Last Friday, I presented a fun slideshow called “Is Sponsorship a Sin?” at Canmore’s annual Night of Lies. Although couched in humor, my main complaint was that not all athletes are worthy of official sponsorship. A common comment was, “Oh well, even if they’re not worthy, I guess it’s up to the companies which athletes they should support.”

True, it is. But who those companies choose to support has serious side affects on their credibility and strength as a brand.

On the one hand, if the athlete is legit, it reinforces the authenticity of the brand. A virtuous circle is created between customer perception, esteem for the athlete and brand strength.

On the other hand, if the athlete is a pretender, they’re eventually found out, and the brand’s credibility starts to decline.

Initially, it’s usually the core users of a brand’s products that find out first about the fraud. Those devotees then slowly, silently move away from those brands. Next, other enthusiasts notice and follow suit.

At this point, the brand has usually become a department store commodity and is making so much money that they don’t care where they came from.

It’s a sad, disappointing cliche.

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