How Jason Kelce Built His Personal Brand and Became a Philadelphia Legend

Philadelphia icon and former Eagles star Jason Kelce has been making headlines ever since… announced his retirement from the NFL on March 4, 2024

Days after Kelce’s announcement, Campbell Soup unveiled its first Legends Chunky Edition could be a tribute to the former football center. A month later, Kelce surprised fans when entered the ring at WWE’s WrestleMania XLwhich took place in Philadelphia. And on April 29, ESPN announced is working to hire Kelce as an NFL analyst.

As marketing and Brand building scientists At the Fox School of Business at Temple University, we published Kelce case study in early 2024, where he will discuss how he built such a forceful and enduring personal brand throughout his career, and how that brand can aid him remain relevant in retirement.

“A wonderful dog is a hungry dog!”

An athlete’s personal brand is how the public perceives them based on their actions, competencies, and achievements. Athletes with a forceful personal brand can earn higher salaries and signing bigger sponsorship deals. It can also aid maintain fan support for the athlete – or his team – even if the athlete’s performance on the pitch declines.

The key to defining an athlete’s—or anyone’s—brand identity is to identify a few keywords that capture their strengths. In Kelce’s case, we’d argue that “determination,” “grit,” and “work” are the words that capture his appeal.

Fans will recall Kelce’s unscripted speech on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2018 after the Eagles won the Super Bowl. Kelce, dressed in full Mummers costumethe fancy dress uniform worn during Philadelphia’s annual Modern Year’s Day Parade was intended to celebrate the team’s underdog status.

“We were a bunch of outsiders. And you know what an outsider is? It’s a hungry dog,” he said. “And that’s why we’re the first team in Eagles history to hold that damn trophy.” The crowd roared.

Kelce showed determination early in his football career, when he changed positions several times before finding the right fit. He began his college football career as reserve player at the University of Cincinnati before moving to left defender and finally insideHis perseverance was rewarded when after selected in the sixth round of the draft by the Eagles in 2011He He reportedly became the first rookie in Eagles history start all 16 games at center.

In his 2024 Retirement SpeechKelce recalled his early days in Cincinnati.

“It became immediately clear that the reserves were going to have to fight harder for their chances than the rest of the team,” he said. “I had no… investment from the team or the coaches. I had to work for everything, and that was good, because I had no idea what challenging work was.”

This early moment of clarity fits perfectly with Kelce’s outsider mentality, which has served as a benchmark for his personal brand of authenticity throughout his career.

Personal values

Personal values ​​are another critical part of a personal brand. For Kelce, they seem to be her commitment to family, community, and charitable causes.

He often posts photos of himself relaxing on social media. with his wife AND three little daughtersand he he praised his parents in his emotional retirement speech. He is the co-host of his Podcast “New Heights” with his brother Travis Kelce, All-Pro quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs who too romantically linked to Taylor SwiftThe brothers intertwine football and family in every video and have gained over 2 million subscribers on YouTube alone.

Jason Kelce is also extremely devoted to Cleveland Heights, his hometown in ohioand his adopted home of Philadelphia.

In October 2022, he started (Be)Philly Foundationwhich provides financial assistance and mentors to Philadelphia youth. Kelce has also donated time and money to Eagles Autism Foundationprimarily by creating and running a grand annual event Fundraising for Team 62 – named for the No. 62 jersey he wore with the Eagles – on the Jersey Shore. He worked with local officials in his suburban Philadelphia community to sponsor labrador retriever adoption for the Haverford Township Police Department.

Kelce is original, limpid and direct in his personal branding, which focuses on being an elite athlete and a committed family man. With this forceful brand, we believe he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of another Philadelphia legend, Charles Barkleywho has remained a pop culture icon almost 25 years after he hung up his basketball jersey.