Tim Tebow is taking on a new role: advertising sex symbol.
Sponsor Jockey is capitalizing on Tebow-mania with a new shirtless picture of its star endorser posing in its "Sport" underwear collection on its website.
The image shows a ripped Tebow, stripped down to his skivvies. The headline reads: "Playoffs. It's Tebow Time."
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The image went live on Jockey's homepage Monday, the day after the deeply religious quarterback who inspired the "Tebowing" craze led his Denver Broncos to an upset playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With Tebow-mania reaching a fever pitch across the country, the image of a shirtless Tebow is the first thing consumers see if they click on the Jockey.com website.
Move over Michael Jordan and Hanes. The charismatic former Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Florida appeals to men and women, says Dustin Cohn, chief marketing officer of Jockey. The so-called "Tebow Effect" is driving up sales of Jockey's men's and women's underwear products.
Tebow's a "lightning rod" for the brand, says Cohn. "Its very exciting for us. He is the hottest athlete in the country today. He's trending among elite celebrity status."
There's "no question" Tebow is attracting female consumers to the more male-oriented Jockey brand, Cohn adds. A few months ago, Jockey aired a TV commercial in which Tebow is seen shirtless. It was only a brief moment, but that's what everyone ended up talking about, Cohn recalled.
"Its funny, you see Tim without his shirt for maybe one second. We got a lot of complimentary e-mails for that one second."
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Privately-held Jockey doesn't release sales figures. But Tebow has turned Jockey's "staycool" underwear into the fastest-selling collection in the company's 135-year history.
He's grabbing the younger, more online-savvy consumers Jockey wants to reach: Jockey's Facebook fans have exploded nearly 2,000% since he came aboard as an endorser in July 2010.
With Tebow as the face of the promotion, Jockey has attracted nearly 50,000 consumer entries to its $1 million "Super" challenge. The promotion offers consumers nationwide the chance to win 40,000 $25 gift cards. One fan will get $15,000 in honor of Tebow's jersey number.
Tebow is picky about endorsements. He works with Jockey, Nike and FRS energy drinks. Tebow gave FRS and Nike free plugs Tuesday as he appeared at a nationally televised Broncos news conference in an FRS hat and Nike shirt.
"That was a nice suprise," FRS President Carl Sweat says.
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About Reid and Mike
Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.
He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.
Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.
