MUNICH — The Olympics were front and center at the ISPO trade fair here, where firms showcased their sports equipment and fashions.
“The event is iconic, and the athletes are authentic and aspirational; they are the rock stars of the winter sports industry and people want to be like them,” said Russ Rowan, Spyder vice president of sales and global marketing, who exhibited the U.S. team ski suit at the label’s booth. “There couldn’t be a better image for the brand.”
The Boulder, Colorado-based ski-racing brand has dressed U.S. and Canadian national ski teams since the Nineties.
“It goes beyond just advertising labels in a sport where athletes are measured in hundredths of seconds, research and development is crucial,” said Rowan, adding that sponsorship represents 30 percent of Spyder’s marketing budget.
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“You may not see the direct impact on sales the next day, but the Olympics creates heroes, it creates tragedies, emotions, winners and losers…It creates a sporty mood that is essential to our business,” said Franz Julen, chief executive officer of Intersport International Corp., which bills itself as the world’s largest sporting goods retailer.
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“This is our 17th Olympic Games,” said Oliver Pabst, a board member of Bogner, the Munich-based ski label. “We wouldn’t still be involved if it wasn’t beneficial for Bogner. We learn from the athletes. They are living laboratories and help push all our collections further each season…it still has a positive effect on sales.”
Tim Patrick, senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Rossignol, said the Olympics “brings a lot of attention to events, which are not considered major spectator sports.” Rossignol will supply ski hardware to some 85 athletes in Vancouver. “Our goal is to figure out how to make it even more of participatory event.”
Goldwin, a Tokyo-based skiwear brand, has sponsored Sweden’s national ski team since 1988 and, as its name suggests, considers podium time the best way to increase visibility.
“The more medals we win the better,” said Arnaud Claude, a consultant for Goldwin. “The credibility gained from a racing event such as skiing impacts retail, especially in Japan, where uniforms and official-looking apparel is very popular. Skiing is not a spectator sport, so events such as the Olympics suddenly give the sport a lot more visibility and reach a wider audience.”