The OMN1S Basketball Shoe is Launching (Forreal) on October 23rd
The arrival of the New Balance OMN1S at the start of the NBA season holds a precarious situation for every sneaker brand. China’s mistreatment of its citizens was called out by Rockets GM Daryl Morey. This led to the Chinese government rescheduling and removing NBA events from its country. The possibility of China removing the sale of sneakers associated with the NBA is real. What does this have to do with New Balance’s hyperlocal launch of the limited colorway above? Not much at all, but the looming problem of China over the sneaker industry is unlike anything the business has every experienced. There is an uneasiness and nervousness because at this point for every brand creating a basketball shoe, China is the endgame. The NBA as a brand is growing there. The fans are rabid about basketball in a way that Americans aren’t.
New Balance is reentering a market in the U.S. that has cannibalized its fans. I’ve explained in several posts why basketball shoe sales have slowed. The obvious issue is they aren’t comfortable and more casual styles are available. The other most important reason is basketball is no longer a neighborhood sport. It’s professionalized all the way down to 5 year old super teams. You know the only place stories of players who picked up a ball at 16 and became an NBA player happen today? In international countries where there is a passion to learn the game. In the U.S. kids have moved on from idolizing NBA players outside of their fashion on IG.
Let’s get to this quick study and look at the information around this launch. In accordance with my E.N.D.E.A.R.S. strategy New Balance has Educated and Notated in this first press release by explaining to us who the design team is for the OMN1S. This is very smart and gives those who are paying attention a person behind the shoe. The problem with the writing on the post is that it is far too stiff and impersonal. The writing lacks flavor. “No sheep allowed. No positions necessary. The OMN1S delivers the speed and responsiveness champions need for positionless, full-court play. The full-length FuelCell midsole unleashes the speed and bounce players need to explode in the moment.” This reads like someone who didn’t play ball wrote it. There isn’t any love in this writing.
I realize that the way the CMS is made on the site doesn’t allow for an integration of pictures into the post, but if the picture above was near the discussion on the design team, the post would be much more impactful. This is a tech/layout issue.
There is an overall issue with the inclusiveness around the model. Kawhi is their pitch man, but the fact that this shoe feels like a team oriented release hurts the model. The local approach to working with Shoe Palace in LA is smart and of course increasing on the limited release numbers will help, but it doesn’t matter that 7 colors are finally releasing when something as simple as the name Kawhi 1 would create synechdoche. Kawhi is a reluctant superstar in the biggest season of his career, but the launch around his shoe doesn’t repeat his name. Repetition is important because Kawhi doesn’t speak for himself. The brand has to do that.
The build up to the NBxSP launch is called the Funhouse. The irony isn’t cool and in my opinion it doesn’t work. The splash page for the site doesn’t accomplish much at all. I know pulling a visual out of Kawhi is probably not an easy thing to do, but this dude is about work. This shoe needs to hit high school coaches and players for it to be successful beyond just being so limited it draws resale value. New Balance should not be extending the “Fun Guy” concept from last season into this season. This is a new moment and a new team and one of the most compelling stories in the NBA.
Outside of the beautiful creation pictures:
The press here falls short.
If this was a class I was teaching I would ask you what you would do to enhance this press release and launch?
Here is the information for the launch. You can also use the source link at the start of this post:
The New Balance x Shoe Palace pop-up shop titled Kawhi’s Fun House will be open to the public from October 18th – 20th at Shoe Palace’s Melrose Ave retail location in Los Angeles. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase exclusive New Balance footwear and apparel while experiencing Kawhi’s “Fun Guy” persona firsthand. Over the course of three days, six player exclusive OMN1S colorways will drop in limited quantities, including Best Kept Secret, Trust Leonard, Black Ice, Do Not Disturb, Distinct Beast and, lastly, a special Los Angeles edition. For additional information on Kawhi’s Fun House, visit www.kawhisfunhouse.com.Beginning October 23rd, the first of seven OMN1S colorways will be available on www.newbalance.com/basketball, at select global New Balance flagship stores and at select Shoe Palace & Foot Locker stores in Los Angeles. For exclusive information on New Balance Basketball, follow @NewBalanceHoops on Instagram and Twitter.