Davie Brown Index: Durant packs more marketing punch than Oden

LOS ANGELES -– Portland’s Greg Oden may have been the top pick in last month’s NBA draft, but it’s Seattle’s Kevin Durant, the second overall pick in the draft, who is the more marketable player, according to one index.

The most recent update of the Davie Brown Celebrity Index (DBI) indicates that while Oden is better known among U.S. consumers, Durant ranks higher than Oden in terms of appeal, notice, trust, and endorsement. Consumers also find Durant to be more of a trendsetter and more aspirational than Oden.

“With the exception of Shaq, post players aren’t typically as marketable as above-the-rim guys like Durant,” said Jeff Chown, president of Davie Brown Talent, which created the DBI, an independent index for brand marketers and agencies that determines a celebrity's ability to influence brand affinity and consumer purchase intent. “Consumers tend to pay more attention and give more credence to players who play Durant’s style of game.”

Already, both Oden and Durant are known by more U.S. consumers than NBA stars like Tony Parker, the San Antonio guard who earned MVP honors in this year’s NBA Finals.

The 7-foot Oden, an All-America selection from Ohio State, is recognized by 29 percent of all U.S. consumers; Durant’s awareness is at 23 percent. Parker, who recently married actress Eva Longoria, is known by just more than 20 percent of consumers.

In comparison, Tiger Woods, the highest-rated celebrity-athlete in the DBI database, is known by more than 90 percent of U.S. consumers.