After her emphatic
victory to win the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics, Jessica Ennis has a
bright future ahead of her. Unique Client Solutions looks at what she can
expect.
If there is one thing
that Unique Client Solutions is exceptionally proud of, it’s home grown talent.
So when Jessica Ennis crossed the finish line in the 800m, the final event in
her heptathlon, people around Sheffield and the country celebrated. The customer
acquisitions company has its headquarters in the city and you could honestly
hear the cheers from peoples houses on Saturday evening! Quite aside from the
glory that Ennis can expect to bask in over the next few weeks Unique Client
Solutions has investigated what her future will look like.
Ennis was well and
truly the poster girl of the London 2012 campaign. That position often comes
with a price and many have faltered under its pressure. Thankfully for Jessica
she was simply too well prepared, too focussed and too talented. Well before
the games Ennis has enjoyed attention from sponsors which have brought her
lucrative endorsement deals from big names like Jaguar, Powerade, British
Airways, and Aviva. Her earnings leading up to the Olympics were estimated to
have topped £1m.
The managing director
of Unique Client Solutions, Simon Tomlinson, said “Sports is big business, we
only have to look at footballers in the Premiership to realise that. However
Ennis has everything going for her. She performed to all expectations, she has
the looks and she’s an eloquent ambassador for UK sport. Sponsors will be
lapping her up.” Coventry University Business School expect her earnings to
double over the next year to at least £2m and they believe she can expect to earn
around £5m over the next three years.
Mr Tomlinson says that
there are big incentives out there for sportsmen and women outside of
sponsorship. “Many athletes have performance bonuses built into their
contracts. So they’ll get a certain amount for qualifying for their event,
another amount if they reach the final and then much more if they win a gold
medal or title.”
Where does Unique Client Solutions think Jessica will be in the next few years? “Putting aside
her good looks and her sponsorship deals, Jessica is simply a world-class
athlete. The hours that go into that means that these people have an
exceptional level of drive, something that we really admire at Unique Client
Solutions. Jessica will without a doubt go on to be a very wealthy lady but her
intelligence and talent will also mean that she will do a huge amount for the
UK promoting sport. Finally we’re confident that we’re going to continue to see
her winning medals and titles around the world. First and foremost she’s an
athlete and we think that will top all her priorities.”
