Has the Pacquiao brand peaked?

Not only will the UFC be holding a big event Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao takes on Juan Manuel Marquez. The Toronto Star looks at the Manny Pacquiao brand and asks whether it has plateaued.

Earlier this year, Pacquiao and Top Rank consolidated his marketing team to focus on securing endorsements. Team Pacquiao and Top Rank   hired Lucia McKelvey as his deal agent. McKelvey previously represented Tiger Woods.

Since the realignment, Pacquiao has signed deals with HP and State Street Produce. Recently, he signed a $1 year, $1 million endorsement deal with Hennessy.

McKelvey touts Pacquiao as a likeable, global brand. He ranks 24th in BusinessWeek’s power rankings of most influential athletes but there is skepticism that the fighter may have reached the top of his marketing potential.

Via Star.com:

Pacquiao rose 51 spots in BusinessWeek’s power rankings over the previous year but analyst David Newman, who helped prepare the report, questions how much higher Pacquiao can climb.

“He’s really close to the top of his peak,” says Newman, VP of analytics at CSE, an Atlanta-based sports and entertainment marketing firm. “The life cycle of a boxer is not long.”

McKelvey, meanwhile, doesn’t see Pacquiao’s marketability leveling off, and estimates the fighter could earn up to $50 million outside the ring.

Bad Left Hook offers this:

…I would have to guess that his time as a high-level pitchman could be drawing to a close. The lack of a Mayweather fight (like it or not, that’s the bigger breakthrough that still hasn’t happened) and the fact that Manny’s planning to retire after 2013 are both ominous signs. Without boxing, he’ll still have some offers, but he’s probably not going to be Michael Jordan, endorsing Nike and Hanes forever.

Payout Perspective:

The article presents an interesting question on the Manny Pacquiao brand. It is also an example of what happens when an athlete does not have appropriate business representation. Pacquiao is getting endorsement deals now, but you have to wonder how much he could have earned. Pacquiao is definitely reaping the rewards of his success and a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather could land bigger deals for Pacquiao.