LeBron Merchandise Heats Up
Friday, July 9th, 2010Retailers in South Florida are already seeing dividends paid on LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Miami Heat.
Mitchell Lombard, owner and president of Atlas Embroidery & Screen Printing, shows off a freshly screened LeBron James shirt. In addition to a new team, James is changing numbers from his familiar 23 to 6, the same number he wears with USA Basketball.
The color palette of sports marketing in Miami has long been dominated by the aqua and orange of the Miami Dolphins, but expect to see a lot of the black and red of the Miami Heat, starting today.
LeBron James, the king of the NBA, said Thursday he would join all-stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami.
“First of all, these guys, they want to win championships, so it’s not about the money for these guys,” said Alan T. Brown, president of PrimeTime Public Relations & Marketing. “These guys want to build a dynasty.”
Adam Cohen, VP of sales for Atlas Embroidery & Screen Printing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had six T-shirt presses on standby Thursday night, and was on a conference call with adidas when James announced his decision.
“As soon as he said ‘South Beach,’ I said ‘spin ‘em, spin ‘em, spin ‘em,’” Cohen said.
A few hours later, tens of thousands of T-shirts had been shipped to the American Airlines Arena, Sports Authority, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Champs Sports, Cohen said. “There were people lined up at all these stores before the merchandise arrived.”
Cohen expects the Heat will have the type of national following that the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bulls had during their dynastic periods.
“This is one of the largest things that has ever happened in professional sports–ever,” he said. “They are basically assembling an all-star team that’s going to compete against the rest of the league.”
There will be a windfall economic impact, with tons and tons of Heat merchandise being sold, he said. After being up all night, he was trying to grab a few hours of sleep before another tractor-trailer load of 30,000 to 40,000 Heat items arrived for finishing.
The potential benefits to the South Florida economy are huge since home games will be high-profile national sporting events that should draw even more South Beach glitterati to the American Airlines Arena.
The area’s tourism industry should reap a bounty of international media attention and an influx of visitors who want to see games. Broadcasts will also provide plenty of beauty shots of South Beach and the Miami skyline– a welcome contrast to recent coverage of the region’s housing bust.
“To have LeBron join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh is truly like hitting the lottery for Heat fans,” said Scott Becher, president of Sports & Sponsorships in Boca Raton, Florida.
Fans in some South Florida neighborhoods reacted by setting off rounds of fireworks on Thursday night, even though it was four days after the Fourth of July.
Getting all three players is a stunning achievement for Heat President Pat Riley, who has already won five NBA championships, and owner Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company.
The news changes everything for the Heat, Becher said.
“Every game is a sellout. Every game will feel like an all-star game. There are paparazzi. There will be more global interest in the Heat than ever before. Life as we know it as Heat fans has officially changed for the better.”
According to Steve Nudelberg, who has the title of principal thinker at On the Ball Marketing in Plantation, Florida, in the pecking order of South Florida professional sports, even before James’ announcement, the Heat were clearly atop the Miami Dolphins, who have been rebuilding under Executive VP Bill Parcells, and the Florida Marlins, who are building a new stadium in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
The Heat had lost a bit of luster in recent years after winning a championship in 2006, Nudelberg said.
“Over the last year, it was not the ‘in’ place to be,” he said. “This is a South Beach property and the light is on again.”
