Ideas floated

Phelps wades in

Plan to market star swimmer is in second of three phases

Though his celebratory parade in Towson represented a finale to Michael Phelps' post-Olympic blitz of public appearances, the swimmer is just beginning his quest to become an enduring marketing force.

"We couldn't fully comprehend the impact of his performance combined with the nightly prime-time coverage," said Phelps' longtime agent, Peter Carlisle. "That's still blowing us away, the effect. He's at a point now where he can make a difference in so many ways if he has the energy to do it and the commitment to do it."

There are three planned phases to the Phelps business plan. He wrapped up the initial phase, in which he cemented his international superstardom by appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live. He is in the middle of Phase 2, a national tour to introduce his new foundation and charitable efforts. Finally, he'll seek to broaden and deepen his relationships with existing sponsors such as Visa and AT&T and to sign a few more sponsorship deals with high-end companies. He announced a pact with Kellogg's, and AT&T recently debuted a new ad campaign in which Phelps loses a race to get on the Internet because he is using a non-AT&T wireless card.

Phelps will take a far more active hand in these affairs than ever before because for the next few months, he'll barely jump in a pool. "This is really his first opportunity to put this as a real priority," Carlisle said. "Now, let's do some really cool things, some big things."

Phelps has simple criteria when considering a business relationship.

"When I am looking for a new sponsor, when Peter and I are talking about something, I have to feel comfortable with it, but I also feel like it has to relate to me," he said. "I feel like it has to fit in my life. I really honestly do mean it when I say that Kellogg's has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I remember eating a bowl of cereal, a bowl of Frosted Flakes, on the way to workouts in the morning. It's always been a part of me, and it's why I feel comfortable with the relationship."

He added that he isn't trying to imitate Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or any of the celebrity athletes who have risen during his lifetime.

"No, right now, I just think we're trying to do something that no one has ever done before," he said. "So we're just trying new things and seeing where it takes us."

Sports marketing analysts approve of Phelps' direction so far.