Speedo Hopes to Stretch the Brand Beyond Swim Trunks

Typically, athletes don't slip into their Speedos to head for the ice.

But that's what will happen at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, as U.S. sledding and sliding competitors go for the gold.

Los Angeles-based Speedo North America, best known for its teensy, tight swim briefs, will outfit defending gold medalist bobsledder Vonetta Flowers and other contenders in its Fastskin FSII Ice speed suits for the competition starting this weekend.

Seizing the opportunity, the world's largest maker of swimwear also will launch its most expensive advertising campaign as it attempts to establish itself in the market for more fashionable active wear. The company plans an expanded line of products, including track jackets, cropped yoga pants and sexier swimsuits for women.

"Our mission is to layer the cool factor over the technical prowess of this brand," said Sheree Waterson, president of Speedo North America.

"Cool," however, may not be the first word that springs to mind when consumers think of a brand that in its early years adopted the slogan "Speed on in your Speedos" and ultimately became famous for the Lycra trunks that first appeared in 1956.

The snug fit that worked so well in the pool may seem, to some at least, a tad too snug on the sand.

"They're known for the Speedos. You know -- enough said," said Chad Farmer, president of Lambesis Agency, a marketing firm in Carlsbad, Calif. "While it plays good in Europe, it's got some stigmas on the beaches in the U.S. Can that be cool? Who knows?"

If not everybody sees Speedo as the hippest brand in which to slide down a slope, Farmer and others nonetheless say its "sports authenticity" should help the company stretch further in the $43-billion active-wear niche, just as the Nike, Adidas and Reebok brands have.

The idea is to "take technology and make it available in other forms of clothing," said Mike May, a spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn. "It makes perfect sense."

Active wear has grown to 24% of U.S. apparel sales, revealing Americans' tilt toward the casual, according to market research firm NPD Group. The segment grew 6% last year, while overall apparel sales rose 2.5%.

Hitching a $4-million advertising campaign to the Winter Games is a smart move, said Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief industry analyst.