You might have caught that Jimmy Rollins, shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies is the first professional USA baseball player to join the long list of Red Bull athletes. Those of you who know me understand how passionate I am about the Red Bull brand. The brand understands as well as any the importance of engaging their stakeholders in the brand development process. Last year I named them as my first entry into my Brand Champion Hall of Fame.

Over the course of the past year and one half I have spent much of my time working with La Salle University so I feel like Philadelphia is my home away from home. As a result I have become a big Phillies fan. So I was pleased to see that Jimmy Rollins and Red Bull are connecting. It appears to be a logical co-branding effort. This comes from someone who has never been to a Phillies game live in Philly or tasted a Red Bull energy drink. But, I am a brand champion of both.

Does your brand effectively recruit and retain brand champions, even to the point where someone blogs about you who has never experienced your brand first-hand?