Converse’s New PR Campaign
And i’m not talking about Public Relations
By Khalid Salaam
I hate to do a locale name drop (Lang!) but earlier this week I spent time at Converse’s Athlete Summit in San Juan, PR. These summits are a chance to get everyone who works for Converse together at one time in order to discuss ways to make the brand better, how to grow in the marketplace and how to keep putting out quality stuff. Yes the weather was amazing and since this was my first visit to this island nation, you can imagine that I was amped up to be in Puerto Rico.
I flew JetBlue and had heard so many good things about the airline that my expectations were higher than when I usually fly. Gotta say though that the flight was excellent and the TV choices were amazing. It was like I traveled with Time Warner Cable or something. I ended up watching the in-flight movie offer of ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”, which I have to say wow. As in wow that movie sucks. But whatever, when I’m 25,000 miles above the ground I’ll watch damn near anything (well maybe not “The Hills”). Upon landing I was given access to the Puerto Rican tradition of clapping when the plane lands. Ben says this is a combination of people being happy that they are in P.R as we’ll as elation that the plane actually landed. I didn’t quite get it at first but after 2 seconds I joined in (there was a lot of peer pressure to clap plus I was happy to land too) and I clapped enthusiastically on the way back to NY too.
On the cab ride to the hotel I passed by a cockfighting stadium, which totally blew me away. Yes I know that the sport (word to Steph Marbury) exists there but I didn’t know it was so out in the open. In big letters on the side on what looked like a mini-Madison Square Garden it read “COCKFIGHTING”. Yes I was excited and weirdly tempted to check it out. Once at the hotel I caught up with Converse media relations head Molly Carter and her assistant Paul Jackiewicz (You guys do things the right way. Much thanks and appreciation) who informed me that the Sunday evening events would commence with a beachside BBQ. Cool. I went back to my hotel in hopes of catching some NFL highlights when I was pleasantly surprised to see my beloved Eagles (EAGLES!!) on TV in San Juan. The fact that they lost the game matters little to me in the big picture btw.
At the BBQ I met several incredibly cool Converse designers, marketing people, promotions, etc. We cut it up regarding the state of the shoe game, the mentality and motivations of designers, who will win the East and the undeniable fact that the nighttime breeze in PR is amazing. Most of the Converse endorsers were there as well—Wade, Nelson, Haslem, Korver and Hinrich. I talked to one of Kirk Hinrich’s childhood friends who explained to me that Kirk has always been pretty reserved and just a regular guy regardless of the NBA stardom. It was an amazing night except for the DJ, who couldn’t get his playlist to match the mood of the night at all. I was tempted to give him my ipod.
The next day Converse set up shop at a middle school and Wade and Jameer Nelson passed out shoes to the kids and gave them a pro-education speech. Later I asked them both if they thought that their speech’s resonated with the kids or if they were happy just to get free shoes. They all gave good answers but you’ll have to cop issue 113 to read them. I also saw a lot of new Converse shoes and was pretty impressed by one of their new basketball shoes (the Hops) and by Dwade’s new shoe campaign. Not sure how much detail I can give away about it but trust me that it will definitely touch people and help push his popularity even higher than what it is now.
All in all a productive trip and one in which it seems pretty obvious that Converse is no longer happy just being in the shoe game. Looks like they are reloading for something bigger.
25 Responses to “Converse’s New PR Campaign”
Sep.14 at 3:33 pm
jbn74sb says:
eboy is pissed he didn’t get to hang with Wade. And Sam - I don’t have a football team, so you can please hammer Khalid for rationalizing away the Eagles loss?
Sep.14 at 3:43 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Yes, the Eagles thing should be discussed. Of course someone who has been calling for a 13-3 season wouldn’t be upset. How hard is it to go 13-2?
BY the way Khalid is lying to himself, if not the public.
Sep.14 at 4:17 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
puerto rico would be great. what was the female selection lookin like?
Sep.14 at 4:32 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
the selection was looking good actually. at least the ones i saw at the hotel. there could have been more but i can’t complain.
Sep.14 at 4:38 pm
Ben Osborne says:
I have a biased opinion but I think the women there are the best selection on earth. Great post, Khalid, but that Eagle gloss over is indeed laughable. I despise the Redskins too, so I guess I’m rooting for a tie Monday night, but the sooner the Eagles super bowl dreams are over the better.
Sep.14 at 4:39 pm
Cheryl says:
so I take it you didn’t take your ex–you know, the one whose puppy you’re still attached to?
Sep.14 at 4:40 pm
Cheryl says:
Ben, what you got against the ‘Skins? You a Dallas fan?
Sep.14 at 4:42 pm
jbn74sb says:
Their Super Bowl dreams were over the moment Donovan blew chunks all over the field, while T.O. was doing his best super-hero impression.
Sep.14 at 4:46 pm
Justin says:
Was this event before or after Jameer’s father passing away?
Sep.14 at 4:49 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Cheryl, its not a puppy. its a fully grown dog. and no i did not take my ex. or anyone for that matter…………………..justin, it was after. i didn’t ask any questions about that though.
Sep.14 at 4:52 pm
Justin says:
Khalid, thanks.
Everyone wishes him the best here in O-Town.
Good to see he’s not hiding away after his loss.
Here’s to a great year under SVG.
Sep.14 at 5:14 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Cheryl, I’m a Giant fan. I thought I’d made that clear in some of Sam’s Giant-related posts. I did go to college in DC…and I while I loved the city (and still do), the obsession with the Skins was nauseating. Historically, my hatred for the Skins, Cowboys and Eagles has been equal, but sitting literally 5 feet from Khalid and having to listen to his unrealistic dreams for them has made seeing the Eagles lose just a little bit sweeter than seeing our other two division rivals.
Sep.14 at 5:50 pm
Cheryl says:
I know about that obsession; I lived it for years. Now that I’m away from the city, my fandom is a bit more realistic. I would like to see Joe Gibbs bring back the glory… if that’s possible. Not that I’d become obsessed again…
Sep.14 at 6:01 pm
jay says:
eagles had their rings, had those patriots not video taped and cheated their way through [had to say it, makes me feel better]. but any who i`m still looking forward for a great season for eagles this year.
Sep.14 at 6:21 pm
jbn74sb says:
Khalid defends his puppy, and not his team? How the mighty have fallen…
Sep.14 at 9:43 pm
Nikki says:
My only reason for replying is because as a Puerto Rican I was taken back by the tone of the article. Sadly, Puerto Rico is not an island nation, it is a Commonwealth of the US (whatever that means, heh?) Second, if you have Cable (or a dish) you will get all the major Sports, so it’s no surprise to find any team on tv here. Especially a team from a big market. Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed your stay. And as avid Converse customer, keep up the good work.
Sep.14 at 10:22 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
The eagles can defend themselves…
Sep.15 at 9:36 am
htown nick says:
Converse is reloading? They already sell the Loaded Weapon, no?
Sep.15 at 12:46 pm
Drolfe says:
Alright I’ll ask.. who do the Converse guys think will win the East??
Sep.15 at 9:15 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Nikki i apologize if i somehow offended you. Yes i know that Puerto Rico is technically a commonwealth. Although the context of that word and how it’s applied to PR and to say Virginia are vastly different, Second, regarding television i think i was misunderstood. I wasn’t surprised that the hotel had cable, only that of all the NFL games that potentially could have been broadcasting i was surprised that the Eagles game was on. I expected the Dolphins or another Florida team. Hope that clears things up.
Sep.16 at 4:10 pm
Goody says:
It’s about time they step it up. Converse hasn’t been hot since Dr. J. How did converse do this year? They need to bring in Charles Barkley
that’ll get it on and poppin ova there
Sep.18 at 12:27 am
B. Lee says:
Cheryl, I knew he was going. He gave me his itinerary before he left, just to play things safe. Hey, btw, Khalid, where are my Delta Dunks?! LOL. I know they aren’t Converse… but still.
Sep.18 at 3:59 pm
O says:
Holla!!!
Sep.21 at 9:56 am
James Martin says:
Khalid, was there any players there you didn’t expect to see? Even if you can’t say who?
Sep.21 at 5:00 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
No, since i know everyone that Converse has on their endorsee roster.