Living in Taupo in the heart of New Zealand you expect rugby to be fairly ingrained in most kids. The All Blacks are on cereal boxes, coke cans and everywhere else. So it came as a surprise when I asked one of the five-year-old boys in my daughter’s class who his favourite All Black is, given the Rugby World Cup is currently on here, and he told me it was David Beckham!

The power of the Beckham brand is so strong it still touches young kids in small towns on the other side of the world. Furthermore, it magically makes David Beckham transform sports to one requiring him to gain 20 or 30 kgs to compete, and even change nationalities to represent another country. Now that is amazing.

My conversation was in passing and I did not have time to ask how or why this small boy thought Beckham was a New Zealand rugby star (as well as being an English football star and international fashion icon). I can only guess a five year old New Zealand boy has seen Beckham on the internet, or been told about him by others. His reading isn’t good enough to read the tabloids, and there haven’t been any football matches with Beckham playing televised in New Zealand for a year or two.

A quick check of Google Insights shows interest in Beckham is still much higher globally than the New Zealand All Blacks. This is to be expected given football is much bigger globally than rugby.

However, the IRB and major sponsors like Heineken, along with the All Blacks, still have a huge marketing campaign running around the Rugby World Cup which does have a sizable audience of billions. Yet the Beckham brand is still stronger, helped of course by the media profile of Victoria Beckham as well. For businesses large and small the Beckhams offer many lessons, a few of which are:

• Nurture happy customers as brand ambassadors. The five year old has most likely learnt about Beckham from a Dad or older brother who is a fan. Give your customers something positive to talk about and with luck they’ll use social media to tell others.
• Try to develop a brand that over time will become residual and not need constant advertising to maintain exposure. Easier said than done to become a household name, but with social media and viral marketing it is now more possible for smaller brands on smaller budgets.
• Utilise media contacts and try to leverage free PR whenever you can. You may not have paparazzi following you, but relationships with journalists in key publications can help get you out there. Free online PR websites also help with distribution.
• Create good content that will last, and use all appropriate channels to distribute it. There are four year old videos of David Beckham on youtube with over 4 million views. Obviously mere mortals can’t normally attract that sort of audience, but you need to start somewhere. Youtube is free and easy to use, digital video cameras are cheap and editing software is free. Once you start online video marketing you may just get addicted.
• Manage your reputation. David Beckham has had his ups and downs privately and professionally, yet most people still think he is a good bloke. This is because he is authentic, and he does good here and there where he can. This is one Beckham trait that any business can follow with no excuses about fame or budget. Treat your clients and allies genuinely, and contribute to the greater good in some way. Aside from any benefits that may result, its just good karma.

There will be other lessons from the Beckham brand, but hopefully these will get you thinking. The key with social media marketing is to simply get started. With our star goal-kicker Dan Carter injured, maybe there is room in the All Blacks for David Beckham after all. He sure would help the tv ratings.