Contemporary Marketing 16th Edition by Louis Boone,David Kurtz

تمرين 4

Since becoming a national tennis star at an early age, Serbian player Novak Djokovic has transformed himself as a way to achieve even higher goals. He recently changed his diet and fitness routine, as well as his serve, in order to become one of the top-seeded male players in the world. He also changed his publicist.
Djokovic's eye is not only on continuing to win the world's top tennis tournaments, such as the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Only 25 years of age, he also hopes to become one of sports' top personalities, with profitable product endorsements like those enjoyed by his on-court rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Djokovic may be closing in on that ambitious goal; he recently placed 9th on the list of "Power 100" sports figures compiled by CSE, an Atlanta-based sports and marketing firm. Nadal and Federer were ranked 5th and 6th respectively, while Eli Manning, the year's Super Bowl-winning quarterback, placed 15th. Fame is fleeting, however; cyclist Lance Armstrong placed 8th one year and retired from cycling the next, falling off the list entirely.
But despite a string of victories that followed the best start of his career, appearances on The Tonight Show and other talk shows, and a new five-year endorsement contract with a Japanese apparel maker, Djokovic, whose chief marketing strategist is his uncle, has until recently been better known abroad than in the United States. The young athlete's quirky personality (he specializes in comic imitations of fellow tennis pros) has won him U.S. fans, and those who are aware of his name have positive associations with it. Winning will continue to be an important step forward, in his professional career and for his name recognition, and he recently won 57 of 59 matches as well as 9 tournaments in the space of a few months. But Djokovic may still have a way to go before he reaches his ultimate goal-a possible second career in Hollywood.
If he doesn't continue to advance his off-court goals, however, there could be one other marketing avenue open to him. "What he has done to get in shape," says former tennis great Jimmy Connors, "he should bottle that and sell it."
QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL THINKING
1. Explore the Internet to find out the extent of Djokovic's online presence. How do you think he might improve it to promote himself?
2. What else can Djokovic and his marketing team do to increase his name recognition in the United States?