WHAT’S HOT: Athlete helps float ear care

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. —Olympic athlete endorsements score big, especially with children, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study. Almost three-quarters of both boys and girls either look up to or want to be like professional or Olympic athletes.

So the recent news from Cirrus Healthcare that 24-year-old swimmer Christine Magnuson, two-time silver medalist in the 2008 Summer Olympics, has agreed to endorse the company’s BioEars and ClearEars could help float those products toward the top in ear care sales.

“[Magnuson’s] endorsement will help us to highlight the benefits of our innovative products, ClearEars and BioEars, to swimmers throughout the country who are concerned about the health of their ears,” stated Drew O’Connell, Cirrus CEO.

The ear-care product category already is popping with $40.6 million in sales, up 5.4%, for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 4 across food, drug and mass (minus Walmart), according to data provided by Information Resources Inc.