The U.S. Olympic Committee has entered into a licensing agreementthat will introduce its Team USA merchandise into mass-marketretailers like Target, Kohl's and JC Penney for the first time.
The move is part of an effort to rebrand the apparel, give it thesame high-profile placement as NFL and NASCAR clothing and, the USOChopes, make a whole lot of money.
'Last summer, we began taking a full look at rebranding,' saidUSOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird. 'We wanted to strengthenour architecture branding, clean up our design and create a new setof marks (logos) specifically for consumer products.'
The first step was to create a consistent, recognizable logo. Inthe past, USOC merchandise mimicked the apparel the U.S. team woreduring the Olympic Games.
'We wanted to create a logo that would stay the same throughoutthe games,' Baird said. 'Going forward, we will not change the logo,just the look and feel of the merchandise.'
But rebranding requires a lot more than simply unveiling a newlogo.
Rex Whisman, founder and principal of the Denver-based BrandEDconsulting group, said pulling off a rebranding is a tall order.
'In order to develop a sustainable brand, you need to create abrand platform that captures the essence of the Team USA brand,' hesaid. 'A brand platform helps guide the execution of the brand andensures the brand is communicated in an accurate, authentic, conciseand consistent manner.'
'If the USOC has taken methodical steps to develop their brand,then I say 'Bravo,'' Whisman said. 'If they have simply changedlogos, printed them on merchandise and placed them in stores, thenthat approach would not even make it to London in 2012.'
Those are concepts Baird is all too familiar with.
She joined the USOC in January 2009 after holding a number ofsenior-level marketing positions at Proctor and Gamble, IBM, GeneralMotors and the NFL.
Baird expects that within the next three to five years themerchandise line to triple the $7 million in annual revenue the USOCnow generates.
'I believe this is one of our strongest growth areas,' she said.'We have one of those really unique brands that can be broad acrossall channels of retail from high-end to low-end.'
The organization has already developed licensing deals with RalphLauren, and is working with Nike to provide products in stores likeSports Authority and REI.
As part of its new thinking, the USOC struck a deal withOuterstuff, a New York-based clothing manufacturer with clientslike, Reebok, NHL, NBA, NFL and NCAA.
