I think
people see what we're about."
Looking ahead, he and trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. insist Big Brown
will race beyond Saturday if all goes well, though they've already
signed a stud agreement with Three Chimneys Farm as part of a $50
million deal - potentially removing him from the spotlight.
Lusky, the steward of Secretariat's image, said retiring Big
Brown too quickly could weaken his allure among fans.
"If he's hustled off to stud and the public can't get an
affection for him, he will not endure as strongly or as long,"
said Lusky. "You've got to promote your horse and keep the legacy
alive."
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AP racing writer Richard Rosenblatt contributed to this report.