November 18, 2016
Once an idea catches on in the age of social media, it can spread like wildfire. As a good example, let’s examine the case of Joel Embiid over the past few weeks.
First, Embiid dubbed himself “The Process” before the season started. This was only about a month ago, maybe a tad longer. Then after a couple of games, the Sixers, understanding that their promising young big guy wasn’t going to stop with the nickname, decided to starting embracing it. Good call.
Well, now even the NBA has even gotten on the bandwagon, trying to make a buck off it in The Process:
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥https://t.co/hucCBQzOte pic.twitter.com/zpsQjyQFpD
— NBA Store (@NBASTORE) November 17, 2016
But as Crossing Broad’s Jim Adair initially sleuthed, Embiid is already thinking ahead. Through his agency, CAA, Embiid has filed for a trademark on “The Process.” The first one is for cell phone cases and apparel (shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, flip flops, etc.), pretty standard stuff.
The second one? Well, this is pretty incredible:
Yes, you read that correctly: Rubber bracelets; Children's books; Non-alcoholic beverages, namely, pre-bottled Shirley Temple drinks
I’m not sure how much national appeal “The Process” Shirley Temples would have, but there is certainly a scenario in play where Embiid becomes a superstar player and Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary are in a bidding war after asking for his sales on “Shark Tank.”
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
