Sugarpova PR Genius behind Maria Sharapova

Maria "Sugarpova"

On Monday, Neil Harman of The (London) Times reported Sharapova planned to change her last name to “Sugarpova” for the duration of the U.S. Open as part of a marketing scheme for her Sugarpova candy line. The report also revealed Sharapova’s plans to wear her company’s logo — a pursed set of ruby red lips — somewhere on her Nike kit at the U.S. Open. The marketing stunt would mean Sharapova would be introduced onto court as “2006 U.S. Open champion, Maria Sugarpova”, “Sugarpova” would be displayed on the courtside scoreboards, and scores would be called out as “Game, Sugarpova”.

Reference:  Three reasons Maria Sharapova was never going to change her name.  

If you're a grouchy type, you may think this is a stupid idea.  If you're a friendly kind, you may say, "Sure, why not?  It's cute."  But if you're a thinking sort, you may remark, "Hmm, interesting."

From the start, the whole thing reeked of a publicity stunt in advance of her Sugarpova launch tonight at Henri Bendel in New York City. A leaked story that she was “considering” the move was picked up by every news outlet across the globe, but only 24 hours later, her agent Max Eisenbud announced that she decided against it. That’s some masterful p.r. work to take the attention off of her recent firing of Jimmy Connors. 

But one didn’t necessarily need the official denial to know Sharapova was never going to go through with this scheme.

It's become clear that Sharapova is front and center of a very smart, well-crafted public relations campaign.  Her Facebook page alone is perfectly in keeping with our modern day gathering place, our desire for real personal stuff, and our delight at connecting with star athletes.  She has business relationships with high end brands, nurtured around a core of sincerity and authenticity as well as competitive ferocity on the court.  

In other words, she is a case study in successful marketing.

When Michael Smith and Jemele Hill engage in spirited tête-à-tête on the air, they frame this "Sugarpova" matter in cultural terms:  gender respectability and preferences.  

So again if you're a grouchy, dour type, this is nothing more than a dumb publicity stunt.  But if you're of the friendly, thinking variety, this is business at its genius best and this is conversation on what matters.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD