From the Daily Prophet of 2 July, 2000
An aerial battle
Broom makers on brink of bidding war for Potter
By Aglaia Friedman
LONDON -- The chief witches and wizards at almost every racing-broom manufacturer around the world are digging deep into their vaults this weekend. A major bidding war is on the way.
The Daily Prophet has learned that Harry Potter has contacted a number of major broom designers about testing models in advance of his debut season at Puddlemere United. With a coveted endorsement deal likely to go to whoever can entice Quidditch's newest superstar, all firms are rushing to make their best pitch.
"The atmosphere at the office is just as intense as the year before the World Cup," a high-ranking industry source wishing to remain anonymous told the Daily Prophet. "We know how much prestige having Harry Potter on one of our brooms will bring and we're working hard to put everything we can into this deal, both financially and product-wise."
According to the source, his company received an owl from Potter on Monday formally invited it to participate in "an open test" in which the Boy Who Lived will choose the make and model he will fly in training camp and his first season.
Potter did not respond to the Daily Prophet's request for an interview. However, his agents, Fred and George Weasley, did issue a brief statement confirming their client is in the process of finding the "top-flight broom" with which he will be the "most comfortable." The statement did not provide details on how the selection would be made.
The source said his company was asked to send a representative and versions of its best brooms to the Hogsmeade office of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on a confidential date later this month if it was interested in a participating in the trials.
It is. And so are plenty of other broomstick makers.
The Daily Prophet has confirmed British mainstays Cleansweep, Comet, Firebolt, Flyte and Barker, and Nimbus will all be submitting bids. It is also rumoured that foreign designers Ellerby and Spudmore of Germany, Tonnerre Volant of France, Flecha of Peru, Velocity of Canada and Hoover of the United States will take part in the competition.
"Harry Potter could make any of our companies into the world leader overnight," said the source, who would not name his employer for fear of damaging the company's chances for the contract. "I'm sure we're all willing to fight hard for that. Hundreds of thousands of Galleons will be riding on this deal."
None of the manufacturers in the running were willing provide specifics about their bids, citing the need for internal security. Still, the struggle to come seems sure to test products and bankrolls on a scale never before seen in the broomstick industry.
The most lucrative broom endorsement deal to date came in 1998 when England captain and Montrose standout David Adams terminated a long-term association with Cleansweep. The bidding war that ensued between Firebolt and Nimbus shattered all records, but it was Ellerby and Spudmore that shockingly won out, inking the high-scoring chaser to a four-year, one-million-Galleon deal.
"I hope (Potter) -- or somebody else -- does breaks my record," Adams said in a fire interview from his summer villa on Sardinia. "That would just raise the level of the entire market. The higher the bar is set, the more gold I'll get when my contract is up again in two years."
The revolutionary sales campaign Ellerby and Spudmore built around Adams is sure to be a model closely considered by whichever company woos Potter. The company launched a new model built to Adam's specifications, the Spicestick Limited Edition, to coincide with the start of 1998-99 season and backed the new product with targeted ads featuring the player at stadiums and Quidditch shops, and within Wizard Wireless Network and Daily Prophet coverage of matches. The results have surpassed all expectations.
Fast, rugged and much cheaper than comparable models from Firebolt or Velocity, the Spicestick was an instant hit with the school-aged shoppers. In the 21 months since its release, more than 13,000 of them have sold in England alone, giving Ellerby and Spudmore a market-share lead it had never before achieved.
Such a strong position in the market is what all the broomstick makers will be thinking of as they try to win over the Boy Who Lived, and the timing couldn't be better. With World Cup qualifying slated to begin next summer, most companies are already working hard on the designs with which they will seek to lure teams for the sport's premier event. Any one of these future models could carry the name Harry Potter.
"Every British Quidditch fan knows who David Adams is and his broom sells quite well," said Jimmy Walters, a clerk at Quality Quidditch Supplies on Diagon Alley. "But every witch and wizard in the world knows who Harry Potter is. If he had his own broom, I doubt we'd sell anything else."
Those who knew the Boy Who Lived during his years at Hogwarts point toward his Gryffindor matches in naming Nimbus and Firebolt as the favourites from among the bidding manufacturers.
"When I started school, Harry had a Nimbus 2000 and he liked it very much," said one of Potter's former housemates, 19-year-old Colin Creevey. "He was terribly upset when he broke it during his third year. But then somebody gave him a Firebolt and he really liked that too. The Firebolt was faster, but Harry always won no matter what broom he was on."
However, naming either company as a clear frontrunner is difficult considering Potter has reportedly rejected past endorsement offers from both and that it is unclear whether he has purchased a newer broom in the two years since he left school. The Boy Who Lived is also known to have to have experience on Comet 290s, the Ministry of Magic's official brooms, from his two years with the Auror Division.
Another possible influence on the rookie Seeker's decision could be his employer. Nimbus is a major sponsor of Puddlemere United and owns the naming rights to the club's stadium. Puddle U. encourages its flyers to use Nimbuses, though all players are guaranteed the right to choose their own equipment under the Quidditch League of Great Britain and Ireland's collective bargaining agreement with the International Guild of Quidditch Players.
Even now, the broomstick makers are putting together their offers. It might be impossible to predict which of the many bidders will come out on top but it is certain their goal and determination is the same. No matter how severely their broomsticks are measured and no matter how much gold it costs, they will all do what's required to land what could be the biggest prize in the history of the industry: Harry Potter.
"We all want this one," the industry source said. "It's going to be a brutal, expensive fight, but winning will make it worthwhile."
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Aglaia Friedman is the Daily Prophet's financial reporter. Owl her at thedpreporting@yahoo.com
This article is dedicated to Chapter 12 of this fic in recognition of the fact that it has thoroughly kicked my behind. Hopefully, a bit of a tribute will make it quit driving me to the brink. Thanks, as always, to Lady Chi, Nancy, and Promethean Alchemist for betaing, and to Kagome for the help with Italian geography.