Chat-bout.net - 'Brand Usain' makes huge strides

'Brand Usain' makes huge strides

Three years after his exceptional showing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, sprint deity Usain Bolt has become much more than a name on a start list, and these days, fancies himself an author as well as a budding businessman.

After launching his autobiography Usain Bolt 9.58 - My story, the 24-year-old is spreading his net worth with the opening of Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records - Kingston's newest entertainment attraction, located in the Market Place.

It is a move that his public-relations representative Carole Beckford and his financial adviser Garfield Coke, both agree will ensure his post-career financial stability, as well as add further value to Usain Bolt - the brand.

"From a financial point of view, merchandising is always a good investment, getting into projects that allow you business opportunities," said Coke, during an exclusive walk-through of the lounge-type space last week.

"Generally speaking, him going into business is a major move for his future prospects for life after track or the plans that he will have to generate income in the long run, so, yes, it's definitely a massive move for Usain (Bolt)," Coke added.

Stamped with the feel of an actual stadium, Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records, which was created in tandem with the KLE Group, boasts some of the coolest features you will see anywhere, such as a mega screen, a world-class audio platform, touch-screen technology on tabletops and memorabilia from the athlete's all-conquering displays in Beijing and the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin.

Perfect fit for Bolt

Beckford underlined the importance of securing her client's stability even beyond his competitive years as a major focus of the management team and believes that the newly opened lounge is a perfect fit for the athlete.

"This has certainly diversified his brand. He comes to the table with excellence, reliability, and I think in expanding his brand, looking for pensionable projects; because the story of the athlete suggests that after competition, some of them tend to fall on hard times. Our team is ensuring that this doesn't happen and Tracks and Records really captures his brand and what it represents," said Beckford.

"When you see Usain on track, you see a world-class performer, a fierce competitor and this location exemplifies that," Beckford added. "He already has a book and now there is this inclusion in what we call an entertainment attraction, and the sky is the limit for him right now."

"One of the things that Usain and his management have ensured is that there is a very strong team around him in all areas, who are stock with knowledge in innovative ways to get him where he needs to be to ensure that the common stuff that happens to Jamaican sportsmen and entertainers does not happen to him at the end of his career," Coke supported.

"It has a lot to do with his stability but also towards his entire growth plan that will take him beyond his career-earning years. This is a good way for him to get that mileage so that his sprinting can become a marathon," said Coke.

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