Opinions expressed by entrepreneurs’ colleagues are their very own.
Signature Sneakers was a cornerstone of the basketball industry since Michael Jordan signed a contract with Nike in 1984. As the proverb says, everyone wants to “be like Mike”. But the footwear game has undergone a great distance since Nike willingly paid MJ for wearing the air Jordan in “Unfined colors”.
Turn on the NBA game today and you’ll see how players sway in every color and style you may imagine, every pair creates a unique statement. Now the Golden State Warriors Steph Curry star – one of the most interesting pretenders to Jordan for the most influential basketball player – is aimed at revolutionizing the world of sneakers, as she transformed the game herself. And all of us know how Deadly Curry’s goal.
From competitors to colleagues
In December, Curry Brand introduced his first characteristic athlete, the star of Sacramento Kings, De’aaron Fox, along with the launch of Fox 1, which implies an interesting milestone for a rapidly growing brand. De’aaron Fox, which organizes the highest game in the season with 60 points, signed a contract with Under Armor in 2023 after leaving Nike, becoming the first unincent athlete of Curry Brand.
The Fox contract is unique because energetic players are often not signed to the label of one other energetic player. They often wear each other, but signing to the brand in which the rival is acting as president It is at least unusual.
“There are people in the industry and in the world who have tried to attack it, but we perceive it as a benefit,” says Curry Brand Marketing Nana Dadza. “For De’aaron, joining the brand someone you admired because high school is unique. Michael Jordan was a decisive figure for my generation and in terms of influence on today’s game, curry is the only influence of this kind. “
Like Jordan Brand with Nike, Curry Brand is the only independent label of Under Armor. It was launched in 2020, although curry has been in the company since 2013.
Dada joined the 2022 after 16 years of labor in higher education. “I will never forget to meet Stepha for the first time in Curry Camp, just a few weeks of role,” he recalls Dady. “We were in the elevator and told him:” I didn’t come here after Blichtz, Glam or just be your friend – although we became friends. I’m here to enable you build an older brand. “”
Curry Brand has a characteristic approach to the marketing of its products: building a narrative around the characteristic athlete’s skill. Curry’s legendary shooting was in the first place in campaigns like Unforgettable curry 2 ad (with one other famous fox – Jamie).
The speed is crucial
For De’aaron Fox, called the fastest NBA player in 2024 gm surveyThe speed is crucial. As such, a campaign for the debut shoe, Fox 1entitled “Speed that is scared”.
“People know me for pushing the ball and playing with the pace, so I felt that the slogan is perfectly matched and something that was a statement that this was my first characteristic shoes,” said Fox.
The emphasis on skills is far from convergence in the marketing of Curry Brand. “One thing that I always remind my creative teams is that we sell basketball shoes,” he explains.
“It’s easy to get carried away by wild ideas, but we must create with a intention. While working with dynamic players, such as De’aaron and Steph, the key is to rely on what people know about them. “
In addition to building the characteristic skills of the athlete, the Curry brand is based on humor to stand out. . iconic three -second ads In the same curry, he emphasizes his shooting ability, showing him stunned at the sight of brick or producing a pair after immersing its characteristic hot hand in a bucket of water.
“Speed that is scared” campaign He follows a similar approach, starting the first 30-second place “any shoes”.
In the Fox commercial, he stands on the center court, surrounded by a sea of shoes, jokingly pondering about how quickly it is in everyone. But this is the last couple – Fox 1S – whose defenders should really be afraid.
“I love how we took something so inseparable for him-his speed on the pitch-we built around him, covering our personality on the way,” he says.
The second commercial “The Womenitor” is Even more creative. This puts a funny phrase in a known basketball scenario: when the janitor interrupts your training. Here, the suicide classifies, putting on goggles when fast music gives the tone. Then Fox goes through exercises at such a speed that he sends the cleansing reserves of the flying janitor and leaves it stunned. The place ends casually Fox’s departure, waving when a stunned janitor observes in disbelief.
“I absolutely love the place of” caretaker ” – says Fox. “He is so associated with every basketball player who was late in highschool or junior highschool and told people to the caretaker when he was still practicing. We had a lot of fun by filming, and I think people really prefer it. “
While Steph Curry opposed the logic on the basketball pitch, even he cannot overcome his father’s time. The 36-year-old star publicly spoke publicly about the ticking clock in her profession recently, admitting that “the end is close”.
For NBA, this implies saying goodbye to the biggest scorer in history. For Curry, Brand means a recent starting. And Fox 1 are the first step.
“Our goal is to build an older brand, such as Jordan, which lasts far beyond his days of play,” says Dady. “Heritage is not only about what you leave; It’s about inspiring others to lead it forward. Players like De’aaron Fox become part of Steph’s legacy. Just as the influence of Michael Jordan, Steph’s influence is ready. His Hall of Fame career will be remembered forever. “