2008년 4월 4일 금요일

cool shoes?


GEOX respira. Means “GEOX breathe” in spanish. These are the first words you see when you go into www.geox.com. Geox is a shoes and clothing manufacturing company that manufactures shoes that actually “breathe”. With the original idea developing from an arduous hike and a visionary who believed in his creation, Polegato (founder and president of GEOX) came up with an innovative product in an industry that was slowly starting to depend on bizarre models and name brand to survive. As GEOX, which was previously only a shoes company, expands it is now trying to grab a piece of the athletic shoes market pie.
GEOX shoes are normal shoes but with a touch of comfort in them. These shoes actually let your feet breath and cool down. GEOX shoes are made similarly to any normal type of shoe except the sole. The sole is a perforated one that allows air to ventilate through its holes but at the same time leaving all the water and liquid substances out of the shoe. Making it a cooler shoe. (As in decreasing the temperature and stuffiness inside the shoe).
But making a cooler shoe is quite hard these days as shoes, not only dress shoes but even athletic shoes are all becoming “apparel”. Nike’s Air Jordans, which were specifically designed for maximum comfort and efficiency on the basketball courts, are now being worn by consumers with no experience or interest in basketball. The Adidas “Samba” were also designed and manufactured for soccer players and people who play the game of soccer. However this shoe has become more of a casual wear to match with a pair of pants and a casual shirt. My point is that many of the athletic footwear that were once designed for athletic purposes are being used for a different purpose. And these companies are making profits because of their “looks”, not because of their comfort and strength on the soccer field.
As GEOX tries to jump into the athletic footwear market, GEOX should consider its apparel more than it is doing right now. From what it looks like, GEOX is investing zero research on fashion and the way the athletic shoe looks. My first impression when I saw the GEOX atheltic shoes reminded me of a “Nice” instead of a Nike, an “Adidos” instead of an “Adidas” and a “Fuma” instead of a “Puma”. In other words cheap and not cool.
In Geox’s attempt in marketing its “cool” shoes, GEOX should probably focus more on the “coooool” that would come from the consumer’s peers mouth rather than the “cool” that the wind would bring.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_15/b4079058287126.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_global+business



Entry #4 (20100656)

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