Serena Makes Cooling A Hot Topic
#CuttingEdgeSport looks into the latest hot topic in tennis…
Sometimes if you are an attacker brand in sports or entertainment, you have to rely on timing, luck and the success of others to get that million dollar type of exposure that budgets cannot afford.
Therefore Josh Shaw the CEO of US-based MISSION Athletecare must have had a big smile on his face when he saw one of his investor athletes, Serena Williams, break out a MISSION product to stay cool as she played her way through to the Australian Open title last month.
The towel, from MISSION’s Enduracool line, around Williams’ neck during breaks, brought the brand international exposure without spending a dime on a traditional tennis sponsorship, but delivered something even more important; game use credibility.
That credibility, through athletes who have invested both time and development expertise in MISSION products, has started to literally pay off more and more in recent months, as the brand expands with the help of Williams, Dwayne Wade, Mia Hamm and baseball star David Wright of the New York Mets among others.
The latest positive news came this week, when the company, which boasts the claim of being the first and only line of Athlete-Engineered products and the leader in the rapidly emerging Thermoregulation category, announced that it has raised $35 million of growth capital for organic and M&A expansion in its core cooling and heating categories. If that wasn’t enough credit for the street, CEO Josh Shaw also announced that, Hap Klopp, the Founder and former CEO of The North Face joined MISSION’s Board, and both moves could help the company expected to achieve another year of double digit growth in 2015.
All that is good great news for a company that is about keeping cool and making sure athletes of any level have a firm grip on balls and bats, cleats and surfaces, and that they stay well conditioned on the hottest of days around the globe. How exactly are the athletes involved in the creation of products like the Enduracool towels, which when wet, help keep the body at a comfortable temperature to prevent overheating?
“Serena has been very active in the product development at MISSION,” Shaw, a former contestant on the US hit TV show The Apprentice and a serial entrepreneur said. “As a co-founder and co-developer, she is actively engaged in product development. She provided direct feedback on the cooling products in terms of size, shape and efficacy right for her and her sport.” The result was the direct splash MISSION received almost daily during the Australian Open with Williams, a direct endorsement which will no doubt continue when the WTA schedule goes outdoors in places like Indian Wells and Miami in the coming weeks.
As far as the brand’s expansion goes, Shaw is very bullish on the possibilities, especially in the cooling space, an area similar to concussions, which has come under great global scrutiny for athlete health in the last few years. Sports like football, rugby and even cricket could all be on the MISSION target list with the new investment, and the support of global stars like Williams.
“The demand for innovative, affordable and athlete-engineered products that enhance performance by regulating temperature has never been higher, and we are positioned like never before to meet that demand. The international markets are potentially huge for MISSION, and the interest is extremely high,” Shaw added.
“We are fielding inquiries every week from new territories looking to carry the brand and portfolio. We are launching a few key territories in 2015, and expanding beyond that in 2016.”
Suddenly cooling is a hot topic, and one company with its elite investor athletes, seems to be leading the pack.
