Welcome again to Sneaker Game, the Boardroom newsletter diving into all of the inner workings of the footwear industry and the athletes, designers, and executives that power the biggest brands in the game.
This week, we’re switching things up with our debut mailbag edition, where I’ll be answering a few key strategy and brand direction questions submitted by readers. Next week, we’ll be diving back into recent shoe deal signings, exploring the current signature shoe landscape across the league, and highlighting some upcoming key launches. You can submit your own questions for our next mailbag by either responding here, or hitting me on Twitter — @NickDePaula. Let’s jump in. |
This is a great question. I’ve always loved this quote that I got from former Under Armour executive Kris Stone in 2015 after he had signed Stephen Curry to the brand, on the morning of Curry’s first MVP award, detailing how he looked to build out an endorser roster:
“We’re not building a starting five. We’re building a footwear business.”
Positionally, brands are always looking to sign players with the ball in their hands most -- the guards, wings, and playmakers rather than the bigs and specialists. Other factors that come into play include playing for a winning team, social media presence, appearance, regional or market connections, and off-court style.
From there, brands will take a three-tiered approach towards building up a player’s presence, first hitting on localized storytelling, activating with national level events and appearances, and eventually, hosting a global tour of events to fully scale an athlete’s visibility and accessibility to fans around the world. |
I’d say there are two paths that companies are looking first to unlock when establishing and building up a player’s “brand” — is the player a hero of greatness or a relatable idol?
In building campaigns around LeBron or Zion, we’ve seen companies tout their unique physical gifts and abilities as if they’re a superhero, representing the pinnacle of power and highest level of hoops. There are dunks, moves, and heights that young fans can only aspire to achieve.
The flip side of that is how Allen Iverson or Curry have been marketed, where their frame, game, and skills might feel more achievable for a teenager to work toward. How the company condenses all of those layers of a player’s personality, skills, and life story into their ongoing campaigns becomes the key to success.
The primary hook of it all, to me, is relatability. |
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It’s been super interesting to see how polarizing such a simple shoe in the Nike Book 1 has been so far. That’s the vibe that Booker was going for with his first shoe, which is an admitted modernized blend of the Blazer, Air Force 1, and Air Jordan 1, designed for all facets of the Suns star’s on- and off-court life.
“At the beginning of the design process, we landed on the idea of the shoe combining lifestyle and performance worlds,” said Booker. |
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While non-retro basketball shoes worn in an off-court setting have been less and less the style since the mid-2010s, with some years experiencing a 10% year-over-year drop in sales, I do often think pant trends really dictate when basketball shoes are most worn off-court.
Baggy is back. And Book has been one of the key guys early on that wave. We’ve seen him in the orange colorway of the Book 1 on-court, but also in the cool grey pair while on the sidelines. While too simple or safe for some, I do think we’ll see the Book 1 take on a life away from the hardwood more than most recent signature shoes, especially once some of the collab editions start to roll out.
In case you missed it, I chopped it up with DBook ahead of the official release of the Nike Book 1 in September, to learn how the Suns star wanted to try and create a "future classic." |
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