It is pretty clear that the Sharapova team never had any intention of changing her name, and floated the story as a publicity stunt. It worked, but she didn't win any fans.
Miguel Morales, Forbes Staff
Sharapova Won't Change Her Name To Sugarpova But She Will Cash In On The News
Alas, Maria Sugarpova was too good to be true. Sharapova’s agent, Max Eisenbud, confirmed to ESPN earlier today that “after serious consideration” the Grand Slam winner will not change her name for the US Open.
That the phrase “serious consideration” was used in conjunction with a proposed name change to her candy company Sugarpova shows how well Sharapova’s team has spun this non-story into a PR bonanza for their charge.
Submitting a name change is undoubtedly hokey and forced but it’s also canny. Requesting a name change in Florida costs virtually nothing, since as the Hillsborough County clerk’s office helpfully told me, name changes go through the court pro se. In a nutshell, Sharapova wouldn’t have needed a lawyer, and therefore, money to pay said lawyer, since she would represent herself in the case.
But Sharapova didn’t even submit a name change request, based on my calls to the Florida Supreme Court, where it was reported she’d make the change. (Apologies to the clerk’s office of Florida’s highest court for dutifully answering absurdities like ‘Do you have any name change requests for a Maria Sharapova?’) A search of the court’s online docket for her name likewise came up with zilch.
Intentional or not, this was smart on Sharapova’s part. The Hillsborough County Circuit Court clerk’s office noted, “a name change has to be approved by a judge after all the necessary paperwork has been filed, which includes finger prints and a background check. That can take months.”
A “quickie name change,” as Neil Harman reported Sharapova was considering, simply isn’t a possibility, barring extraordinary circumstances. What’s truly extraordinary is that Sharapova’s team managed to get scores of outlets that rarely write about tennis (case in point, The Verge) to do so. David Schwab, a celebrity branding consultant and Managing Director of Octagaon First Call, underscores the point nicely. “They’ve accomplished 100% of their goal already. They’re making reporters call the Supreme Court of Florida for comment.”
Guilty as charged, but will this PR move pay dividends for the Sugarpova brand? Graham Goodkind, the CEO of Frank PR, which has conducted successful name changes on behalf of athlete clients, thinks so. “It didn’t cost anything, it dominated the news agenda, and it did more than any multimillion dollar ad campaign would have. Will it translate to sales? Too early to tell. It certainly didn’t do [her] any harm.”
Sharapova’s name-change-that-never-was comes at a perfect time for the star’s brand. She enters next week’s US Open commanding tennis headlines, if not the court, thanks to her uninspired loss to Sloane Stephens at the Rogers Cup two weeks ago. Tennis pundits have turned their focus away from the bizarre manner with which she dumped coach Jimmy Connors after just one month and one match (again, guilty as charged). And if the ESPN report is to be believed, Sugarpova will soon offer jewelry, purses and other accoutrements. As long as she doesn’t string fans along again, the Sharapova/Sugarpova buzz will help the candy company as it expands into new product lines in the coming months.
Sharapova introduced the Sugarpova candy line in 2012. In its first fiscal year, the company sold 1.8 million bags of its $5.99 candy. She’s the world’s highest-paid female athlete for the ninth year in a row. Expect her to stay at the top of that list in the future.
Sharapova’s agent, Max Eisenbud, has not yet responded to requests for comment.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/miguelm...o-sugarpova-but-she-will-cash-in-on-the-news/
