Tom Brady Endorcing Ugg Boots!?

According to the UGG Australia press release, Tom Brady will be the face for the 2011 fall line of UGG boots.

"Tom Brady is the ideal UGG® Australia endorser," said Deckers Outdoor Corporation Chairman and CEO Angel Martinez. "He embodies the stylish casual attitude that is at the foundation of every product we make, and is as much a style icon off the field as he is a playmaker on it."

To understand why UGGs are what they are, it is helpful to understand where they came from.  UGGs are a type of boot that was originally made by sheep shearers in the Outback of Australia.  These sheep shearers tended the flocks of Merino sheep, some of the softest and highest quality wool available.  To combat the coldness of early mornings and late nights in the Outback, sheep shearers began making a type of slip-on boot that was double sided - incredibly soft, fluffy Merino wool on the inside and soft yet sturdy sheepskin on the outside.  During World War II, Australian pilots wore the boots in their cold cockpits (long before airplanes were pressurized). With ice-cold cockpits, these boots kept the pilot's feet warm.  The name UGGs, was actually just short for "ugly."

However, despite - or perhaps because of the name, UGGs gained popularity all over the world.  Beginning with celebrities in the United States, UGGs can be seen worn in all states, cold and warm.

UGG® Australia has expanded its product offerings to include a full range of men's cold weather boots, slippers and casual shoes, as well as outerwear and men's accessories.  In recent years, the brand history has been eclipsed by the phenomenal success of its women's business.  However, Tom Brady says that he already wears and loves UGG boots.  So using Tom Brady, UGG Australia is hoping that they can attract a male audience.

A few articles online seem to be unimpressed with Tom Brady for agreeing to this deal.  Honestly, I think it's cool that he is confident enough in himself to wear the boots.  Anyone who has ever tried these boots on, knows that the boots are VERY comfortable, and warm.  Since it's a unisex boot, why wouldn't Tom Brady wear them? And in my opinion, there is no better choice than Tom Brady (a laid back New England sports super star) to endorse boots that are intended for a laid back, lifestyle.

Do you think that Tom Brady is the right choice for endorsement?  Since Tom Brady is going to be making a large sum of money doing this, do you think the cost will be worth the benefits to UGG Australia?

In Response to Aubrey Menegus....

Women control 80% of the consumer market, so why wouldn’t you market the media to the majority of the consumers? Do you think it is smart for VH1 to market more towards women? Will that be more effective to gain more of an audience?

     I think that marketers are starting to market more to women.  Which is definitely a good move in the right direction for all companies, including VH1.  As Aubry mentioned in her blog, TV stations don't want to grow old with their viewers because eventually those viewers are not going to be there anymore, and if they are not attracted new audiences, than they are going to be forced to close down.

According to a book called The She Spot "Women are not a niche audience, women are the audience."

     The book focuses on why marketing to women is such an effective marketing decision (they focus on non-profit marketing/political marketing however, a majority of the information applies generally as well).  Here are some of the points that are mentioned:

• As philanthropists and donors, women take more risks than men. They’re more likely to give to a new or less well-known organization they believe is truly making a difference than.
•  Women do not use a gender lens when choosing their favorite candidate. They won’t favor a female candidate over a male one just because she’s a woman.
• More women are online today, than men, and more women are blogging.

 
     The book goes on to discuss Stonyfield Farms yogurt company being one of the first companies to successfully market it's product to women, particularly moms: 

"Stonyfield Farm grew from being a seven-cow organic farming school in the early 80s into a company with $250 million in annual sales.  Every cup of Stonyfield yogurt bears a personal message from the CEO and founder Gary Hirshberg. Turn the lid over and you’ll find tips on how to make the world a better place. Stonyfield was ahead of the curve when it came to products that had special appeal to moms, like Yo-Baby yogurt and calcium-fortified yogurt.  All of this has been critical to the company’s surge as the fastest-growing yogurt company in the world."

     I am not certain that VH1 will see a great response from the shows that they are thinking of putting out, because honestly, none sound very appealing to me, but I am interested in seeing how it works out for them.  Can you think for any other companies that market specifically to women?  Have they been successful in doing so?

Supreme Court ZIP Code Ruling

     According to an article in Direct Marketing News, the Supreme Court recently ruled that it was unethical for marketers to collect ZIP codes during credit card transactions. 

"We're shocked — we never expected a ruling that ZIP codes were personal information," said Bill Dombrowski, president of the California 
Retailers Association, a trade group that represents about 9,000 stores in the state.

     Jessica Pineda's argument was that the company Williams-Sonoma was using the credit card information to find home addresses and other customer information and selling it to other companies.  The ruling was that the company had violated the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971, which prohibits retailers from gathering customers' personal identification information during a credit card transaction.
  Since this ruling was made, similar lawsuits were made against other companies such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy's, Lowe's, Office Depot, and Walmart.  The ruling originally only seemed to be affecting California retailers (where the ruling was made) but has since spread to other states.

     When I am checking out with my credit card I have always assumed that all of my information was safe.  Honestly, I do not think that the use of a ZIP code is a big deal as long as they stay away from my personal information.  Everyone in my town has the same ZIP code, it's a very general piece of information and I do not think that it is unethical to collect it.

When I shop at Victoria Secret they ask for my ZIP code at check out, it is up to the customer to volunteer that information if they choose.  Do you think that that is a more ethical way of collecting the ZIP codes?  Would you volunteer that information if you were asked?

In Response to CJ Wyllie....

"How would you market for a very small company?  When you’re the only employee of a company you need to make every decision and it’s typically one of the hardest things to do.  Everything rests on your shoulders and every decision you make or break the company.  So with these limited resources how to get your name out to the public to buy your product?"

CJ's friend is trying to start a company that makes custom surfboards.  Honestly, I think it's a great idea for the New England area, however I am not sure that this area is the best place to be trying to sell surfboards.  I come from Maine, where there are beaches all over, and is certainly a larger market for surfboards than there is here in Keene, New Hampshire.
I definitely agree that it is hard to do all the marketing for a product on your own, especially when you're just getting your company off the ground, but I think that you could see being the only employee making decisions as a strength.  You have the ability to make choices, and if it doesn't work, you only have yourself to blame.  You also do not have to worry about paying someone when you don't have the money.
So how do you get your name out?
You need to start by creating a target market.  While making custom surfboards I would assume that the target is a reasonably experienced surfer, or perhaps someone who is shopping for a surfboard to give as a gift.  You should definitely differentiate between the two potential markets.  Perhaps T-shirts would work for experienced surfers, but not for someone who doesn't know so much about surfboards.  I also think it is important for you to advertise the aspects of your product that are different from any other custom surfboard company.

Product: Custom Surfboards

Price: Higher or Lower than other custom companies?

Promotion: Differentiate between markets.

Why buy YOUR custom surfboards: educate your consumers.

Place: Sell in a location that will have a high demand for your product.  Keene, NH does not.

Do you think that CJ's friend could sell surfboards to Keene residents?