Muscle Pharm Corporation (MSLPQ)

[CWS1987]

The Tiger deal was a bad one, because of the cost. If they could have lured him in at a lower cost, the exposure he's generated might have justifiable.

The Manziel deal is not bad at all. Not only has it cost the company effectively nothing, Manziel is not nearly as "caustic" as you claim. While his on-field performance certainly leaves much to be desired, he's still appreciated as celeb-lete by MusclePharm's core user base (young, American men). His star is fading and he'll likely be forgotten soon, if he doesn't establish his spot on the Browns this year, but given the price, the deal will be net neutral at worst. Even if you consider him to be too caustic to use an endorser, you shouldn't be too upset with the deal, seeing as it hasn't materialized in any significant marketing (other than the announcement tweet and one or two pictures on the MP website).

If the company was selling standard consumer packaged goods, I'd agree that the celebrity/athlete endorsements would provide questionable return on investment, but sports nutrition isn't a standard CPG category. Outside of the most hardcore users, the consumer enthusiasm for the category vastly outstrips the consumer understanding of the products. Less sophisticated users (who vastly outnumber the hardcore physique athletes and bodybuilders) gravitate toward endorsers, whose athletic ability translates into an endorsement of the product's efficacy.