LLoouuiissiiaannaa SSttaattee UUnniivveerrssiittyy LLSSUU DDiiggiittaall CCoommmmoonnss LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2013 TThhee AAddvveerrttiissiinngg EExxppoossuurree VVaalluuee ooff TTyyrraannnn MMaatthhiieeuu ttoo LLSSUU Chad Michael Nolan Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Nolan, Chad Michael, "The Advertising Exposure Value of Tyrann Mathieu to LSU" (2013). LSU Master's Theses. 2558. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2558 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ADVERTISING EXPOSURE VALUE OF TYRANN MATHIEU TO LSU A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Arts In The Interdisciplinary Program of Liberal Arts by Chad M. Nolan B.S., Louisiana State University, 2010 May 2013 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to express my sincere appreciation to Professors Clark, Karam and Rice for their assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. In addition, special thanks to John Schiebe who provided the material that made this project possible. I would also like to thank the LSU Track and Field staff for allowing me to use their offices and software to complete this project. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................................. iv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods .......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 References ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Vita .................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 iii ABSTRACT When LSU football players put on their uniforms and make their way on to the playing field, they become instant advertisements for Louisiana State University (LSU). When games are televised on national television, viewers are exposed to a number of different advertisements. Stadiums display corporate sponsorships and other naming rights, while television commercials serve as running advertisements. With an understanding that many aspects of the game are scripted with advertisements, this paper seeks to quantify the value of Tyrann Mathieu, a student-athlete on the LSU Football team during the 2011 football season. Though Mathieu did not receive the compensation given to professional athlete endorsers, he did provide a great deal of advertising exposure for Louisiana State University. Additionally, this paper will provide an understanding of the importance of celebrity athletes in advertising and why companies are paying for their endorsements. This research will provide a background on Tyrann Mathieu and his importance as a collegiate football player. It will seek to provide an understanding the importance of a celebrity and the value that a celebrity’s personal brand can provide an organization or company. Also, the research will analyze the importance of positive publicity when seeking endorsement deals, specifically, for athletes, and the implications that negative publicity can bring. The text will provide details on the methods in which the research was conducted as well as the many limitations of my study. The results will be displayed in a chart describing the details of my findings. Finally, the essay will conclude the research by analyzing with the iv results, while addressing limitations. Additionally, recommendations will work to provide strategies for Tyrann Mathieu, as well as other athletes in his position v INTRODUCTION Background Collegiate and professional football players can serve as platforms for advertisements. At the collegiate level, athletes advertise two products: their University and their team’s equipment manufacturers. Each university has a specific color combination. At Louisiana State University (LSU), the traditional helmet is gold with a purple and white stripe running down the center of the helmet. Each side of the helmet has LSU text as well as a tiger logo. The home jerseys are white with the purple numbers on each side and the player’s last name printed in purple on the back side. The pants match the helmet with a similar gold color. Additionally, LSU has an equipment sponsorship with Nike, which makes it one of the school’s most widely used and visible brands. The standard football uniform will display eight Nike “swooshes.” There is one swoosh on the jersey, one on the pant, one on each sock and two on each shoe. Players who opt to wear chin strap covers, arm bands, leg bands or gloves can double the amount of Nike swooshes on their uniform. On certain Saturday’s each fall semester, the Baton Rouge campus of Louisiana State University becomes home to over ninety-two thousand (LSU's Tiger Stadium) students, alumni, and other fans as they gather to celebrate the pageantry of LSU Football. There is no shortage of passion and school pride from the fans when opposing schools come to play in Tiger Stadium. The student-athletes who play the game are part of a rich history of elite athletes whose legacies continue to grow. Hundreds have worn the uniform but few have received the honors and accolades that were bestowed upon Tyrann Mathieu in 2011. 1 Mathieu is arguably one of the greatest defensive backs to ever wear the purple and gold of LSU Football. As a sophomore, he became the first defensive back since Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997 to be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony; an award which annually recognizes the most outstanding player in college football (Heisman Memorial Trophy) (Branch, 2011). He was awarded many post-season honors, including the Chuck Bednarik Award which is awarded to the nation’s best defensive player each year. Fans and media nicknamed him “The Honey Badger” as a comparison to a popular video from YouTube in which the narrator claimed that the honey badger “takes what he wants (czg123).” Tyrann Mathieu has an innate ability to force fumbles and create big plays through his aggressive and fearless attitude on the field. The Honey Badger nickname, coupled with his ability to create highlight worthy plays earned him a remarkable amount of attention from sports and news media on the national stage. However, Mathieu’s time in the spotlight was brief as his trouble off the field resulted in his dismissal from the LSU Football team prior to the 2012 season for disciplinary reasons (Rohan, 2012) (Gordon, 2012). His release came after multiple warnings and a one game suspension in 2011 (Smith E. , 2011). Following Mathieu’s release from the team there was speculation that he may return for the 2013 season. However, the speculation was quickly ruled out, as Mathieu declared for the NFL Draft in November of 2012 (Copeland, 2012). Role as a Celebrity Definitions. Celebrity was originally defined as a condition of being much talked about or having notoriety. However, following the graphic revolution, the word has transitioned its meaning to a famous or well-publicized person (Boorstin, 1992). 2 According to Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, author of Starstruck, being a celebrity requires a collective obsession regarding things about a person that are unrelated to and unexplained by that individual’s talent. The public’s interest centers on their personal lives and has very little to do with their work or skill (Currid-Halkett, 2011). When Tyrann Mathieu stepped onto the field, at any given time, there were ten other players wearing the same uniform. What separates Tyrann Mathieu from the other players? His inherent ability to create big plays earned him a great deal of attention from the media even though he was not the only player who made highlight worthy plays. Becoming a Celebrity. Celebrity is possible in all niches of society. One may attain celebrity status on many different levels. For the purposes of this paper, celebrity will be considered as one who is capable of making national sporting news headlines. All forms of celebrity exhibit some form of exclusiveness: most mainstream celebrities get their foot in the door by first being associated with popular culture in their industry (Currid-Halkett, 2011). Some are talented, but their physical appearance and presence alone are of interest to the public (Currid-Halkett, 2011). Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton are great examples as each of them are known for their lavish lifestyles, yet have done nothing worthy of the attention they garner. For these types of celebrities, the public’s interest centers on their personal lives and has very little to do with his or her work or skill (Currid-Halkett, 2011). Some aspiring celebrities struggle to get noticed and are unable to become part of the member-only celebrity groups that remain highly exclusive and unavailable to the general public. (Currid-Halkett, 2011). Attaining and retaining celebrity status is partly achieved by the events they attend and their social network (Currid-Halkett, 2011). 3 Once the status of celebrity is attained, celebrities have to continue to work to stay in the spotlight. Some have to work more than others. According to Carlson and Donovan, “the social meanings associated with a celebrity that make him or her appealing as an endorser are heavily influenced by the source of their celebrity status.” They go on to say, “The role in which an athlete derives his or her public meanings is synonymous with the source of the athlete’s endorsement power.” The source of this endorsement power comes from an athlete’s sport affiliation, which serves as the public vehicle that allows consumers to become familiar with the athlete as a celebrity (Carlson & Donovan, 2008). Derek Jeter’s celebrity status, for example, comes from his public presence as a baseball player. He uses the New York Yankees as his sport affiliation, which is his public vehicle to stardom. In other words, the media must think that an individual is worth their while, which is why many athletes spend thousands of dollars per month on their publicists (Currid-Halkett, 2011). Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, celebrity athletes rarely use publicists. Their agents serve as publicists, and their exposure is measured by their performance on the field and visibility they gain while doing so. To assist in remaining relevant, celebrities must be involved with a celebrity network. These networks are influential because their status is perpetuated, and they provide access points to important people who can elevate an aspiring star’s career (Boorstin, 1992). They are not random, but are connected simply by virtue of being a celebrity (Currid-Halkett, 2011). Celebrity networks have to stay tight in order to maintain exclusiveness and desirability. (Currid-Halkett, 2011). The most effective way for one to access and remain at the core of a celebrity network is to get his or herself photographed and written about as much as possible. Hollywood celebrities often do this by attending premier events, charities or other functions in which their social status 4