10 things Rory McIlroy has to do to capitalise on his US Open win
The Drum asked leading sponsorship firm Brand Rapport to pen Ten Top Tips detailing how Rory McIlroy could capitalise on his US Open success.
McIlroy is just 22 and like Woods did, has the potential to dominate his sport for the next decade.
To have won a Major in such style at such an early age opens up a host of sponsorship and marketing opportunities which could make him one of our top earning sports stars. To make the really big money, the sports for individuals have a big advantage.
Boxing, tennis, motor racing and golf in particular all fall into this category and for anyone dominating these sports over a period of several years, the financial rewards are huge.
Michael Schumacher in Formula 1, Roger Federer in tennis and Tiger Woods in golf have all enjoyed extended periods at the top of their sports and they are among the highest earning sportsmen of all time.
Rory McIlroy has reached one important target by winning his first Major and if he can go on now and win several more and dominate the sport for the next 5 years he will almost certainly become the country’s highest earning sports star of all time.
On the way there will certainly be ups and downs, so here are 10 things that he must do if he is to succeed at the very top.
1) Keep focused on his golf. Ultimately everything will depend on his success on the golf course
2)Continue to work very closely with the media. It is vital to keep them onside
3)Make a lot of time for the fans
4)Look to develop a portfolio of 5 or 6 really big global sponsors
5)Play in tournaments and exhibitions in some key markets such as Japan, China and the USA
6)Keep a good and very loyal support team of family, friends and advisors around
7)Maintain and develop his excellent on-course manner and style
8)Continue to develop various charity associations
9)Learn from Tiger’s mistakes
10)Keep smiling
Nigel Currie is a Director of brandRapport. brandRapport is one of the leading sponsorship and sports marketing agencies in the UK. Its clients include Vodafone, E.ON, Jaguar and Barclays.