Shaquille O’Neal rightly considers himself a marketing master who has leveraged his on-the-court success and his own unique personality into a global brand rivaling many Fortune 100 companies.
There’s no question that he’s one of the most recognizable figures in the world and his online popularity as evidenced by his nearly million strong tweeple army has reached epic proportions.
It should come as no surprise then to learn that Shaq’s virtually-marketed diet is part of a scheme to sell something. In this case not just product but hope in the form of a multi-level marketing “opportunity”.
The “Shaqlyte” diet (as previously discussed here) is probably a serious attempt by the Big Fella to lose weight and become a more mobile big man in the waning days of his great career. It is also clearly part of a bigger plan to generate hype for the July 31st Las Vegas mega-launch of a new product called Enlyten which seems to consist of two things, a product and an ethically questionable business model.
The product is based on a strip of dissolvable “stuff” similar to breath freshening strips but in this case loaded with various supplements and nutrients like melatonin and theanine. There are various flavors geared towards helping you sleep, improving your energy and antioxidenting yourself. Think of Vitamin Water without the water.
Photo from Enlyten