The Masai Shoe

I had never, repeat never, considered plunking down $225 on a pair of sneakers, much less anything as ugly as what I was holding. Yet here I was seriously contemplating the possibility of buying these magical shoes that improve posture, increase abdominal muscle activity, reduce stress on hip and knee joints by -19%, and are beneficial to your health because of their design(http://www.swissmasaius.com/).
The Masai Barefoot Technology "shoe" bills itself as the "Anti Shoe", and it is inspired by an African tribe (Masai) whose members suffer from no back problems. It is believed their barefoot step on soft sand is to be credited with their excellent back health. Whether true or not, MBT is to be credited for entering a very crowded category, and creating a differentiated and plausibly believable positioning with a premium price point. There is a clear benefit (better back health) with a rational reason to believe (designed to "roll" like a bare foot on sand), and an edgy attitude (the Anti Shoe) reminiscent of the un-cola approach of 7 UP many years back. In the consumer world we need more of these products that attempt to provide us with meaningful benefits, and less of undifferentiated sneakers peddled by already over-paid athletes. Way to go MBT!

The joke is on you

I sit in front of the TV amused (or maybe amazed) at the number of commercials that limp along with poor strategies and rely on nothing more than over the top humor to get noticed. Advertising has "evolved" away from a communication of benefits and point of difference to micro entertainment, something to entertain us while the TV show gets back on air. And marketers have accepted and embraced this absurd notion. For inspiration, I suggest advertising managers look at the power of infomercials: tightly focused on demonstrating the unparalleled performance of the product at hand, they can hold the attention of a viewer for 10, maybe 15 minutes while the pitchman shows us how superior Oxy Clean really is! And the humor coefficient is low and when present it is incidental. Infomercials may appear crude and unsophisticated to many MBA trained marketers (like myself), but they really embody the core of advertising: sell your product on its point of difference. If you can't think of one, then spend your time and money on creating and defining one. If you don't, your most creative people at the agency will find a clever and amusing idea. It will be funny, and you will buy it. And then you will be stuck with the next Taco Bell chihuahua fiasco campaign. And the joke will be on you!