Stroman a star pitcher and a star pitchman
His comeback story and his popularity with fans register with marketers
Marcus Stroman’s comeback from a torn knee ligament didn’t just showcase his resolve, work ethic and focus — it also boosted his marketing muscle.
The 24-year-old has pitched in only 30 major-league games in the regular season, but he already counts Nike among his sponsors and is one of a handful of big leaguers signed to a personal deal with New Era.
While both those deals pre-date Stroman’s late-season return from reconstructive knee surgery, sports marketing experts say Stroman’s rapid recovery from a serious injury strengthens a personal brand that casts him as an overachieving underdog.
The six-month rehabilitation process also lent a Stroman-centric subplot to the Blue Jays’ playoff run. And as companies increasingly seek to integrate storytelling into ad campaigns, Stroman’s triumph over yet another obstacle lends a drama marketing experts say brands can’t resist.
“Him taking control and setting himself the goal of pitching in September — that authenticity and the story strengthens his credibility,” say Peter Widdis, a sports marketing professor at George Brown College. “It adds credibility for consumers to believe in the brands he touches.”
Stroman, who earned his degree from Duke University while rehabbing his knee this spring, has long understood that beating long odds makes him marketable.
At five-foot-eight, Stroman stands five inches shorter than the average big league pitcher and has adopted “height doesn’t measure heart” as a rallying cry and slogan. He designed apparel with the HDMH acronym and has sold it at his online store since 2013, the year before his majorleague debut. The letters also adorn the baseball caps Stroman designed as part of his New Era deal.
And his comeback from an injury that often sidelines athletes for an entire year endeared him to the Jays’ rapidly expanding fan base, which in turn gives him the profile that makes him attractive to brands.
“We try to be as proactive as possible,” says Meghan Whelan, client services director at the Legacy Agency, which represents Stroman. “Now people are starting to listen and pay attention.”
There are no guarantees Stroman’s marketing stock will rise indefinitely.
NFL quarterback Robert Griffin took a similar proactive approach to branding himself when Washington drafted him in 2012. He trademarked every permutation of his nickname (RG3, RGIII and more) and had signed deals with Subway and Adidas before his first NFL game. When he underwent reconstructive knee sur- gery after the 2012 playoffs, he undertook an accelerated rehab to play in his team’s 2013 season opener.
Since then his play and profile have nosedived, while the perception grows that his meticulously crafted good-guy persona is phony. Neither development helps his marketability.
So far, however, Stroman has remained on a different trajectory. After rejoining the Jays in September, Stroman went undefeated in four starts, then contributed 19 strong innings to the Jays’ playoff campaign before Saturday.
And sports marketers who have worked with Stroman say his brand is an extension of his personality, and not a character he plays in public hoping to seduce sponsors.
“That joy he demonstrates in everything he’s doing makes him a commodity,” says Sunny Pathak, president of New Path Sports and Entertainment, the firm that brokered the Stroman-New Era deal. “He might be one of the most lucrative people to get behind (next season). Brands are wanting to tell a story and the Marcus Stroman story is out there.”
Meanwhile, the popularity of his HDMH-branded hats hint at the pent-up demand for Stroman apparel.
New Era Canada says each of the four designs sold out in less than a day, and that they’re considering rolling out a second series for the holiday season.