the essential
The swimmer from Toulouse, four-time Olympic champion, is now at the center of all advertising desires, with brands ready to pay impressive sums to associate themselves with his image.
Work, performance, modesty, politeness, humility… Shall we stop there? Yes, the exceptional performances of Toulouse swimmer Léon Marchand, as well as his conduct outside the pool (notably during his media appearances), are unanimous.
Consequence: the native of the city has acquired, since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), tremendous popularity. Of course, his five medals, including four gold, won in swimming have a lot to do with it. But since then, no false note.
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Enough to whet the appetite of advertisers, eager to associate themselves with its image. But logically, you have to pay the price. On this aspect, we know that Léon Marchand and his entourage are very cautious. Its known partnerships are with the LVMH group as well as with the luxury watch brand Omega (Switzerland), sponsor and official timekeeper of the Paris Games. The young man (22 years old) also associated his image with the Porsche car brand. The idea being not to multiply contracts and to only sign important ones.
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This Sunday, October 13, the economic weekly The Sunday Tribune is interested in the explosion of the swimmer’s notoriety and the consequences on the “business” aspect of his career. “Léon Marchand can ask for more than a million per year per contract,” testifies an SME boss, who claims to have recently tried to approach the champion, but found himself cooled by the rates in force. “Some have already positioned on these amounts”, he continues. Another witness affirms that “1.5 million would be a high range” for the Toulouse resident. An amount which places him at the level, for example, of Teddy Riner.
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“Léon has become off the market,” testifies a sports agent. “With certain champions, we know that we must not be too greedy. With him, we no longer know. The business manager who wants it will go all out.”
And an advertiser deciphers that it is easy, with Léon Marchand, to convey “an image of performance, of exemplarity, but also of hard work” because “swimming is a sport where personal commitment greatly precedes the enrichment, which is highly valued.”
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“Plus, he has a good face and he’s nice, it’s easy to identify with him!” summarizes the economist Christophe Lepetit.
