Thursday, September 25, 2003
Critics blast Converse as marketing violence
Associated Press
Converse, the company that brought the world the original basketball
sneaker, has come up with a new one: "Loaded Weapon."
What would Chuck Taylor think?
Converse has a new shoe: "Loaded Weapon."
The name of the latest Converse sneaker is drawing criticism
because of recent high-profile cases involving guns, murder and
basketball players.
Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of
Basketball Coaches, was troubled by the name, especially in light
of the fatal shooting this summer of Baylor's Patrick Dennehy.
"You're taking a violent theme and trying to sell it to kids,"
Haney said. "I'm sure these people are well-meaning, but I think
it's a bad message in today's environment, a bad statement for the
time in which we live.
"It's a pensive time reflecting on what's going on, and we're
promoting a shoe called 'Loaded Weapon'?"
The sneaker name also raises issues in the NBA, where several
players have had run-ins with the law, sometimes involving
firearms.
Former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams was charged last year with
manslaughter in the shooting of a limo driver, and Washington
Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was charged this summer with carrying
a concealed weapon.
In 2002, Philadelphia star Allen Iverson was accused of waving a
gun in a man's face but was later cleared. Iverson also pleaded no
contest to a gun charge after a 1997 traffic stop.
Converse recruited five NBA rookies -- Toronto's Chris Bosh,
Chicago's Kirk Hinrich, Miami's Dwyane Wade, the Knicks' Mike Sweetney and Grizzly Troy Bell -- to endorse the new shoe in a
series of TV ads.
The company had been struggling and was bought by Nike in July
for $305 million. Converse still operates independently.
The company invented basketball shoes in the early days of the game. The
most popular got their name from Taylor, a player who worked for
Converse and traveled the country from the 1920s until the 1960s,
evangelizing the game and selling shoes.
The new shoe, in stores in November, is the next generation of
the "Weapon," a shoe Converse released in 1981.
"That shoe is still sold in hundreds of countries and the
company has sold millions of pairs," said Dave Maddocks of
Converse. "The new shoe is loaded with a new cushion system."
Thus, the Loaded Weapon.
Dr. Leonard Moore, a professor of history and director of
African-American studies at Louisiana State University, thinks
Converse made a bad mistake.
"It's problematic when you look at the level of violence in the
African-American community," he said. "To try and capitalize on
misery and fratricide is reprehensible.
"I think it would be wise for them to go back to the drawing
board on this one."
Steve Shapiro is a lecturer in the marketing division at Babson
College with 30 years of experience at Gillette and six years at
Proctor and Gamble.
"The concept of 'loaded' is right out of Marketing 101," he
said. "It suggests extra benefits, additional features. So the
concept of `loaded' is a good one. But tying it these days to
`weapon' is questionable. Unfortunately, the news is kids shooting
up kids. A `weapon' that's `loaded' I think is asking for
trouble."
Maddocks said Converse conducted focus groups and didn't receive
negative feedback.
"We have no second thoughts about the name, whatsoever,"
Maddocks said. "Sports is loaded with battlefield terminology.
This is merely the name of a shoe."
