A couple of months ago, SportsPro came out with a list of the 50 Most Marketable Athletes. They release this list every year which has some new entries as well as the familiar superstar names such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lewis Hamilton, etc.
This year, Eugenie Bouchard ended up at the top of the list as the Most Marketable Athlete of 2015. The choice stirred up plenty of debate as the Canadian tennis superstar has been a controversial figure for her lack of sportsmanship, for focusing on modeling as well as tennis, and of course for not having won any major titles whether it be Grand Slams or WTA Premier Mandatories or WTA Premier 5s.
Maybe SportsPro are doing it correctly since with all the debate, we're still talking about Bouchard. The list is based off of six different criteria: value for money, age, home market, charisma, willingness to be marketed, and crossover appeal. We breakdown each of the criterion to see if she truly lives up to the label she's been given.
Value for money
Despite the slide in the rankings, Bouchard's value for money is still up there. She's up there with Serena, Sharapova, and maybe just slightly ahead of Ana Ivanovic in terms of the value for money from the top women in the WTA. It's going to be a work in progress for her to keep up with the levels of the Serena's and the Sharapova's, and it starts with her game.
Once the Canadian can get back into contending for Grand Slams and challenging for top-tier titles, that value will skyrocket. What helps her maintain her top-dollar value is her sponsors. She's currently sponsored by Nike, Babolat, Coca-Cola, and Rogers Communication to name a few.
She's one of those players that people love, hate, or love to hate. So no matter what, win or lose, people will be talking about her and the money will still be flowing.
Age
At the young age of 21, the Canadian is extremely marketable because of this. It's around this age that an athlete bursts onto the scene and puts themselves on the map.
Bouchard did that last year with two Grand Slam semifinals appearances, a finals appearance at Wimbledon. It was at the age of 17 that Maria Sharapova burst onto the scene as she became the "next big thing in marketing", and now, Bouchard has that title.
There's still plenty of time for the Canadian to get back on track since she is still relatively young compared to her competitors. Age is but a number, but with age, the experience and the marketing potential grows.
Home market
Bouchard is from Westmount, Canada which is just outside of Montreal, one of the major cities in Canada. With that being said, she's dominating the home market in her own country amongst males or females.
It helps that she's from around the Montreal area for her brand. It helps even more that she's the only successful Canadian woman right now in tennis and is probably the most recognizable figure in the country.
Coca-Cola Canada was one of her first major sponsors as well as Rogers Communication. Rogers is the largest communications company in the country, and Coke is the largest soft drinks company in the world. Clearly, she has the top sponsors in the country all locked up.
So all in all, this is her market in Canada. Everyone else is just following suit.
Charisma
Charisma is defined as a compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others. Maybe Bouchard doesn't really inspire others, but she definitely has that attractiveness and charming smile that people fall in love with.
The Canadian has that look that many people find attractive, blonde hair blue eyes, and a beautiful smile. Any athlete with that immediately draws attention such as the Sharapova's and Kournikova's of the world.
Whether you like it or not, her looks are going to be a major reason she's going to be talked about.
Willingness to be marketed
As it was stated before, Bouchard has several top sponsors. Her clothing is sponsored by Nike, rackets and bags by Babolat, and is also sponsored by Coca-Cola and Rogers Communication.
Her team of agencies, IMG-WME, are one of the tops in terms of knowing how to market their stars. They have Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, and Gisele Bundchen under their belts so they'll know how to keep her marketability up.
Also, Bouchard is a part of IMG Models meaning to help her grow her icon in the fashion world. The Canadian is often known to appear in plenty of magazine photoshoots and wear some of the most elegant attire at player parties so her icon continues to bloom to unbelievable heights.
Crossover appeal
Crossover appeal is defined as a performer that appeals to more than one segment of an audience or market. Bouchard fits that bill as she appeals to tennis fans, people into fashion, and people who love social media.
Clearly as a tennis star, she appeals to tennis fans. She has her own group of fans that travel to watch her tournaments called "Genie's Army" and is widely followed or known everywhere she goes.
As stated earlier, Bouchard is making her way into the fashion world after signing with IMG Models as her fashion icon continues to grow. She just had a recent photoshoot with Flare Magazine and wore a stunning white dress made by Ralph Lauren at the Wimbledon player's party. Her focus on modeling has taken away from some of her tennis time, but nonetheless, it has helped her grow her brand.
Finally, Bouchard is social media savvy. The Canadian is always updating her Instagram and Twitter always showing her fans what she's up to next. The other day she posted a picture of her eating at In 'N Out Burger, showing that even athletes can indulge once in awhile, or she's seen posting pictures of tourist sites as any other human would.
Final thoughts
After analyzing all six criteria, Bouchard definitely warrants the title as "The Most Marketable Athlete" for the next 3-5 years. Despite the fall in the rankings (from 6 to 26), the Canadian has plenty going her way like her modeling career, her sponsorships, and how young she is just to name a few. If the tennis success comes like how it was last year, she's going to be untouchable in terms of marketing for even the next 10 years. Serena and Sharapova are the stars of the WTA but they won't be around much longer to sellout crowds. It's Bouchard's time to shine so she should embrace it.