Usefulness by Dr. Dre

The world's magnifying glass is on athletes rights now, which makes them particularly attractive to brands. All that attention translates into an incredible amount of eyeballs, from consumers who are rooting for and energized by the competition at the Olympics.

Brands spend a great deal of money to get athletes to rock their brand, in whatever capacity. However, it's a tough thing to pull off--you need to be cautious and pick an athlete that embodies and exemplifies the defining characteristics of your brand.

But here's a different model of athlete endorsement I love: This year, you can't ignore the visibility of Dr. Dre's  "Beats by Dr. Dre" headphones. Knowing that many of the highest profile athletes now appear on screen and at the starting blocks in headphones, Dr. Dre's company created customized headphones for the event and also provided standard models to athletes from all different teams. Such a useful gift has ensured a ton of visibility in the arena, on TV and in social media. Unlike a traditional single celebrity endorsement, Dr. Dre's ‘ambush marketing’ efforts rely on his product's innate usefulness to spread the buzz. It's an undoubtedly bold move that shines a spotlight on the strict restrictions the Olympics places on brands that aren't official sponsors.

While the value of celebrity endorsements can be argued over, it boils down to a quality that's at the core of successful brands and people: purpose. If a brand can express its purpose through a celebrity endorsement in a creative and positive way, the long-term gains are well worth it.

--Karl Heiselman

Photo via NYT