kidmercury

Larry Fitzgerald is a wide receiver in the National Football League (American football). Below is a screen shot of his Twitter page. Here's a link.


Chad Ochocinco is also a wide receiver in the NFL. Below is a screen shot of his Twitter page. Here's a link.


Some observations:

1. Ochocinco clearly has the "ads in your face" approach, which I'm a bit dubious of. I think there's more money to be made in creating your own brand, slapping it on products/services, and then selling that. The Nike strategy.
2. Fitzgerald, in my opinion, is better positioned to play the Nike strategy to the max. There's a clear brand message that is made a priority.

I think both brands are very promising. Ochocinco is a great entertainer with lots of charisma and no controversial/problematic social images. Fitzgerald is going for the inspirational/conservative role model approach, which I think is one of those things that I think is appealing in a universal and timeless fashion, across all cultures and ages. Of course, the key is always for the brand messenger to live and embody the brand -- to be an example of what usage of the brand does to an individual.

Their web sites are also worth observing: Chad Ochocinco, Larry Fitzgerald. Of course, the next step is for a social network to emerge, which will result in many monetization opportunities as well.