Dr. Anil Makkar was trudging up the stairs of his home in Truro, N.S., after a busy day at his dental practice when his cellphone rang.
He peered at the name on the call display in disbelief before bringing the phone to his ear.
"Doc? Doc, is that you? It's Manny. Do you remember me from spring training camp last week?"
The caller was baseball superstar Manny Ramirez. The small-town dentist had met the baseball player five days earlier at the Boston Red Sox spring training camp in Fort Meyers, Fla. While there, he had hand-delivered to Mr. Ramirez a specially fitted sports orthotic designed by his company, Pure Power Mouthguard Group.
"I would like to talk to you about sponsorship," the athlete said, explaining that he loved the mouthguard. When the dentist hung up a few minutes later, he knew that everything had changed for his small company. Finally, after more than two years of travel, trade shows and an aggressive, but uphill, media relations campaign, he had hit a home run.
Dr. Anil Makkar was here earlier to take questions on his small business's experience with celebrity endorsement.
Noel Hulsman, Globeandmail.com, writes: Hi Anil, thank you so much for your time today. Given that your product is specifically designed for athletes, it only makes sense to seek endorsements from the pros. However, one of the obvious risks is that the star you've aligned your brand with can be a hero one day, and a goat the next—or both simultaneously. This may be particularly close to the bone for you, as your marquee supporter, Los Angeles Dodgers star Manny Ramirez is now adored in California, and despised in Boston, where he used to play. How do you navigate those issues when you're selecting a pro to build your brand around?
Anil Makker writes: Please remember, that this is not a jersey, or a sneaker we are asking the athlete to try. Those are not going to improve the performance of an athlete. Manny Ramirez, is only one of the pros that we have using our device, we have many others. Some do not want to go public, because they want to keep the advantage to themselves. We do not put all our eggs in one basket with one athlete. We have professionals in every league that is using the PPM. The NBA, NFL, NHL, and of course the MLB. We are now just starting to see success in The PGA world. We would love to endorse a lot of athletes, but as a growing company, we have to evaluate our every move. Example , who has a lot of start power. We have been fortunate, that we have never paid an athlete to try our product, because it directly does increase their performance.
Noel Hulsman writes: That was my next question ... Most companies pay thousands or millions of dollars to get a star to associate with their products, how do you get away with not paying them? Isn't that the iron-clad expectation?
Anil Makker writes: Please keep in mind that our product is giving an athlete a direct advantage. Two examples:
Josh Brown of the St, Louis Rams, got a $14 million dollar contract, because he had a great year with the Seattle Seahawks, using our product. He is now the highest paid kicker in NFL history. Scott MaCarron of the PGA, has told us, that of the $942,000, he has made this year, PPM has contributed to $750,000.00 toward that amount.
When is the last time that an athlete made money from playing their sport by wearing a sneaker or a jersey? Athletes are looking for an Edge, and if this will get them a better contract or get them noticed, they are going to try it. It is a two way street, we are happy that the athlete is using our product, and the athlete is happy that it is helping their performance for their own gains. Anybody that is competive wants to win.
Noel Hulsman writes: Finally, and I promise everyone, this is my last question, I will get to yours' in a second: what sport's athletes have been the easiest, or hardest, to work with? Have you found the culture of each sport fundamentally different?
Anil Makker writes: The athletes that are the easiest to work with are golfers. This is an individual sport, and they really want to improve their game. The hardest has been hockey players, because they have a hard time assuming that this will help their game, because they already wear a mouthguard, they try to compare the two products. The culture of each sport is very fundamentally different.
Earl Connors from Calgary writes: Dr. Makkar, I live in Calgary. Is there a dentist in Calgary qualified to fit your mouthguard in my city? Finally, what should I expect the cost to be? Thanks.
Anil Makker writes: Go to the PPM website, www.ppmmouthguard.com. Click locations, and you will have some to choose from. They range anywhere from $849.00 to $2000.00. Depending on your use. The consultation with a PPM dentist is at no charge. Because they have to determine if you are a candidate or not first.
Noel Hulsman writes: The following was one of the first comments on the website after the article was posted. I'm re-running here only because I am sure that Gill's response is probably not entirely uncommon. How do you answer this?
Gill Bates from Wroxton Sask writes: Oh, what baloney! Really? A mouthpiece can do all that? All of it is based on anecdotal evidence, and not very good anecdotal evidence at that. Sorry, I won't be shelling out $1,700. This is in the same category as the magical bracelets people wear.
Anil Makker writes: Just a person who did not take the time to go to our website and understand the science behind this product. This is always people's first reaction, however, when they do the research their opinion usually changes.
Noel Hulsman writes: I can appreciate a certain amount of exasperation when you're dealing with the skeptics, but you have to admit there is a fairy tale quality to this story? An immigrant dentist living in rural Nova Scotia has devised a mouthguard that will dramatically improve people's athletic prowess? After all the millions spent on training, equipment, drugs, supplements, we discover there is a quantum leap still to be had, and it involves something you put in your mouth. Given how staunchly traditional some sports are — particularly baseball — convincing people that their performance is going to improve has to be a challenge.
Anil Makker writes: You are right, it is almost like you invented the phone. I can imagine when Bell invented the phone, that people told him that he was crazy and that there is no way that it would work. Today we have cell phones, and blackberrys that are part of our everyday culture.
Yes, it is a challenge to convince people in sports that this does work. Really, how can a piece of plastic in someone's mouth really increase their balance, range of motion, strength and flexibility? However, the athletes that are using it are proving the skeptics wrong. Just like when people started to use the phone, they started telling their other friends that it does work. You always need the skeptics, because that drives you to do better , and prove to the world that it does work. My vision is simple: Just like when people wear a sneaker to train or play any kind of sport, I want this to be a part of everyday sport gear. If you are not wearing one, then the other player or team will have the clear cut advantage.
Noel Hulsman writes: Anil, this has been a really interesting discussion. Thank you so much for your time today. Have a great weekend. Best.
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