Shaquille O’Neal, the unique and gregarious Hall of Fame NBA legend, is for sale. You might think that’s a bad thing, if you’re old school. But new schoolers take a cue from the new Hulu Has Live Sports ads, where the theme song is “Get That Money.” Today’s stars are allowed to be for sale, as long as they’re endorsing brands that match their image — and not huckstering some fake vitamins or time shares on the moon.
Thinking back on my epic triple-double in ’93. 24pts, 28rebs, 15blks! Amex Card Members, don’t forget – triple-doubles in the NBA Finals can unlock an offer at https://t.co/34YlWNuodo. Learn more at https://t.co/LZIhuGWXrq. #AmexLife #AmexAmbassador pic.twitter.com/3ryrzEgji3
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) June 7, 2019
Shaq, who sits on the board of directors at Papa John’s Pizza and who owns more than 150 Five Guys restaurants, is a master at selling. His endorsement list is too long to list, but a few that pop into mind are Icy Hot, The General Insurance, Reebok, and Krispy Kreme. Basically, if you’ve got a brand, why wouldn’t you want Shaq to tell the world about it?
Shaq is such a master of the sell that his latest promotion (above) shows him successfully selling his stat line in a big game from 1993 to American Express as part of a promotion. That’s right, Shaq takes an impressive stat line that’s 26 years old and uses it to push his role as an AmexAmbassador. Shaq reminisces about a monster triple double (24pts, 28rebs, 15blks) and since NBA triple doubles trigger sales at the NBA store, Shaq effectively sells his stats to Amex and its NBA store partnership as a marketable asset. That is capitalism, folks, and creativity. They combine perfectly in Shaq’s special genius.
