Brand Phelps
ADWEEK|December 12, 2016

Can the greatest olympian in history be as dominant out of the pool as he was in it?

Tim Nudd
Brand Phelps

Michael Phelps had a better 2016 than you.

He got married. He had his first child. He starred in the year’s best ad—an elegiac masterpiece by Droga5 for Under Armour. And at 31, the planet’s greatest-ever swimmer went to his fifth and final Olympics, in Rio, seeking redemption—four years after a lackluster (for him) London 2012, and two years after a fraying personal life ended in a DUI arrest (his second) and rehab.

Redemption, he found. Phelps grinded out a storybook ending to his swimming career in Brazil, winning six gold medals and two silvers, putting his tally at a staggering 28 Olympic medals, and 23 golds. Just as important, he went out at an emotional and physical peak. He was in the best shape of his life and excited to be in the pool—a stark contrast to the motivational problems that haunted him before and after his first retirement, post-London.

“It’s been a crazy year, an honestly ridiculous year, one of the greatest years of my life,” Phelps tells me one late November afternoon in Manhattan. (He calls Paradise Valley, Ariz., home these days, and is visiting New York for USA Swimming’s Golden Goggle Awards.) “Coming back, going through some ups and downs away from the pool, and being able to finish my career on my terms—that’s all I wanted.”

You couldn’t have scripted it much better.

Except now, it’s all preamble. How the most decorated Olympian in history writes the rest of his life—the business career he envisions for himself, in the mold of a Jordan or a Jeter; his charity work; his family life; his efforts to grow the sport of swimming; his endorsement deals; and his own burgeoning MP brand—is entirely up to him.

Denne historien er fra December 12, 2016-utgaven av ADWEEK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 12, 2016-utgaven av ADWEEK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ADWEEKSe alt
News Anchor Of The Year Megyn Kelly
ADWEEK

News Anchor Of The Year Megyn Kelly

From Trump to ailes, the fox news personality fearlessly faces off with the powers that be—and ends up crushing the cable ratings race.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 28, 2016
The Big Bang
ADWEEK

The Big Bang

Global consultancies are rocking the agency world, creating a new universe of offerings that meld marketing and technology.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 13, 2017
DROGA5
ADWEEK

DROGA5

Using the fingers on just one hand, David Droga argues, you can count the number of agencies that possess a “strong soul.”

time-read
6 mins  |
December 05, 2016
Ogily
ADWEEK

Ogily

When it comes to leadership changes, 2016 will be remembered as a time of disruption.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 05, 2016
The Myth of White Space
ADWEEK

The Myth of White Space

'Brands have to stand out in an obvious crowd—not stand alone in an unusual spot that no one cares about.'

time-read
4 mins  |
December 12, 2016
Brand Phelps
ADWEEK

Brand Phelps

Can the greatest olympian in history be as dominant out of the pool as he was in it?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 12, 2016
Masters Of Their Domain
ADWEEK

Masters Of Their Domain

WHY DIGITAL BRANDS ARE KILLING IT IN ECOMMERCE. BY LAUREN JOHNSON

time-read
3 mins  |
April 16, 2018
Winners' Playbook
ADWEEK

Winners' Playbook

BRANDS OFTEN FIND THAT WHEN THEY AIM TO DO GOOD, THEY ALSO END UP DOING WELL. HERE ARE FOUR RULES TO KEEP IN MIND. BY DAN TYNAN

time-read
2 mins  |
April 16, 2018
Flipping The Disruption Script
ADWEEK

Flipping The Disruption Script

THE FORTUNE 500 SHOULDN’T REST ON THEIR LAURELS OF HAVING A FIRST-TO- MARKET ADVANTAGE.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 4, 2017
MCCann
ADWEEK

MCCann

All things old were new again in 2017 as McCann dominated the U.S. agency landscape with a string of wins and created the most-discussed campaign of the year in Fearless Girl. 

time-read
7 mins  |
December 4, 2017