New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush may be on television more than George W. Bush this fall; the second-year player “is slated to appear in no less than eight national ad campaigns, including adidas, Subway, Visa and Pepsi.”
Bush will join Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning as one of the most marketed NFL stars. Bush and Manning will apparently work together in a spot for NBC, though that will not be the first collaborative effort Bush has had with another well known sports personality — he has already worked on a much publicized spot with soccer star David Beckham.
In addition to the eight national ad campaigns, Bush will appear on the covers of ESPN the Magazine and Men’s Fitness this summer.
Is the overexposure a bad thing? Only if Bush and the Saints are unsuccessful this season. Overexposure is beneficial when one is winning, see the aforementioned Manning, whose advertisements ran through his Colts’ Superbowl victory. At the same time, it can be somewhat detrimental and borderline embarrassing when one’s team has been eliminated from playoff contention early; see Dwyane Wade, whose ads ran through the NBA Playoffs for all of May and June — despite his team being swept in the first round back in April.
