Manning can cash in with Super Bowl win- Clarion Ledger

Source: Clarionledger.com
By: Jeffrey Ayres

Should Eli Manning and the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots on Sunday, the former Ole Miss quarterback will expand his endorsement possibilities well beyond cookies, watches and banks, marketing experts say.

"It's already huge, the fact that he's reached the Super Bowl," said Robert Tuchman, founder and president of TSE Sports and Entertainment, a New York-based company that provides marketing campaigns and strategies to corporations.

Manning has attracted his share of regional and national endorsement deals, adding up to an estimated $5 million.

A win in the Super Bowl could propel him closer to the endorsement opportunities enjoyed by his brother, Peyton, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, last year's Super Bowl winner.

A victory could earn Eli Manning an estimated $3 million to $5 million in new deals, marketers say.

Peyton Manning earned $13 million, making him the highest-paid pitchman in the NFL, according to Sports Illustrated.

"The fact that (Eli) got his team to the Super Bowl ... there are a lot of unique opportunities. No doubt you'll see him in a lot of national campaigns."

Most of his current ads pair him with either his brother or father.

Mississippi-based BankPlus features Eli Manning with his father, Archie, a former standout with Ole Miss and the New Orleans Saints. And he has a commercial for Oreo where he battles his brother Peyton to lick the center of the cookie.

But Eli Manning has scored a solo deal with Citizen watches. Other endorsements include Toyota of New Jersey, Reebok and ESPN Radio.

The BankPlus commercials feature Eli and Archie as coaches dispensing banking wisdom to passersby.

The Mannings have been featured in the bank's ad campaigns for about four years, with the first commercial airing the day Eli Manning was picked No. 1 overall in the NFL draft.

Being a former Rebel QB with the last name "Manning" carries enough weight on its own statewide, but Eli is an example of someone who's a warrior on the gridiron and a gentleman off it, said David Dumeyer, BankPlus senior vice president.

"They (the Manning family) are absolutely just first-class folks," he said.

Eli Manning may not have the dashing, glamour-boy appeal of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, but he would appeal greatly to teens and young adults, said Dick Irwin, director of the University of Memphis' Bureau of Sport and Leisure Commerce.

He could sell video games, athletic wear and strength/fitness products, he said. Irwin describes Manning's image as clean-cut but with a mischievous streak that appeals to younger people.

"He's cute, not Tom Brady-cute but kid-cute - at least that's what my girls tell me," Irwin said, adding the Oreo spots are ideal for Eli because they're "a kid product."

A win would boost Manning into the upper echelon of NFL endorsers, he said, noting there are few Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks who didn't parlay their triumph on the field into a conquest of Madison Avenue.

A strong effort in defeat also will help him gain endorsements, Irwin said.

Manning's playoff run has already boosted his popularity at the cash register. As of Jan. 26, his jersey ranked eighth in season-to-date sales on NFLShop.com, up from No. 20 as of Dec. 31.

Peyton Manning was No. 4 on that list. Brady was third.

According to reports, 1,031 Eli Manning collectibles, such as signed jerseys and helmets, were sold in January, compared to 2,400 in 2007.

Anthony Howlett, a manager at Champs Sports in Ridgeland, said Manning and Giants jerseys have been the store's best sellers since the Giants' overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game to reach the Super Bowl.

"They've really been jumping, the team's jerseys, also. Just like the Saints last year," Howlett said, noting they're disappearing "like Houdini or David Blaine."

Jonathan Pempleton, a manager at Hibbett Sports in Pearl, says Eli Manning merchandise is oft-requested there, too, but not enough to topple that store's biggest seller - Kiln native and Packers QB Brett Favre.