Rugby great Jonah Lomu's brand is a global one and despite it being eight years since he officially retired, the All Black great was still enjoying the fame and sponsorship that came with his talent. Following his death however, the question arises around who is in charge of the Lomu brand now.
Since his debut at 19, as the youngest All Black in history in 1994, companies were knocking on Lomu's door to get him to endorse everything from gear to fast food, with McDonald's famously naming a McFeast burger after the star. After his performances at the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cups, Lomu became one of the first heavily sponsored All Blacks in history.
He retired in 2007, due to his health issues, and turned his attention to speaking engagements, charity work and writing his book - My Story. Earlier this year, Lomu joined a panel that also included Graham Henry, Brian Lochore and Stephen Donald at the NZME organised Legends in Black dinner emceed by Radio Sport's Andrew Mulligan. At the event, Lomu spoke openly about his health issues and the difficulty in trying to explain to his sons about why he was famous.
Over time, the Lomu brand never dimmed with the star even being immortalised in Madame Tussaud's famous wax museum in London.
Throughout his rugby career, Heineken and Adidas have been two of his longest sponsorship partners, with Heineken involving the star in a major competition and marketing campaign this year, which included Lomu meeting the winners of the campaign in London, alongside several other former All Blacks.
