Vonetta Flowers, Winter Olympics gold medalist, is a hot endorser

Vonetta Flowers, Winter Olympics gold medalist, is a hot endorser

By Jay Weiner
Minneapolis Star Tribune
(January 16, 2006) Against a backdrop of white, tucked into a bumper car zooming down a mountainside, Vonetta Flowers is impossible to miss.

A Winter Olympic niche all by herself, she's the black bobsledder who won a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, the history-making mother of prematurely born twins and one of the hottest marketing spokespeople for the 2006 Winter Games that begin in 25 days in Turin, Italy. She was officially selected to the U.S. team on Sunday.

It is, sports business experts say, a certain mark of progress that an African-American woman in an oddball athletic endeavor like bobsledding can become a sought-after endorser for mega-companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Kleenex, Home Depot, DHL, Hilton Hotels and Speedo.

"Our world has changed in a positive way," said sports talent broker Nova Lanktree. "I don't think these companies are necessarily targeting African-Americans when they work with Vonetta. I think they are targeting all Americans who are proud of an Olympian who won a gold medal."

Flowers, 32, an accidental Winter Olympian, was born Vonetta Jeffery in Birmingham, Ala., 10 years after four little black girls were blown up in a church there. It surely was a center of civil rights activity, but hardly a bobsledding hotbed.

"It never snows there," Flowers said. "I never watched the bobsled before I got in one. The only thing I knew was 'Cool Runnings' " she said, of the 1993 movie about the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team.

Sue Rodin, Flowers' agent, admits that Flowers' appeal has a "novelty act" aspect. But that quirkiness is folded into a compelling, real-life story.

The daughter of a hotel maid, Flowers gave birth in August 2002 to a pair of sons, including one, Jorden, who weighed 2 pounds, 9 ounces. He was born deaf.

Flowers makes her living and constructs her reputation on the ice bahns of Germany and Italy, swooshing downward at 80-plus miles per hour.

"I can't see anything," said Flowers, whose strength and 165 pounds push her vehicle at the start and stop it 1,400 meters later as the brakeman on her two-woman team. "My head is down throughout the race. Basically, I'm praying."

Win or lose next month, Flowers is about to become one of the most profitable faces of the upcoming Turin Games, sure to pocket "seven figures," one marketing expert said, if she captures another gold medal.

Olympics are as much a set of stories as they are a series of competitions. Flowers' improbable and emotional story is a platform to sell stuff and bolster brands.

The former University of Alabama-Birmingham All-America long jumper-sprinter answered a "want ad" on a bulletin board at the U.S. track and field trials to try out for bobsled. Barely two years later, she became the first black person to win a Winter Olympic gold in any sport.

"I'm really excited that my grandkids will be reading about me in the history books," she said in a recent interview.

Six months after winning gold, she gave birth to Jorden and Jaden -- he was 3 pounds-- three months prematurely. Jorden recently underwent brain surgery in Italy in an attempt to fix his hearing.

She travels with the boys. "They've got their little passports," she said.

Her husband, Johnny Flowers, quit his job as a health care manager to tend to the twins while his spouse trained for the Olympics.

Look at the soda cup from which her countenance smiles, available at McDonald's restaurants from Bemidji to Bakersfield, and get the messages.

"I push myself harder than I push my bobsled," the copy reads. "I am golden."

Turn the cup and read: "Vonetta Flowers, Olympic Bobsledder. Mom."

On the one hand, her story is "universal," said Lanktree. On the other hand, she is a vehicle for target marketing.

Black women in the United States generate more than $400 billion in spending, said Pepper Miller, president of the Hunter-Miller Group, an "ethnic marketing" consulting firm.

"Vonetta Flowers is a double take," Miller said. "A beautiful black woman, a caring mother and a bobsledder? You do a double take on her."

John Lewicki, who heads McDonald's U.S. Olympic marketing efforts, said that 25 percent of his company's business involves children in the "Happy Meal" range whose food decisions are made by mothers.

Lewicki said of Flowers: "We look at her first as a woman and mom. But as an African-American woman, she hits that segment, sure."

(McDonald's is also featuring Japanese-American speedskater Apolo Ohno and Mexican-American speedskater Derek Parra on packaging.)

The days are over when companies simply want an inclusive image, said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News, a research firm that specializes in African-American marketing. Flowers is hired, he said, "to move the needle on product sales. There is the added bonus of her gold medal that brings good will. But these are product campaigns."

For instance, Speedo, known for its core business of swimsuits, has retained Flowers to help it expand a line of women's workout and yoga wear.

Like all Olympic athlete/marketers, Flowers benefits from the attitudes of the American public toward the five Olympic rings.

It's why a company like McDonald's has paid $80 million over four years to the International Olympic Committee to be a worldwide sponsor of the Olympics and another $25 million or so to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to use the rings on its packages for the Turin Games and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

According to market research conducted for the USOC by Harris Interactive on concepts such as greed, selfishness and egotism, Olympic athletes score much more favorably than do pro athletes and big-time college athletes.

On measures of patriotism, dedication and sportsmanship, Olympic athletes also score far better than other high-profile jocks.

At that intersection of warm-and-fuzzies, diverse demographics and shrinking sports marketing dollars sits Flowers, bundled-up Southerner, helmeted mom, sledding saleswoman.

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Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	Vonetta Flowers, Winter Olympics gold medalist, is a hot endorser By Jay Weiner Minneapolis Star Tribune (January 16, 2006) Against a backdrop of white, tucked into a bumper car zooming down a mountainside, Vonetta Flowers is impossible to miss. A Winter Olympic niche all by herself, she's the black bobsledder who won a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, the history-making mother of prematurely born twins and one of the hottest marketing spokespeople for the 2006 Winter Games that begin in 25 days in Turin, Italy. She was officially selected to the U.S. team on Sunday. It is, sports business experts say, a certain mark of progress that an African-American woman in an oddball athletic endeavor like bobsledding can become a sought-after endorser for mega-companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Kleenex, Home Depot, DHL, Hilton Hotels and Speedo. "Our world has changed in a positive way," said sports talent broker Nova Lanktree. "I don't think these companies are necessarily targeting African-Americans when they work with Vonetta. I think they are targeting all Americans who are proud of an Olympian who won a gold medal." Flowers, 32, an accidental Winter Olympian, was born Vonetta Jeffery in Birmingham, Ala., 10 years after four little black girls were blown up in a church there. It surely was a center of civil rights activity, but hardly a bobsledding hotbed. "It never snows there," Flowers said. "I never watched the bobsled before I got in one. The only thing I knew was 'Cool Runnings' " she said, of the 1993 movie about the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team. Sue Rodin, Flowers' agent, admits that Flowers' appeal has a "novelty act" aspect. But that quirkiness is folded into a compelling, real-life story. The daughter of a hotel maid, Flowers gave birth in August 2002 to a pair of sons, including one, Jorden, who weighed 2 pounds, 9 ounces. He was born deaf. Flowers makes her living and constructs her reputation on the ice bahns of Germany and Italy, swooshing downward at 80-plus miles per hour. "I can't see anything," said Flowers, whose strength and 165 pounds push her vehicle at the start and stop it 1,400 meters later as the brakeman on her two-woman team. "My head is down throughout the race. Basically, I'm praying." Win or lose next month, Flowers is about to become one of the most profitable faces of the upcoming Turin Games, sure to pocket "seven figures," one marketing expert said, if she captures another gold medal. Olympics are as much a set of stories as they are a series of competitions. Flowers' improbable and emotional story is a platform to sell stuff and bolster brands. The former University of Alabama-Birmingham All-America long jumper-sprinter answered a "want ad" on a bulletin board at the U.S. track and field trials to try out for bobsled. Barely two years later, she became the first black person to win a Winter Olympic gold in any sport. "I'm really excited that my grandkids will be reading about me in the history books," she said in a recent interview. Six months after winning gold, she gave birth to Jorden and Jaden -- he was 3 pounds-- three months prematurely. Jorden recently underwent brain surgery in Italy in an attempt to fix his hearing. She travels with the boys. "They've got their little passports," she said. Her husband, Johnny Flowers, quit his job as a health care manager to tend to the twins while his spouse trained for the Olympics. Look at the soda cup from which her countenance smiles, available at McDonald's restaurants from Bemidji to Bakersfield, and get the messages. "I push myself harder than I push my bobsled," the copy reads. "I am golden." Turn the cup and read: "Vonetta Flowers, Olympic Bobsledder. Mom." On the one hand, her story is "universal," said Lanktree. On the other hand, she is a vehicle for target marketing. Black women in the United States generate more than $400 billion in spending, said Pepper Miller, president of the Hunter-Miller Group, an "ethnic marketing" consulting firm. "Vonetta Flowers is a double take," Miller said. "A beautiful black woman, a caring mother and a bobsledder? You do a double take on her." John Lewicki, who heads McDonald's U.S. Olympic marketing efforts, said that 25 percent of his company's business involves children in the "Happy Meal" range whose food decisions are made by mothers. Lewicki said of Flowers: "We look at her first as a woman and mom. But as an African-American woman, she hits that segment, sure." (McDonald's is also featuring Japanese-American speedskater Apolo Ohno and Mexican-American speedskater Derek Parra on packaging.) The days are over when companies simply want an inclusive image, said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News, a research firm that specializes in African-American marketing. Flowers is hired, he said, "to move the needle on product sales. There is the added bonus of her gold medal that brings good will. But these are product campaigns." For instance, Speedo, known for its core business of swimsuits, has retained Flowers to help it expand a line of women's workout and yoga wear. Like all Olympic athlete/marketers, Flowers benefits from the attitudes of the American public toward the five Olympic rings. It's why a company like McDonald's has paid $80 million over four years to the International Olympic Committee to be a worldwide sponsor of the Olympics and another $25 million or so to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to use the rings on its packages for the Turin Games and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. According to market research conducted for the USOC by Harris Interactive on concepts such as greed, selfishness and egotism, Olympic athletes score much more favorably than do pro athletes and big-time college athletes. On measures of patriotism, dedication and sportsmanship, Olympic athletes also score far better than other high-profile jocks. At that intersection of warm-and-fuzzies, diverse demographics and shrinking sports marketing dollars sits Flowers, bundled-up Southerner, helmeted mom, sledding saleswoman. Go to Target Market News homepage	NEW! Search the entire contents of the Target Market News Web site! Looking for hard-to-find information on the African-American consumer market? Now you can easily search the contents of the leading source for information on African-American marketing and media. Scan our entire Web site for news, research and information using Google-powered keyword searches. Hundreds of articles, stories and report findings can be accessed for free. Click here to try it now! _____________________________________________________________________________________ 12th Annual Edition Available Latest 'Buying Power' report shows black consumers spending more on home life As the American economy continues to move sluggishly, African-American households are curtailing their spending in many categories, including food, clothing and basic household items, while investing more in home repair, home entertainment and consumer electronics. Although they are trimming back, black consumers are still spending more than their white counterparts on most of these products. 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