Marketing Strategies of Converse Company

Question

Read the article about Converse on Boston Magazine “Sneaker Wars: Converse vs. New Balance”

Do further related research and answer the following:

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2015/11/24/converse-sneaker-wars/

1.   Will changing “The Chuck” and introducing the Chuck II be considered a smart marketing move over time?  Why or why not?  Use examples of other companies who have changed iconic products to support your position.

2.  Is the Converse lawsuit vs. key competitors a good marketing tactic whether or not they win or lose in court or do they need to win?  Why?

3.  The article quotes a famous line of Coco Chanel’s “Only those with no memory insist on their originality”.  How is this quote relevant to the marketing tactics of both Converse and its key competitors?

4.  Clearly the fact that “Children take their first steps in them, teens wear them to prom and to graduate, adults get married in them” is a strength, but does this also create challenges in marketing that many other products do not face?  How can Converse stay relevant to all these very different target customers and should they even try to do so?  Your answer here should address both risks and benefits.

5.  Is the fact that they are so imitated necessarily a bad thing?  How do companies that have popular products like Converse use the 4 P’s to successfully compete with imitators in the marketplace?  Find specific examples.

6.  How does Converse differ from most all competing companies and products who constantly need to create new and unique styles to grow their business?

7.  Name another company that has a product or style that has survived for decades like the Chuck Taylor All Star.  This does not have to be footwear.  Are there similarities in marketing tactics employed by the two companies that you can identify?  Have they survived just by random luck (right place, right time kind of thing) or have they done specific things that have created their ongoing success?

Summary

This question belongs to marketing and discusses about Boston magazine’s article on Converse “Sneaker Wars: Converse vs. New Balance”.

Word count: 1273