@BloombergTV Victor Cruz: I want to emulate Derek Jeter; Good to have Jay Z to text and talk to.

New York Giants Wide Receiver Victor Cruz tells Bloomberg Television his rules for brand building:

-          "I'd like to think of myself as a brand first, which embodies the athlete which embodies everything else, but I'd like to look at myself as a walking brand."

 

-          STAY TRUE TO YOUR ROOTS: "I’m so fortunate to grow up about 5 miles from Giant Stadium and play in that stadium. I love being here. I love everything New York entails, the grit, the culture, it’s not only perfect for myself but my brand as well."

 

-          FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A LEGEND: "If I had to pick one person to be the guy that I would want to emulate my brand, it would be Derek Jeter. Think it is a guy who has been able to stay in New York and be in the spotlight and do things that are great. People love him here."

 

-          BE HUMBLE: "I'm always humble. I am always the guy who will take hundreds of pictures somewhere. I am never the guy who says no. Almost to a fault."

 

-          SIGN WITH A SUPERSTAR AGENT: "I think having Jay Z there as someone I can just pick up the phone and shoot a text message to or talk to, that's good."

 

-          WORK WITH BRANDS YOU BELIEVE IN: "Growing up everything was Nike. It was always, if you didn't have a pair of Nikes you weren't the cool guy on the block. So Nike was always part of my culture, it was embedded in me, so I think it just naturally became a part of my brand.

 

-          Salsa Dance: "It was something pre-planned but I didn't think it would go this far."