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Skurban. Yes, that’s
Skater + Urban.
As a branding person, I nearly laughed out loud when I
read that word atop a Nike display during a recent trip to the mall. And I’m sure quite a few jaded, Vans-wearing
teenagers did as well.
After this fiasco, I was surprised Nike would be naïve enough
to use corporate speak so laughably bad to market its skater-style
sneakers. Then I noticed it wasn’t Nike
who had scourged its rather edgy, fashion-forward shoe with Skurban, but
retailer Foot Locker.
Most teens would probably sooner be afflicted with scurvy or
scabies than use the word skurban in front of their friends. Nike knows better. Apparently Foot Locker (or the out-of-touch agency
that developed the “lifestyle segmentation strategy” for the retail displays)
doesn’t. And Nike will suffer the
consequences.
Later in the day I stopped by a big-box retailer. I was minding my own business trying to find
shampoo when a wrinkly, tired-looking old man stuck out his liver-spotted hands
and said:
“Acne cream sir?”
I’m sure AcneFree would prefer a better pitchman. Especially since the brand’s strategy is
based on a head-to-head comparison with Proactive, whose pitch people include
superstar hotties Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Diddy, and others.
The point is brands can do everything right – from product
design to brand communications – only to screw things up at the final touch
point with consumers. Distributors,
partners, licensees, employees and creepy, acne-cream-pushing old men are all
brand ambassadors that can make or break the end touch point with
consumers.
Brand managers must monitor all brand touch
points through frequent brand audits to ensure nobody is dropping the ball
along the way. For global brands like
Nike, that’s no easy feat. But it’s
certainly worth the effort to avoid catching a nasty case of the Skurban.
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