Last week, I was having dinner with a good friend who was wearing a new, sleek looking pair of designer basketball shoes. When I complimented him, he told me, “I got these for $15! And they are designed by an NBA star player.”
In a world dominated by Air Jordans, with a retail value of $100, it is shocking to hear that an NBA basketball star is endorsing shoes that cost the same as shoes sold at Payless. Stephon Marbury is the basketball star who has created a stir in the designer sportswear world with his designer basketball shoes named Starbury. Marbury has created an even bigger stir in the lives of inner city kids who idolize NBA stars and want to own any product associated with their idols.
Marbury launched his $15 basketball shoe in August and it has met with amazing success. He wore the shoes himself on the courts this season and proved the value of the shoes by scoring as many points as ever. Marbury endorsed the Starbury line because he was appalled by the fact that inner city kids saved their money for long stretches of time to purchase a pair of designer shoes with outrageously expensive price tags.
Marbury states that, "It just makes no sense for sneakers to cost as much as they do and put families in the situation they get in when their kids want them."
So how can Marbury sell designer shoes for $15? For one, he is not charging any endorsement fees. In fact, the great story behind the Starbury line has created so much buzz that the shoes have been selling out everywhere. Also, instead of a traditional advertising campaign, the Starbury line is promoted by The Mastermind Group. And of course, the price tag also helps.
The success of the Starbury line proves that sometimes the amount of time and money spent on a huge advertising campaign for clothing and accessories lines is as effective as a good, heartwarming business story.
More information is available at www.Starbury.com
Posted by Maryam Zarkesh on November 20, 2006 2:44 PM
| Permalink
