Like most entrepreneurs, Fred Koops’s marketing challenge has always been to cut through the clutter. But for Koops, the desire for attention was even loftier given the Toronto retailer craved champagne-level exposure with a decidedly beer-level promo budget. Even so, against daunting odds, Koops has received worldwide exposure for his Overkill brand of sportswear apparel, including product placement on Olympic Games telecasts. Not bad for a small Toronto T-shirt shop with an annual marketing budget of around $20,000.
Koops first ventured into the world of sportswear in the late ’80s, when he was a member of the University of Waterloo Warriors volleyball team, nicknamed the Black Plague. A constant doodler, he created a line of Black Plague T-shirts. Featuring a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper, they were a hit on campus. In 1990, Koops designed a cheeky corporate logo called Freddie (essentially a smiley face with attitude) and opened a 1,000-sq.-ft. clothing store in Toronto’s trendy Beach district.
Yet, Koops realized he would have to do something innovative to stand out from the apparel pack. First he provided clothing to up-and-coming beach volleyball players Mark Heese and John Child. They weren’t the best Canadian beach volleyball players at the time, but Koops says they were the most likable. He also was able to sell Overkill apparel to players attending an elite Ontario volleyball camp. They “would go back to their schools wearing all this great Overkill stuff and everybody would say, ‘Hey, where’d you get that?’ “
But Koops really hit the exposure jackpot when beach volleyball was made an Olympic sport in 1996. By this point, Heese and Child were the top Canadian men’s team, capturing bronze at the ’96 Atlanta Games and representing Canada at the 2000 Sydney Games and in Greece two years ago. Koops has also outfitted a top-ranked Olympic archer, cyclists, rowers and triathletes-all of whom have served as ambassadors for the Overkill brand during media interviews.
But not all Overkill spokespeople are athletes. A few years ago, Koops was able to entice Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies to wear Overkill clothes. Sure enough, Overkill got free exposure on MuchMusic broadcasts and within Rolling Stone magazine. In total, Koops has reeled in exposure totaling in the high six figures.
Bob Stellick of Stellick Marketing and Communications, a Toronto-based sports marketing consultancy, believes Koops is getting “an awesome bang” for his buck. Sponsoring Child and Heese was a smart move given their appeal as the ultimate Canadian guys. “They’re great representatives for the brand and your reputation (as a brand) follows who you associate with.” Stellick adds that by giving away Overkill product to athletes, Koops has done a stellar job creating buzz. “His store obviously can’t compete against the Sport Cheks of the world, but he can make a name for himself in the volleyball niche.”
Koops, meanwhile, has advice for small marketers pursuing athletic sponsorship: In an age of pro athletes with CN Tower-sized egos, sponsors should veer away from prima donnas, who ultimately rub consumers the wrong way. “Make sure the players you get to wear your stuff have talent and a positive attitude.”
DAVID MENZIES is a freelance writer in Richmond Hill, Ont.
