Jessica Ennis Set for Sponsorship Windfall after Striking Gold

Jessica Ennis sponsorship earnings are set to expand following her gold medal in the Olympic heptathlon at the weekend with marketing experts suggesting she may receive up to £3m ($4.6m) a year in sponsorship

Jessica Ennis, who has been Britain’s poster girl for the Olympics, already has deals with with Jaguar, Coca-Cola-owned Powerade, BA, Aviva and Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay.

Ennis’s commercial appeal, according to experts, will now rocket.

Nigel Currie, executive at brandRapport, said: “For Jess Ennis, being the poster girl for the Games, she has obviously secured a lot of sponsorship agreements in advance – probably around £1m-£1.25m.

“However, her victory will potentially earn her around £3m per annum over the next two to three years in the run-up to Rio. 

“Because of the number of medals Britain has won, there will be even more competition for the lucrative marketing contracts but Ennis has clearly emerged as the big star.”

As Olympic athletes receive no prize money from events, sponsorship deals are seen as a lucrative means to cash in on their success.

Fellow gold medallists Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah are set to receive a similar upturn.

Rutherford, who won gold in the Long Jump, is also tipped for a major sponsorship fillip, netting as much as £1.5m ($2.33) a year from deals.

Farah, who won the 10,000m final, already earns around £500,000 ($778k) from endorsements but experts believe this could triple or reach £2m ($3.1m) should he win the 5,000m final too. 

UK Athletics, are also set to reap the benefits. Along with other british sports.

Currie said: “There will be a new crop of sponsors queuing to associate themselves with British athletics on the back of this great success.”

Rupert Pratt, mananging director at Generate Sponsorship, added: “The real commercial impact will come from the entire Games itself, not individual successes.

“By hosting the Olympic Games, we have united the nation and therefore every boardroom across the country can see the power of major events and therefore sponsorship.

“From UK Athletics, who are in the hunt for a new major partner, to British Cycling, Swimming, Rowing etc, right down to the more niche disciplines, sport must use London 2012 as a springboard, not a quick commercial fix.

“With Glasgow 2014, Rugby World Cup 2015, World Athletics Championship 2017 plus many more major events in the pipeline, such as the UCI World Track (cycling) championships in Glasgow in November, hopefully London 2012 will provide the sponsorship legacy everyone is looking for, not just a bounce. “