Survey: Manning, Vick, Brees, Rodgers Score High Among Consumer, Marketing Values

Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and fellow quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints are among the NFL’s most marketable players, according to data released from the just-released The Marketing Arm’s Celebrity DBI, described as an “independent index that quantifies consumer perceptions of more than 2,800 celebrities, including more than 50 active NFL players.”

Only two active NFL players are recognized by greater than 80% of US consumers: Peyton Manning and Michael Vick, according to the report.

Also according to the Celebrity DBI, consumers rate Brees as the “most appealing” NFL player. He also posts the top score among active NFL players in the “endorsement,” “trendsetter,” “trust” and “breakthrough” attributes.

However, Brees drops down to eighth in “awareness” among NFL players. In terms of aspiration, Brees scores on par with celebrities like Sean Connery, Steven Spielberg, Hank Aaron, and Kurt Russell.

Manning ranks as the “most recognizable” active NFL player and also is No. 1 in “influence.” He ranks second in “aspiration,” “endorsement,” “trendsetter,” “trust” and “breakthrough” and fourth in “appeal.”

Manning is expected to miss a significant part – if not all – of the 2011. According to The Marketing Arm, “It remains to be seen how Manning’s indefinite absence due to an injury will impact his marketability, but for now he will continue to collect lucrative  checks from sponsors, including in recent years from MasterCard, DirecTV, Sony, Sprint Nextel and PepsiCo’s Gatorade.

“It’s no accident that the two players with the highest appeal ratings [Brees and Rodgers] happen to be the quarterbacks who guided their teams to the last two Super Bowl titles,” Jeff Chown, The Marketing Arm’s president of celebrity talent, said in a statement. “Americans love winners, but it’s also about how these guys carry themselves on and off the field.”

In fact, quarterbacks rank especially high in the Celebrity DBI index from The Marketing Arm. However, the NFL’s top trendsetters score about 10 points below the DBI’s top-rated trendsetters: Katy Perry, Will Smith, Kate Middleton and Oprah Winfrey.

Consumers rate Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the league’s second-most appealing player behind Brees.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has the second-highest awareness score of NFL players among U.S. consumers. New England’s Tom Brady, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are also among the Top 5 in terms of awareness.

Consumers consider New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez as one of the league’s Top 10 trendsetters and rate Dallas quarterback Tony Romo among the Top 10 in endorsement.

Vick’s position comes with some qualification. “Vick’s known by nearly 85% of U.S. consumers,” said Chown. “That’s due to both his positive on-field achievements and his previous off-field transgressions.”

Sam Bradford, who was the top pick in last year’s NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams, made an impact in his rookie season. The quarterback turns up in the Top 10 in several lists. However, according to The Market Arm, “It’s important to note that Bradford is known by fewer than 25% of U.S. consumers, compared to Peyton Manning who is recognized by nearly 85%. Those who know Bradford are likely fans of his.”

Polamalu and Rodgers also rank in theTop 5 in aspiration, endorsement, Influence, trendsetter, trust and breakthrough.

Eli Manning ranks No. 5 in aspiration and trendsetter; No. 6 in endorsement and influence, No. 8 in breakthrough and No. 9 in appeal.

In addition to Polamalu, two other defensive players rank in the top 10 in the DBI’s appeal attribute: Linebackers Brian Urlacher (Chicago Bears) and Clay Matthews (Green Bay) rank sixth and eighth, respectively.

The Celebrity DBI was created by the entertainment division of entertainment and sports marketing agency The Marketing Arm, which is owned by Omnicom Group. The DBI includes more than 2,800 celebrities and encompasses a consumer research panel of 4.5-million people in the U.S.

The Marketing Arm’s 2011 NFL Celebrity DBI

• Appeal (Measures consumer likability of the celebrity): 1. Drew Brees 2. Aaron Rodgers 3. Troy Polamalu 4. Peyton Manning 5. Larry Fitzgerald 6. Brian Urlacher 7. Adrian Peterson 8. Clay Matthews 9. Eli Manning 10. Sam Bradford

• Aspiration (Measures the degree to which consumers feel the celebrity has a life to which they would aspire): 1. Drew Brees 2. Peyton Manning 3. Troy Polamalu 4. Aaron Rodgers 5. Eli Manning 6. Tom Brady 7. Larry Fitzgerald 8. Sam Bradford 9. Clay Matthews 10. Matt Ryan

• Awareness (Indicates the percentage of consumers who are aware of the celebrity either by name or by face) : 1. Peyton Manning 2. Michael Vick 3. Tom Brady 4. Eli Manning 5. Ben Roethlisberger 6. Reggie Bush 7. Tony Romo 8. Drew Brees 9. Donovan McNabb 10. Troy Polamalu

• Breakthrough (Indicates the degree to which consumers take notice of the celebrity when they appear on TV, film or print): 1. Drew Brees 2. Peyton Manning 3. Aaron Rodgers 4.Troy Polamalu 5. Larry Fitzgerald 7. Brian Urlacher 8. Eli Manning 9. Clay Matthews 10. Matt Ryan

• Endorsement (Reflects the degree to which consumers identify the celebrity as being an effective product spokesperson): 1. Drew Brees 2. Peyton Manning 3. Troy Polamalu 4. Aaron Rodgers 5. Tom Brady 6. Eli Manning 7. Larry Fitzgerald 8. Adrian Peterson 9. Tony Romo 10. Brian Urlacher

• Influence (Measures the degree to which consumers believe the celebrity is an influence in today’s world): 1. Peyton Manning 2. Drew Brees 3. Aaron Rodgers 4. Troy Polamalu 5. Tom Brady 6. Eli Manning 7. Adrian Peterson 8. Larry Fitzgerald 9. Clay Matthews 10. Sam Bradford

• Trendsetter (Reflects consumer opinion as to the celebrity’s position in regards to trends in society): 1. Drew Brees 2. Peyton Manning 3.Troy Polamalu  4. Aaron Rodgers 5. Eli Manning 6. Larry Fitzgerald 7. Adrian Peterson 8. Clay Matthews 9. Mark Sanchez 10. Maurice Jones-Drew

• Trust (Indicates the level of trust that the consumers place in the celebrity’s words and image): 1. Drew Brees 2. Peyton Manning 3. Aaron Rodgers 4.Troy Polamalu  5.  Larry Fitzgerald 6. Eli Manning 7. Sam Bradford 8. Clay Matthews 9. Brian Urlacher 10. Matt Ryan

• Overall DBI: 1. Peyton Manning 2. Eli Manning 3. Tom Brady 4. Michael Vick 5. Ben Roethlisberger 6. Reggie Bush 7. Drew Brees 8. Tony Romo 9. Troy Polamalu 10. Donovan McNabb