GLOBAL, FEBRUARY 22, 2012: Basketball fans probably have only some dim memory of National Basketball Association (NBA) lockout last year, as a new sports headline-maker continues to make waves in the hard court: 23-year-old Asian-American New York Knick Jeremy Lin.
With an unassuming look and a sweet-shooting hand, Lin, who also happens to be a Harvard graduate, has both talent and back-story that has captivated the basketball world. Although he has yet to do any marketing and promotions for any product, fans and followers have already accorded personal brands to the rising superstar, among them “Linsanity” (or “Linsane”) and “Lincredible”. And as the wins and the impressive game statistics continue to soar, so does his popularity.
Practically overnight, the Linsanity hype exploded over the Internet and sports networks. On February 2, Jeremy Lin’s Facebook page had 40,000 “likes”; two weeks later, the number ballooned to 710,000. On Sina, China’s version of Twitter, Lin’s followers rose from 190,000 to more than a million in the same time period. Google has reported a whopping 1,850% surge in searches for “Jeremy Lin”.
Sports gear related to the phenomenon have also experienced a hike up in sales and page visits. CrockTees, a humor T-shirt retailer, has seen a 400% increase in visitor traffic and a conversion rate of 5%.
No wonder advertisers want a piece of Linsanity for themselves – according to a report from AdAge, sports-marketing firm , the sports division of Creative Artists Agency, and LRMR Marketing (backed by fellow cager LeBron James) have all expressed interest to represent the 23-year-old.
The only thing Lin has as of the moment is a shoe deal with Nike, which is also reportedly working on a campaign around the young star. But with a winning streak of seven-of-eight games, including a 38-point game against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, more brands may be hounding Jeremy Lin for more and bigger deals.
“The Detroit Red Wings have won 21 consecutive home games in hockey. Where’s that story? And, oh by the way, does anybody even remember any more that the NBA season started late because of the lockout? This kid is creating a great storyline. He’s in the right place at the right time,” said John Rowady, president of Chicago-based sports-marketing firm Revolution.
