Making of a Brand – Celebrity Endorsement

The sales pitch took place in a nearly empty ballroom at Fort Worth’s Colonial Country Club one sunny afternoon in July 2013. Jordan Spieth, a local PGA Tour rookie, had just finished participating in an RBC Wealth Management “Shot for College” clinic as a last-minute replacement for Hunter Mahan, another PGA golfer from Dallas.

Attending the clinic was a select group of RBC clients who’d come hoping to see Mahan, a multiple World Golf Championship winner and Ryder Cup veteran. As he prepared to leave, Spieth’s eager sports-business agent, Jay Danzi, approached an RBC representative and rattled off his 30-second sales pitch. “Here’s my card,” Danzi concluded. “Let me know if Jordan can do anything for you or your clients. He would be happy to help.”

What a difference three years makes . . . . (read full story)