We've had a number of threads that include discussion on this topic in the past. The headline is that to play the game, you need to have the resources to put the best under contract. Or, perhaps you get lucky with an up and comer and are able to hold onto them for a few years. Contacts tend to run two or four years for the most part and typically end after the OWG's, or perhaps the FIS World Champs.
The business case for contracting the best, and devoting the money to research, develop, test, and support.....leading to trying to sell and distribute, varies by geography and company. I have not seen any market research in the last 7-8 years, but up until then it showed that in North America, WC race results had almost no impact on the sale of skis to the general public. In places like Europe, it is quite different. Hirscher, and Mikaela sell a lot of Atomic skis in Austria.
Of course, what kinds of skis do these WC skiers influence? Well, I can assure you that in the kids race ski market, there are an awful lot of little girls who just "must" have Atomic skis {Let alone LEKI poles, preferably pink ones} because of MS. In the big clubs, where the coaches know what they are doing and where they may actually have an equipment coach or two, a bit more goes into the process.
You have very odd factors, like the situation with Johan Eliasch, the CEO of Head, who is so driven to have the best stable of WC racers, and so driven to have the biggest and best "team." Reminds you of an F1 team. Eliasch is committed to the best products, the best contracts, the best techs.....the best and damn the cost. Look at the people on Head. Do you thing a single one of them passed up an offer of more money to be on something else? I would say: "No chance."
To get a presence on the WC, a real one, yes, you absolutely need the horses. Some companies can't begin to play with Head, in terms of attracting big numbers. Some have big budgets, and a nice stable. Others can afford very small numbers. Maybe a few good contracts. I won't go through every name, but Fischer makes GREAT products, but does not pay big money. Nordica is much the same. So they have very few big names, like Dom Paris. Volkl? They have an inexpensive up and comer in Alice Robinson. It's more about the product and the time being spent to get it right. Now Atomic? check out the Austrians, and others. Lots of them. Also the speed specialists. Rossi? They have a LOT of good skiers, and a lot of younger ones being provided with very good product, which critical as you're moving up. They also have a great boot.
An interesting one to have followed is Bode. When he broke onto the WC, he was on K2 with an orange Tecnica boot. As his career took off, he was one of the early guys in a Dobermann Boot, on Fischer skis, Marker bindings. He started to really show his jets on that set up. Boots dialed the right way made a huge difference. THEN... time for his first big contract. Rossi. Why? They paid him $2Mil a year! I hear he did not even test the skis or boots. "Fugured they can built what he needs. Or copy the old stuff."
Bode can probably make anything work. Rossi worked. Rossi contract was up, and he went straight to Atomic. He figured that they would be just fine, as he was migrating more to a GS/SG/DH guy. Not as much SL focus. BUT, guess what, Atomic outbid everybody else. I have heard that whatever testing took place was after he had a contract ready to execute on his agent's desk. It was not trying product first. And as the overall WC winner, they worked.
WE know that he ended with Head. Johan Eliasch slammed the market shut, essentially. Made it clear that he was making the best offer in the business, and that he would not be outbid. And he wasn't. Head built Bode whatever he needed and wanted. Very demanding athlete at that point.
Hirscher? Highest paid in the sport. The face of Atomic. Great business relationship. Now, I will not get into it, but at least one season the only piece of Atomic product that he used were SG skis. Not that he skied much SG. SL, GS, Bindings/Plates, Boots.......All nice red cosmetics. And all highly dialed in {he and his father were incredible at getting it right} to produce his very best skiing. And those photos, that video coverage, TV sold a LOT of Atomic product. Some of which he never once pushed out of a WC starting gate.
It's a very quirky business. Often has close to zero to do with the best product. And there is a serious pecking order in terms of who gets what, or who inherits who's skis. It can get ugly. Pintu left Dynastar/Lange and we know that his initial season or two was ugly on Head. He was under the impression that he would have access to the exact same GS setup as then "Mr. GS, Ted Ligety." And when TL found out, he was, shall we say, pretty worked up. However, Pintu was earning a fortune with his new deal. In time, it got worked out. The skis were largely the same. Nothing like you could buy. Ted probably had 4-5 different GS sidecuts, let alone layups...and his proprietary plates. I am told that a lot of this got into both TL and AP's heads. No pun intended. Now years later, Pintu is the man.
We won't get into absolute equipment nuts like HK and his father....
Stockli? Not a lot of money to pay people. Typically one or so a big guns a season. I think they learned their lesson and still have the scars for the Tina Maze years. Of course she and her team bled everybody in the sport for every buck they could.
Long answer, money talks. Loudly.
