Phillip Stutts

Let me start this one by asking a question about your marketing: Are you connecting with your customers/clients by making them smile and endearing them to your brand?

That question hit me hard when I recently saw Skechers launch a brilliant ad campaign against NIKE.

This one is hilarious—check this out…

On Wednesday, February 20th, the college basketball “game of the year” tipped off: Duke vs. North Carolina. This must-see game was hyped up for weeks by ESPN and every other sports outlet. The TV ratings were anticipated to be the highest of the season, and oh boy, was ESPN excited to be covering the game on all of their media platforms (even former President Barack Obama flew into Raleigh, NC to watch this epic matchup).

The game tipped off as planned, but just seconds in…

The worst happened!

Duke’s top player, Zion Williamson, arguably the best player in amateur basketball since LeBron James, made a cut near the free throw line and then, out of nowhere, his shoe blew out and his knee buckled.

Oh boy.

Williamson was hurt and out of the game. College basketball’s marquee star, on its biggest stage, done in by a shoe disintegration. A NIKE shoe. Duke ended up losing the game, as well.

Talk about a PR nightmare.

While Williamson’s NIKE shoe sat in pieces on the sidelines, the marketing team back at Skechers were cooking up an INSANELY creative plan.

Skechers saw NIKE ’s vulnerability as an opportunity — and they POUNCED!

Click here to see what they did