Advertising campaign as provocation?: Ski star Braathen rushes to the front of the Norwegian marketing list

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The dispute between the Norwegian Ski Federation (NSF) and its athletes continues. Five-time World Cup winner Lucas Braathen (23) is advertising for the Swedish fashion giant ‘J. Lindeberg”, although his association has an agreement with the label “Helly Hansen”. An action that was also met with incomprehension among teammates.

Other Norwegian ski professionals, who did not want to be named, made critical comments to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). “That was utter stupidity,” someone even said. Astrid Olsen, manager and father of up-and-coming skier Alexander Steen Olsen, reminds us that the association needs income to financially support lesser-known athletes. “It is important that the athletes respect the sponsors of the association.”

The marketing problems have been simmering since 2019

Lucas is willing to transfer some of his image rights. “But we have still not managed to arrange a meeting in which we can negotiate where the boundaries should be,” Father Björn Braathen justified the action. They were aware that this could be a “provocation” towards association partner “Helly Hansen”. The association has now invited people to a meeting with the advertising partner where participation in the campaign will be discussed.

The background is a conflict that has been simmering for years about the division of marketing and image rights between the ski association and its athletes. In contrast to the Swiss top skiers, the marketing of the stars in Norway is standardized and runs through the association. The dispute arose in the media in 2019 when Kristoffersen demanded compensation of 1.75 million from the NSF.

In November 2022, a committee decided that the association and athletes should jointly determine the exact share of the image rights to be granted. Because that did not happen, Kilde and Co. filed a complaint against the association this summer. The Braathen episode is the next, but certainly not the last chapter. (dti)

Source : Blick