Odell Beckham's $2 million watch flash has already paid for itself
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It hasn’t even been a day but already Odell Beckham Jr.’s marketing gimmick to wear a $2 million watch has already paid for itself.
A week ago, Beckham created a buzz like only he can, wearing a $350,000 Richard Mille watch during the Browns Week 1 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Now, in his return to MetLife Stadium on Monday night, the former New York Giants wide receiver wore some serious bling, a reported $2 million watch that he donned only during pregame. The watch was taken off before the game, a moment that the television cameras caught live.
The watch received a comment by Monday Night Football pregame analyst Louis Riddick as well as multiple shots during pregame. The equivalent market value received from Monday night’s broadcast and the ensuing buzz is worth more than $2.46 million, according to Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group.
According to those numbers, the watch has paid for itself already.
“The buzz attributed to Richard Mille surrounding Odell Beckham and the associated social and traditional media, since Week 1, has propelled the Swiss maker into the American sports conversation and has introduced a lot of people to the high-end timepiece brand," Smallwood told FoxBusiness.com.
This builds on what is already some impressive exposure for Richard Mille. The exposure for Beckham’s wearing of the watch in the Browns Week 1 loss is estimated at $7.5 million in equivalent market value according to Smallwood, whose agency is a specialist in sponsorship activation and analytics.
Beckham has always been one to grab attention, from partying on Justin Bieber’s boat just days before his first playoff game to faux urinating like a dog on the field last year following a touchdown. So his recent foray into fashion on the field is tame by comparison but is certainly making waves for Richard Mille.
Since he first donned the Richard Mille watch last Sunday, Beckham has generated more than $17.55 million in equivalent brand value for the company, Smallwood said. This includes television and radio coverage, print and digital coverage as well as social media’s impact in spreading the brand and building awareness.
With six receptions for 161 yards including an 89-yard touchdown catch and run, Beckham backed up all the flash and sizzle with some substance as the Browns got their first win of the season.