New Balance isn’t known for either its basketball shoes or its deep appeal to younger customers. Its historical focus has been on running and lifestyle footwear, with its chunkier models sometimes fondly referred to as “dad shoes.”
But the endorsement deal that Maine-raised, 17-year-old basketball phenom Cooper Flagg has just signed with New Balance could help the company — which manufactures some of its shoes not far from Flagg’s hometown of Newport — in its ongoing effort to tap new markets of athletes and Gen Z buyers.
Flagg, who will play for Duke University next season, is not the first teenage athlete or basketball player to endorse New Balance. But what sets Flagg apart is his connection with the company, which has a factory in Skowhegan. In promoting the new deal to ESPN, Flagg spoke fondly about shopping for New Balance shoes at the beginning of every school year.
Thilo Kunkel, a professor in the sports, tourism and hospitality program at Temple University who has studied the endorsement of shoes by athletes such as Michael Jordan, said that Flagg’s personal story could especially resonate with customers who hadn’t previously considered buying from New Balance.
Generally speaking, the challenge for the Massachusetts-based company will be reaching customers who might be drawn to brands more traditionally associated with basketball, such as Nike and Adidas.
Not only does Flagg have the connection to the company, but he also has a strong social media following and — most importantly — the “exceptional skill” required to build a strong endorser brand, Kunkel said.
“This kind of endorsement, where a brand bets on an up-and-coming athlete, is becoming more common,” Kunkel said.
New Balance has also endorsed some other young athletes, including tennis prodigy Coco Gauff, starting when she was 14, and 16-year-old Quincy Wilson, a track-and-field star who went to the recent Olympics.
In the world of basketball, New Balance has also sponsored Kahwi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, and — marking the company’s first endorsement of a woman who plays basketball — Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks.
Chris Stanley, the president of the Maine-based Lamey Wellehan shoe store chain, noted how well New Balance’s young endorsers have benefited from the sponsorships — though he had not heard about the just-announced Flagg deal until a reporter informed him about it on Monday.
“They’re looking for the people that are developing in their sport, and I think they’re trying to support them, because it’s good for New Balance,” Stanley said. “It helps to get them to that age demographic that New Balance wants, and it’s good for the athlete because it helps them to become better and certainly more recognized.”
Kunkel compared the Flagg endorsement to Nike’s early bet on sponsoring Jordan. He noted that New Balance may have had to pay a premium to attract an athlete such as Flagg that could turn into a household name, which can be both risky and rewarding in the long run.
“However, betting on the right athlete can yield massive rewards if the athlete succeeds, as seen with Jordan and Nike,” Kunkel said. New Balance “could see a marked increase and change in brand image in the basketball sector, making it a more serious competitor to Nike and Adidas.”
