Le magazine américain Fast Company vient de mettre l’homme dont nous boycottons le nom en couverture. Pourquoi? Parce que Livestrong est déjà en train de préparer son plan de crise de guerre. D’ailleurs, on a appris que l’enquête continue son terrain, ils étaient d’ailleurs à Interpol (Lyon) pour interroger l’Agence française de lutte contre le dopage (AFLD).
Disons que l’enquête semble utiliser les grands moyens et quelque soit son issue, elle ne passera pas inaperçue.
Je vous invite à lire la version écourtée de l’article de Fast Company ici. Évidemment, l’article fait un portrait enjoliveur d’un Armstrong totalement différent lorsque cela touche le cancer.
Il y a quelques détails assez croustillants…
As Livestrong has grown, Ulman and his team have developed a sophisticated business model. One particularly farsighted move is the deal with longtime partner Nike. Until this year, the foundation received 100% of the profit from Nike’s Livestrong products — not just $1 yellow bracelets, but a line of Livestrong shoes, shirts, and bags — to the tune of more than $12 million in 2009. To give Nike an incentive to grow the business, Ulman offered to trade profits for a minimal annual contribution of $7.5 million for the next five years, plus a royalty on sales over a certain threshold. Nike marketed Livestrong heavily during the Tour and began introducing the products in Canada, the U.K., and France. A China launch could come as soon as next year. « Michael Jordan is a $1 billion-a-year brand, but it’s been around for 27 years, » says Ulman. « We’re on year two or three, but we’re eager and impatient. »
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While its $50.4 million in annual revenue is less than what the 97-year-old American Cancer Society raises in a month, Livestrong has been a catalyst for better cancer care and education across the globe. « It’s a force to be reckoned with, » says Leslie Lenkowsky, a professor at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. Livestrong’s help line, guidebooks, and website helped more than 400,000 people last year.