The KYRIE 4 launches December 15. With it, the shoe’s designer, Benjamin Nethongkome, aims to blaze new trails with Irving’s line.
Source: Meet Kyrie Irving’s New Design Partner and His Latest Signature Shoe
Earlier this year Saucony did something that was exactly what needed to be done. The only issue was it was not heavily promoted and it wasn’t in a series of posts. They used one post for the product. When the Saucony Shadow 5000 ‘Bricks’ released, the brand shined a spotlight on the concept and the designer. It was almost what I felt was the way shoes have to be launched in today’s fast moving media world. A product is no longer bought because of “just” the athlete. The story has to be delivered via what I’ve labeled as E.N.D.E.A.R.S.(Don’t try to look this up, it’s my concept).
Educate the consumer and the athlete about the process that is being started (internal education and external education).
Notate and document the creation process and the discovery process (the athlete is educated and shares via their social a more informed story and the company shares the story via their site).
Designer is just as important as the athlete. The story of how the idea was generated is shared and analyzed by the company’s content creators (designer and athlete create a three headed content distribution team).
Entertain the consumer with important facts. The assumption that the consumer can be influenced with a poster or by the word of the athlete is a myth in today’s environment. The consumer is smart and if they are treated as such then they gain respect for the creation.
Athlete or artist or advocate whoever the person is in the development process all have to deliver the message. This is an extension of the Notate process.
Reason with the consumer and by giving the reason, what has been created is important and the consumer might buy it. At least you(the brand in this instance) creates the likelihood that the consumer will be engaged.
Story is vital. The entire process is the story and the end result whether a product, mission or idea is conveyed via the process and the story the process has created.
When a brand E.N.D.E.A.R.S. the customer to the entire concept they can take every shoe and develop a 7 step launch process via their own platforms. As much as Nike gets it wrong, like when they utilize polished marketing campaigns that look perfect at a time when IG pictures and their flaws are more authentic, they also get it right when they produce this information about the Kyrie IV. All companies get it right. This post by Nike on their news site explaining who the designer is and utilizing a multitude of images explaining the concept nails every aspect of E.N.D.E.A.R.S. Could it have been better? Definitely. The one post could have been done over a series of posts and connected via links inspiring click through over time and building a narrative.
I think what is most important in this post is Nike has a real chance to recapture some momentum in basketball and performance with this shoe if they utilize what’s in their toolbox. Nike Flyleather has been introduced and should figure in prominently into the Kyrie IV. There hasn’t been any mention of it yet and that’s fine. What Nike has done via this information on the Kyrie IV is to deliver a vital piece of information on design that I have said on this site will actually recapture the importance of tradition in basketball design which has been completely abandoned to keep up with casual. “The transition to the heel introduces more classic materials — many versions of the KYRIE 4 will carry a suede or leather — which not only feel great but offer opportunity against a new challenge: how people watch the game today.”
This article has really made an impression on me because of the statement above. The Kyrie will use leather and suede. Leather and suede has been used on some basketball shoes, but it was an attempt to make them casual. It was not in the process of creating a performance model. The Kyrie IV is looking to connect to heritage and that’s important. I discussed this in an article on Flyleather:
The Kyrie IV post by Nike is almost a great use of my system for marketing. It is also some of the best inside information you can read on the shoe which I initially wasn’t that excited about. After reading about the designer and the story I have to say that I’m looking forward to seeing the roll out of the Kyrie IV. Use the source link to get more details about the best selling basketball signature line in the Nike arsenal and here is a picture of the Athlete to cap off the Story.
E.N.D.E.A.R.S©. is a copyright concept from Chris Burns. If you’d like more information on how to implement the concept into your next project e-mail Chris at cburns@arch-usa.com