“Get Back in The Game”: Skechers Targeted Ad
Skechers is a brand of footwear that predominantly produces running and lifestyle shoes. Their products are sold primarily to children and older men, which is evident from their many ad campaigns using celebrities such as Demi Lovato and Mark Cuban. The Skechers “Get Back in The Game” advertisement displays football star Joe Montana, who played for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s and 1990s. He was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League. Sketcher’s choice of Joe Montana is relevant because it helps the brand reach one of their target audiences. This choice overcomes the challenges of “attract[ing] the target consumer’s attention, generat[ing] interest and educat[ing] the consumer about product benefits” (Menon & Soman). It effectively builds trust and sends the message that the shoes will help the customers get back to their youth. This idea may cause some problems if the shoes cannot back up these claims.
An important part of this advertisement is the use of targeting. Targeting in advertising is “a strategy that breaks a large market into smaller segments to concentrate on a specific group of customers within that audience” (Yesbeck). Splitting up the market by age, gender, interests, lifestyle, and more allows companies to appeal to certain demographics. Specifically, Skechers uses targeting to market towards two audiences, the twelve to twenty-four-year old’s and the fifty and above markets. In the advertisement using Joe Montana, it is clear that they are advertising to the older male audience because of their choice of celebrity. Joe Montana was relevant when most of their older audience were watching football, so the audience can look fondly at the advertisement as a reminder of their youth. By surrounding Montana with a glowing aura, it shows him as an idol and reinforces that he is someone who has been very successful. It also portrays him as the ideal image of a healthy older man. The aura produces a hopeful emotion in the consumer by showing that he is still in shape and as good as ever. Having a large name, like Joe Montana, also builds trust in the product, because if a Hall of Fame quarterback supports the product, then shouldn’t it be good? Even if the consumer does not know who he is, the signature on the advertisement shows he is someone of stature, and that the autograph is worth something. It also provides a feeling of assurance for the consumer, because if he autographed the advertisement he must back the product wholeheartedly. Sketchers shows Montana standing in the classic quarterback pose. This presentation portrays him as athletic and displays that people can assume he is well liked and trustworthy in his endorsement of the product. His quarterback pose also shows the consumer that he has not lost his athletic abilities, and that the products he endorses may have an impact on his abilities.
The main colors of the advertisement, red and blue, are used throughout it to evoke various emotions when a consumer looks at the different colors. Blue is “the most common color used by conservative brands looking to promote trust in their products,” whereas red is “associated with movement, excitement, and passion” (Khanna). The use of the color blue in the fonts in the advertisement, and in the Skechers logo helps to build trust and reliability in the brand. The use of red shows that the consumer should be excited, and that it can help them “Get Back in the Game,” as well as show that Sketchers is passionate about the health benefits that come from wearing their products. The light blue shirt that Joe Montana is wearing throughout their advertisements allows the customers to build trust in his endorsement that he is giving the shoes he is promoting. The yellow aura that surrounds Joe symbolizes positivity and optimism, as well as boosts confidence in the product. These colors bring the advertisement together in order to help push the message of confidence, trust, and health.
In the advertisement Sketchers tell their consumers that the shoe will provide them with a few health benefits. These benefits include: burning more calories, toning muscles, improving posture, and reducing stress in legs and back. These are common problems in their older consumers, and Sketchers is able to target this specific audience with their claims. The consumers are probably looking to “Get Back in the Game,” and most likely have at least one of these problems. These claims are backed up by the image of a strong and fit star, Joe Montana, in the advertisement. He appears young, fit, and healthy, which reinforces how this shoe could provide benefits to the consumer. The aura surrounding him, along with the apparent photoshop helps emphasize the fact that he is still fit with the help of the shoe.
One thing I could not figure out was the purpose behind the shoe being untied in the advertisement. This comes across as sloppy and does not fit the picture the advertisement is trying to portray. However, this advertisement is effective because it builds the consumers’ trust through key marketing techniques. Targeting their consumers by using celebrities from the past, using colors to produce certain emotions, and promising health benefits all are great ways to make a powerful advertisement. They have attracted the customer, generated interest and educated the consumer about the product in all the right ways and their sales have shown that this type of advertising has worked for them, with “Skechers [growing] into the #2 footwear company in the United States behind Nike after its Q1 performance” (L&F).
Works Cited
Satya Menon & Dilip Soman (2002) Managing the Power of Curiosity for Effective Web Advertising Strategies, “Journal of Advertising”, 31:3, 1–14, DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2002.10673672
Yesbeck, Jennifer. “The Importance of Targeting in Marketing (And How to Include It in Your Strategy).” “Alexa Blog”, 6 Sept. 2018, blog.alexa.com/targeting-in-marketing/.
Khanna, Aishwarya. “The Psychology of Colors in Marketing — Part 1.” “Dignitas Digital”, 30 Nov. 2016, www.dignitasdigital.com/blog/the-psychology-of-colors-in-marketing-part-1/.
L&F Capital Management. “Skechers: Capturing Right Audience, Set For Further Growth.” SeekingaAlpha, “SeekingAlpha”, 20 July 2015, seekingalpha.com/article/3338555-skechers-capturing-right-audience-set-for-further-growth.