"I had a ton of Vince Young jerseys, and I couldn't give them away," said Tony Minchey, owner of the Tennessee Sports Fan, which specializes in college, NFL and NHL merchandise at Opry Mills.
He slashed prices from $75 to $29.99 and eventually sold the 200 or so he had in stock by putting them on clearance.
This year, he didn't even bother ordering any.
But after Young reclaimed the starting quarterback job earlier this month and led the Tennessee Titans on a three-game winning streak, demand is coming back on the eve of the former University of Texas athlete's homecoming of sorts versus the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.
Sports marketing experts say Young is making strides in a bid to regain his lost marketing luster. The trick is to keep winning. Leading the Titans to the NFL playoffs and snagging a couple of national magazine covers wouldn't hurt either.
"After three weeks, I think it's too early to say the brand is back," said Don Roy, associate professor of marketing and a sports marketing researcher at Middle Tennessee State University. "Vince will have to be the starting quarterback for the Titans consistently and perform at a high level for him to be relevant as an endorser on a national level."
At least one sports marketing expert thinks the fourth-year pro can propel himself into becoming one of the NFL's most marketable quarterbacks in as little as a year and a half.
"A strong second half and a really strong 2010 performance at playoff caliber, sure, he could be hawking razor blades," said Bob Dorfman, executive creative director for San Francisco-based Baker Street Advertising.
Jackson Kayak tops industry sales in six short yearsReal Estate Outlook: Just Right Housing
