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Nike and Tiffany & Co., Hot or Not?
Let’s take a minute to discuss the collaboration of these two iconic brands.
Nike and Tiffany & Co. officially launched the details of their collab this morning. Yet, after leaks hit the internet on Sunday, there was a lot of talk and mixed reviews across social. (Love this ad though.)
Official Launch from Tiffany & Co.
After laughing at some memes, reading a few fashion articles, and looking into Tiffany & Co. as a brand, I had my own thoughts on this collab from a marketing and design POV.
The Marketing
With the campaign messaging being “A Legendary Pair,” I figured it would be something classic from both sides since both brands are legends within their respective industries. When I saw the shoe was black, it got me thinking about why they would go against their primary brand colors (note: black is part of the Tiffany & Co. color palette but they are known for their Tiffany Blue and white)
However, when I did some research on previous campaigns from Tiffany & Co., many of the celebrities/featured models wore black.
Seeing that Tiffany & Co. uses black as the style color for the featured icons in many of their campaigns, are they just following their norm since technically Nike is iconic as well?
Now for all my people who understand what a pair of black AF1s can represent (lol), I was also confused why someone didn’t flag this as a potentially negative perception (make sure you have the right people in the room peeps). Could it be that they knew this would become a viral moment with Millenials & Gen Z? They have been wanting to reach a younger audience for a while.
Since these campaigns and collabs cost a lot of money, I doubt it was a rogue mission in this economy. Yet, this brings up a good point in general:
Never sacrifice your brand value for a viral moment.
Once a negative sentiment is associated with your brand. It can be a journey to fix that perception.
The Design
When I first saw the shoe, I was like that’s it? Even if they wanted to keep black as the primary color in the colorway, I’m curious as to why they chose not to integrate more Tiffany Blue since that color immediately resonates with their target audience.
I know we discussed earlier a potential reason why they chose black, but products last longer than campaigns, so it’s important to factor in both when preparing for a launch. Take a look at the overall branding of Tiffany & Co. (website, packaging, etc.): you see mostly Tiffany Blue and white.
The real question is if the target audience that will purchase $400 shoes prefers the classic Tiffany & Co. colors. I guess we’ll see in March.
With the expected retail price of $400, there will be a sterling silver plate on the back similar to a Tiffany pendant.
Personally, I’m not a fan. For this being a collaboration with Tiffany & Co., it feels as if Nike took over. With the Air Force 1 being the canvas, Tiffany & Co. really had a chance to shine with its iconic blue more, but I’m not sure if this hit the mark.
Either way, one of the most anticipated shoes of the year is here.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.
