Communicating the athlete as a brand: an examination of LPGA star Suzann Pettersen

Abstract

This paper explored how a renowned LPGA female golfer, Suzann Pettersen, has built and leveraged her personal brand. Utilizing the Athlete Brand Equity model (ABE) as the theoretical framework, a qualitative case study was built by means of interviews and document analyses. Specifically, this case detailed how Pettersen and her management team endeavored to build and manage her personal brand equity through organization produced and controlled brand communications strategies. The findings of this case shed light on the challenges and opportunities that athletes and their constituents face when managing human brands. Moreover, the findings of this case support the use of previously proposed sport branding conceptualizations in a real-world setting.