Target was a sponsor of Shaun White when he won gold in 2006, but this Olympics has the potential to deliver a greater return on the retailer’s sponsorship because it launched a signature Shaun White line of clothing in 2008.

Target lifestyle marketing chief Troy Michels said he doesn’t think the gold medal White collected Thursday night at a Vancouver medal ceremony will guarantee gold at Target retail registers, but it is something he hopes will help drive sales of the snowboarder’s signature clothing line, Shaun White 4 Target.

“I’d like to think it’s something that we see naturally,” Michels said. “The business is successful already, so I’m not so sure we’ll see a spike. It’s doing well, so if it were to spike, so to speak, it would be a grand slam.”

White and Target launched the signature apparel collection in July 2008 for what was a limited-edition, 90-day run. The line included jeans, shorts, hoodies, and shirts all influenced by action sports.

White described it as clothes his friends would wear, and the line did so well that Target extended it past the planned 90-day offering period by signing a multiyear agreement with White. Today, the collection is available online and in Target’s 1,701 retail locations.

Knowing the attention the Olympics would put on White, Target promoted its relationship with the snowboarder extensively before the Games. It bought nine billboards in Times Square earlier this year and made White the centerpiece of all nine panels.

Though the advertising came down several weeks ago to comply with IOC rules, Target managed to find other ways to promote its association with the world’s most famous snowboarder. It designed T-shirts that said “Go Shaun,” which it sold at retail, and it worked with the Today show this week to distribute those T-shirts to the audience at a live filming. The PR effort gave Target exposure during the Games despite it not being affiliated officially with the Olympics.

“We tried to think of something timely, relevant, and fun,” Michels said.

Target’s support of White extended throughout this week in Vancouver. The company rented a house and hosted White’s family during the Olympics.

Michels said Target didn’t make any turnkey marketing and promotional plans to launch if White won gold in Vancouver. He knows the company will do something, but hasn’t determined what that will be.

“We’re going to get back on the ground (after the Olympics) and discuss what the best thing is to do with everything we have going with him,” Michels said.

Target has been active in action sports for the last decade primarily by sponsoring athletes. In addition to White, it has relationships with skier Simon Dumont, freestyle motocross rider Nate Adams, supercross rider Ryan Dungey, BMX riders Kevin Robinson and Mat Hoffman, and surfers Carissa Moore and Kolohe “Brother” Andino.

Michels said he doesn’t see the brand extending beyond athletes to sponsor properties in the near future.

“Our goal is to capitalize on our relationships we have in place,” he said. “We’re trying to do things that aren’t necessarily core but are relevant and on the pulse so that someone at a more core brand like Oakley might say, ‘Wow, it’s cool to see someone like Target can be respectful and helpful with the progression of these sports.’”