The seven-time Super Bowl winner is branching out in his post-NFL career, joining Delta to work on internal staff training and appear in external advertising campaigns.
Brady will become a “strategic adviser” to Delta, the airline announced on Wednesday.
Brady will collaborate with Delta to develop and advise on “teamwork tools” for the airline’s more than 90,000 employees, as well as participate in select marketing efforts, according to the firm.
Brady will work with Delta employees for “onboarding, cultural familiarity, and immersion” in his first year, and he will appear in Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s video series with business leaders, philanthropists, and others.
Although the partnership’s specifics are unknown, it looks that Delta intends to employ Brady as more than just a celebrity ambassador for the company in advertising, according to Allen Adamson, a marketing specialist and co-founder of consulting firm Metaforce.
“Getting a celebrity in a spot is less credible with younger consumers,” he explained. “Delta is looking at ways to leverage the association internally.”
Brady may appear in staff training exercises to teach about teamwork and dealing with adversity, according to Adamson.
Celebrity employment deals have a long history – and a bad track record.
Alicia Keys (get it? keys…) was hired as BlackBerry’s “creative director” in 2013, and she instantly tweeted about it – on an iPhone. (She said she had been hacked). A year later, the collaboration came to an end.
Will was hired by Intel.Around the same time, i.am and Polaroid both employed Lady Gaga as creative directors. They both left after a few years.
Adidas signed Beyoncé Knowles as a creative partner in 2019. This collaboration came to an end this year.
Brady has recently become more active in commercial pursuits.
Brady created TB12 Sports, a health and wellness organization, and also owns a media company and the Brady Brand clothing line. He also has a stake in the British soccer team Birmingham City, a Major League Pickleball team, and an E1 Series team, the world’s first electric boat racing championship.
Brady is set to transition into a job as a sports broadcaster after signing a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports in 2022.