Off-set
Olympian sells ad space on his arm for $21,800
W
hat's a 9-inch square of ad
space worth? If it's on the
body of an Olympian, as
much as $21,800.
"My goal is to look like a human NASCAR
[car]," Symmonds said.
That's what T-Mobile CEO John Legere
paid on Thursday in an eBay auction for
the right to put an ad on track and field
athlete Nick Symmonds. The ad will
appear on Symmonds’ right shoulder as a
temporary tatoo in the form of a logo,
websiteURL or social media username
temporary tattoos at a time while racing.
Before the 2012 Olympics, Symmonds
held a similar auction for space on his left
shoulder. Hanson Dodge Creative, a
marketing company based in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, won with a bid of $11,100.
However, for Rio, he switched the location
of the temporary tattoo.
On Thursday, after winning the auction,
Legere tweeted, "Happy to do my part to
support USA running & this amazing
athlete."
He's worn as many as four different
"When you run track and field, you're
always turning left and the cameras are
He also started a Twitter
poll for suggestions about
what the ad should look
like. The options were:
"#WeWontStop (magenta
T)," the American flag, and
"I Run Good."
26
SIGNAGE.NG
And I’m not talking about these kids that
no ones’s ever heard of, that will never
have a chance to make a team. I’m talking
about Olympians and in some cases
Olympians with medals around their neck
living below the poverty line”
Symmonds himself isn't struggling
financially. But that's because he's built a
brand based on his successes. He's been
to the Beijing and London Olympics and is
the defending U.S.
champion in the 800
meter race.
Symmonds still
needs to qualify for
the Rio Olympics -the team will be
selected from July 1
through July 10.
Symmonds, 32, will apply
the temporary tattoo
before each race or photo
opportunity. However,
he'll have to put tape over
it during the Olympics
because of "antiquated
rules" that prevent
athletes from sporting
tattoo ads.
"There's something so
absurd about a really elite
r u n n e r, w o r l d - c l a s s
runner, running around
with a bunch of tape all
over him," Symmonds told CNNMoney.
"This absurdity often raises questions."
He hopes questions about the tape will
lead to a change in the rules and that
athletes will eventually be able to market
themselves to sponsors and display ads
on their bodies during competition. He's
even started an #OwnYourSkin campaign.
track and field athletes are paid.
"It's important to remember that 50% of
professional track and field athletes live
below the poverty line,” Symmonds said. “
He said the Olympics
generate billions of
dollars for the
International
Olympic Committee
but that the athletes
receive very little -e ve n g o l d m e d a l
winners.
always on the outside of the track so the
right shoulder is the most valuable ad
space," Symmonds explained.
Symmonds has held the auctions to
"court sponsors and raise money to fund
my Olympic dream." However, he also
wants to raise awareness about how little
“It's almost like a
lottery," Symmonds
said. "You're just
playing this game
with the off-chance
that you'll be -- not just great, not just an
Olympian, but the best of all Olympians
across all sports and then you might
actually get paid. What I'm saying is that
all Olympians are helping to create the
show -- not just Michael Phelps, not just
Usain Bolt."