I don't know about you, but to me it seems Anna Rawson has a bit of a brand-indenty crisis going on. On the one hand she seems to be targeting the discerning, luxury market, with an elegant, high fashion image; her flash-laden website has a classy couture vibe and in tournaments she projects a conservatively sophisticated look, often wearing the type of wide brimmed visors or hats that you see on society matrons at country club lunches.
Even when Anna's in short shorts and spike heels she manages to look amazingly aristocratic, rather than...bootylicious, for lack of a better word. But you know what I mean, right? It's not only her ultra-long, ultra-slim body build and patrician features either. it's her personal style and demeanor as well. I've got to admit I never found "hot" pictures of Anna Rawson to be "hot". Beautiful? Yes. Elegant? yes. Hot? no. And I assumed that was the brand identity she saw for herself and wished to cultivate. I assumed that was the Anna Rawson image.
So I was surprised by her decision, announced yesterday in Phoenix, to become a GoDaddy Girl. To me the GoDaddy image seems the antithesis of the Anna Rawson image. She joins three other GoDaddy Girls... Nascar champion Danica Patrick, Wrestler/Model/Actress, Candace Michelle, and Poker star Vanessa Russo... all beautiful, accomplished women, but decidedly not high fashion, elegant or aristocratic. To me, they are the quintessential GoDaddy Girls, and Anna simply is not.
I think it's great for Bob Parsons and his brand and I imagine it's calculated on his part to reach the "classy, moneyed golf demographic". However, I'm not sure how it will pan out for Anna. Might not luxury sponsors find her tainted by her association with the bawdy GoDaddy brand and the controversial Mr. Parons? At the same time will her sophisticated personal style ever really resonate with mass marketers?
I can imagine potential sponsors on both side asking; Is she a high brow, high fashion, muse to the champagne sipping, luxury market? Or a low brow, uber-sexy, good old girl for the beer swilling masses?
I think both images have great marketing value but I'm not sure one can combine them successfully.
In this era of sparse sponsorship dollars perhaps the GoDaddy offer was too sweet to resist... or perhaps Anna and her handlers surmised that she could, in fact, appeal to the two different markets.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out going forward.
It's all about the sponsorship, the money.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may seem to be contraditory, Anna has picked a fairly stable money source. Whether that will hurt her in the end, who knows. It doens't seem to have hurt Danica.
I guess it all depends on how controversial she wishes to be. I remember Jan Stephenson and the bathtub full of golf balls and she wasn't sponsored by anyone nearly as noteworthy as GoDaddy.
As you say, it will be interesting to see the outcome.
I like Anna Rawson in all her elegance. I think she has her own unique style on the golf course. You are right Patricia, this seems to fly in the face of that sophistication.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong. I'm a John Daly fan too, so I understand the appeal of different markets. I would actually take this brand-identity crisis a bit farther. In five years, I wonder if people will know Ms. Rawson for her golf or her modeling. I would never ask this question about some other gorgeous golfing gals.
The caveman inside me doesn't care what demographic Anna Rawson identifies with. Plain and simple, the more Anna the better.
ReplyDeleteI see your point on one hand Patricia, but on the other with the economy and sponsorship withdrawals driving down the purses, who would turn down a lucrative offer based on loyalty to a brand that is starting to pull back.
ReplyDeleteWe all strive to grow professionally and financially. If Go Daddy contacted Golf Girl and made YOU a lucrative offer that would immediately force recognition to "Golf Girl", would YOU turn it down?
I personally don't think she has a brand identity crisis. Anna Rawsons brand has been "herself" since the age of 16 when she won a magazine cover. She just won her LPGA tour card and has the skills beyond her beauty to compete professionally. If anything comes out of this partnership....I believe it will be a renewed interest for watching the LPGA. Anna and Justin..."bringing sexy back to golf".
From a branding standpoint, you are dead on, Golf Girl. Anna Rawson has no past "brand attributes" that would make me think she's the logical choice as the next Go Daddy Girl. It doesn't even sound right. It's an odd marriage for her. For Bob Parsons, it's a win, I suspect (see Hooked on Golf's comment).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Breezee. I believe Anna feels the window of opportunity only stays open for so long with attractive athletes. Grab the cash or marry rich - or both 'em...
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ReplyDeleteHow about the other way around... How about GoDaddy wanting to sophisticate and classy up their name? Anna Rawson can bring a TON to the table when you combine the attributes you mentioned... and therefore creating a new brand-identity for GoDaddy? Now, they are touching the Golf World - with Anna as their representative:)
ReplyDeleteI think it works better for GoDaddy than it does for Anna.
ReplyDeleteExcept financially, of course ;-)
BTW, Patricia, when are you gonna re-add my link ;-)
It's pretty simple - she's the clothes hanger - not the designer. The model gets paid to put on whatever the designer wants her to wear as long as the money is right.
ReplyDeleteI don't think GoDaddy is trying to spruce up their image. They get the attention they get by being brash and sexy. They sign people up for web addresses - not exactly a thrill packed business - so they add the thrills. Rawson is a hot, free spirit who is building public notice. She is huge in Australia, which is a newish market for them.
Personally, I don't get the fascination with Danica Patrick or Vanessa Rousso. Danica has gorgeous hair and a nice face, but I would almost rather hear Michael Phelps speak. Vanessa Rousso is mean as a snake, and even less attractive standing up than sitting at the poker table. (and no - I wouldn't want to go head to head with her - she's pretty good with the cards and chips !)
Rawson could be a huge pick up for them.
...and now that I see Nisha's picture - maybe SHE would've been great as the Go Daddy girl ! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the thoughtful comments.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of personal branding is interesting to me. Most experts in the subject agree that consistency is very important and I saw Anna's GoDaddy affiliation as not being consistant with the personal brand she reflects in her website.
I certainly don't reproach her for it...not at all...I'm just wondering if it will work to her advantage. Time will tell.
And, yes it's definitely a win/win for GoDaddy and Parsons.
Patricia - wouldn't that "consistency" that the "experts" harp on come into play more if she was advertising a nice clothing line by day, and a strip club by night ? As long as she's not putting her name on something immoral or competitive (Nike clubs with Adidas clothes, etc) - it's not likely that her sponsors are going to complain.
ReplyDeleteBesides, she's not the one hunting these deals down - that's what her management is supposed to be doing for her.
@Court When I'm talking about Anna I'm really talking about "team Anna" and assuming she works closely with her management team and makes sponsorship decisions with them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't think the contrast has to be as extreme as a "nice clothing line vs a strip club" to show brand inconsistency. It can be as subtle as the difference between an elite, sophisticated vibe and an accessible, sexy vibe. And again I don't know if this inconsistency will necessarily be negative in the end. We'll see. :o)
Maybe it's that word "inconsistency" that keeps sticking in my head. You can't name a woman who only dresses one way.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure if we checked out your closet(s) ;-), we would find lots of elegant high class clothes, some regular every day clothes, some casual clothes, and some diggin' in the dirt clothes.
Granted, you're not making money with your wardrobe, but even if you were, you would still have a variety of clothes in your closet.
You keep pointing at pictures of her doing really nice, conservative clothes. The pictures she is most known for were in the GolfPunk article a couple of years ago. VEEERRRYYYY sexy.
Maybe if we're lucky, that hat company will get mad and pull out so she won't have to wear those things anymore. :-D
I would think that the results of her associating with GoDaddy will be what sort of marketing efforts they put her in.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that the over-sexed dirty-old-man ads set of a golf course would be horrible for Anna long term.
Besides, Sophie Sandolo seems to have the pro golfer erotica market cornered all to herself right now.
I tend to like ladies who are bright, accomplished and sexy in ways that don't resemble exotic dancers, but that's just me.
Oh, one last thing from a pro photographer who's done fashion and glamour: you know the difference between pornography and erotica? The lighting.
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ReplyDeleteCynthia Kurtz
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