The highest profile tennis players greatly influence the sales of fashion brands. They are chosen to market a brand not only for their tennis skills and performance but also for their personality, charisma and appeal to their fans. Their beauty, style, cuteness and appeal are all marketing tools that are used by brand managers.

Tennis players used to wear white, simple outfits as the whole focus was on their tennis. There used to be strict regulations and guidelines around their dress code. Now, tournaments like the Australian Open are watched not only for their tennis but also for the fashion. The outfits are colourful with new and interesting designs to create attention, inspiration and sales.

The fans connect to a player’s sense of style and personality and are highly influenced by what they’re wearing. During the Australian Open, the tennis fashion brand, Lacoste who sponsors Roddick, notices a huge increase in their product sales every time he plays a match. His fans are inspired by his look and Lacoste sells anything he wears.

Celebrities are establishing their own brands, especially in the homewares market. They initially have the recognition through what they do but then they develop their personal brand around who they are and what they represent. They become a powerful marketing tool endorsing all sorts of products. Customers trust a high profile person when it comes to buying homewares, especially if the brand is already linked to their profession.

It’s very easy for someone like Jamie Durie, who we have grown to trust as a television host and producer of his landscaping shows, to create his own successful line of merchandised product called PATIO. He’s got our backyard covered not only through landscaping and design but now also with a new outdoor lifestyle range.

Alex Perry, has made his first step into a design medium beyond clothing. He’s just unveiled a rug collection which is a perfect match in his branding evolution as he represents style and design.

Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and a swag of other celebrity chefs have branded cookware. This has been driven by the massive popularity of the cooking shows on TV, like MasterChef.

These new celebrity brands that are entering the homewares market are just a natural extension of what they already do.