Novak Djokovic is still at the center of attention. However, it is better to ask ourselves when he was not.
Although the Australian Open is long over, there is still controversy about the same situation, as well as which tournaments Novak will be able to play in, given that he has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Colin Fernando, a marketing expert, believes that Novak Djokovic’s position on vaccination does not affect his sponsors.
Djokovic’s attitude towards vaccination has little to do with Lacoste’s T-shirts and clothes. We can assume that the damage other than negative media coverage will be kept to a minimum. “Djokovic is the face of that brand. Daniil Medvedev would be number one if he won the Australian Open, and no one notices that he wears Lacoste. According to Fernando, Djokovic is important for Lacoste because, through him, they are trying to combine their sports heritage (they were founded by a tennis player, Rene Lacoste) with fashion.
-Lacoste is not a sports brand like Adidas or Nike, and Djokovic helped Lacoste reconnect with sports. If they do not continue to cooperate with Djokovic, people could quickly perceive them as just a fashion brand, says Fernando.
As he says, it would not be good for it to happen in front of Roland Garros.
In the short term, media articles have an impact because there is a negative perception when mentioning the brand. However, it did not last long. In the end, the Australian Open was a wonderful tournament, a positive story with a great winner. However, if Djokovic is excluded again before Roland Garros, it could create a permanent negative perception that could stick to Lacoste as well.
Of course, social networks cannot be avoided.
-With Djokovic’s comments on vaccination, other things from the past were immediately mentioned. In the end, those prejudices are strengthened, and that could be a problem for Lakost. When his colleague Alexander Zverev also criticized how Djokovic was treated, saying that it was a witch hunt, the prejudices that people have towards Zverev immediately surfaced. The Internet never forgets and is “great” at making connections between things that are only partially connected, says Fernando.
He also talked about what he thinks will be whether Novak will be vaccinated.
