When the Ad Kills the Athlete: The Dark Side of Extreme Sports Marketing

By Jon Heshka, of Thompson Rivers University Using extreme athletes in marketing campaigns has become commonplace. They are regularly featured as backdrops for ads on television, print media, and social media. It works because the setting is spectacular and the nature of the activity pulls in the attention of the viewer. The upside is almost unlimited. Extreme sports hit all the right buttons. A company can strike it rich and their film win an Oscar – as was the case in 20