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Introduction
This paper investigates the development, growth, maturity and sustainability of personal sports brands while also touching key points of a personal sports brand's interdependence ("hybrid" relationship) with sports brands at the product and corporate levels. The conclusions and empirical data collection draws heavily upon the experiences of world famous women's golfer Annika Sörenstam.
[5] Adjouri and Stastny (2006, pp. 45-50) indirectly describe and explain elements of personal sports branding in ways highly aligned with the empirical data collection for this paper. Specifically, this paper deals with the interdependence between sports branding at various levels, i.e. the personal, product and corporate levels. Thereby, this paper will also clarify why personal sports branding acts as a "hybrid" created and enhanced by sports brands at various levels. There are many examples of personal sports brands on a global scale, e.g. US basketball star Michael Jordan, who "made clear how closely athletic success is associated with the sales of sports products, especially the brand of Nike. So saying, Michael Jordan became a brand himself" ([5] Adjouri and Stastny, 2006, p. 48).
Research methodology
The empirical element of this case study ([81] Maaløe, 2002) centred on Annika Sörenstam's personal sports brand. It is of an interpretative nature and based on qualitative semi-structured research interviews with Annika Sörenstam and her brand manager Mike McGee to unfold the meaning of their experiences with building a personal sports brands ([21] Brinkmann and Kvale, 2009; [18] Botan et al. , 2000; [30] Chen and Pearce, 1995; [65] Hamel, 1993; [116] Stake, 1994). Moreover, one-day observations at Sörenstam's golf academy (ANNIKA Academy) in Orlando, Florida and at Sörenstam's ANNIKA Experience Event in Fiddler's Elbow, New Jersey were applied. A key element in this research methodology was to design a methodology capable of investigating contemporary empirical factors central in the brand building and brand management processes of Annika Sörenstam's personal sports brand for what reason the qualitative case study approach proved to be relevant. To study human behaviour and actions, qualitative observations and semi-structured interviews were chosen to disclose what these behaviours and actions regarding personal sports branding mean for Sörenstam and her personal brand building process. Applying such data collection methods underscores intimacy, empathy and presence as integrated tools in the methods to...