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Converse All Star Shoes
By Heather Standish
Fun Facts
• 1918: 20,000 shoes made a day
• Chuck Taylor made a salary, but no
commissions
• End of 60s: 90% of basketball shoe
market
• 1984: LA’s Olympics: Official Sports Shoe
Provider
• 2002: Triple profit compared to 2001
• Sold in more than 90 countries
Converse History
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Marquis Mills Converse: founder
Since 21, learn shoe manufacturing
1908 founds Converse Rubber Shoe Company
1917: All Star-performance basketball shoe
1918-1968: player Chuck Taylor endorses
1962: Low-cut Oxford introduced
1974: One star skateboarding shoe introduced
1985: Official shoe of National Basketball
Association
• 2003: Nike acquired Converse for $305 million
Product Features
• Rubber sole, sidewall,
and toe
• ‘Racing’ and heel
stripe
• Canvas body and
lining
• Stitch and lace
• Logo heel, inside,
sole
• Double eyelets on
inside
Packaging
•Converses in special
Converse box, tissue
paper around
•New box with patch logo
on top
•Converse star on sides
•“CONVERSE” on length
•‘Eyelets’ on side
•Stripe along bottom
Kurt
Cobain
Target Market
• Intro: Originally target sports
players basketball
• 1940’s emerged in pop culture
“Pistol Pete” Maravich
• Growth: Target “youth”  female and male
• Musicians, artists, film stars
• Maturity/Decline/Remarketing:
Sylvester Stallone in Rocky (1976)
All ages, all sizes
• Pass through
generations
Converse “lifestyle”
Product Planning
• Innovation- new style basketball shoe
• 40s- boots and war gear for soldiers, football,
running
• 50s- work boots
• 60s- blue heel patch, higher rubber, wrestling
• 70s- skateboarding, ski boots, heel patch change,
smaller toe, longer tongue
• 80s- basketball shoe redone, funky colors to
match the times, thinner laces, bigger toe
• 90s- shorter, flat laces
• Today- new materials, simpler logos
Product Line/Mix
• Product Line (types of shoes)--Chuck Taylor,
Jack Purcell, Converse by John Varvatos,
Converse (PRODUCT) RED™ , Basketball,
Skate, Running and Court
• Current Collections--Chuck It, Prom, Graduates,
Music Collaborations, Chuck Taylor All Star Slim,
One Star Suede, Kids, Classic Chucks
• Product Mix--Men's Clothing, Women's Clothing,
Converse by John Varvatos Clothing,
(Sun)glasses, Accessories
Product Life Cycle
Channels of Distribution
• Producer Retailer Consumer
• Producer WS Retailer Consumer
• Retailers: Online, Journey’s, dELiA*s, Hot
Topic, Zumiez, Converse Outlet Stores, almost
any store with shoes
• Shipped by UPS or by air
• Originally made in USA, 1990’s switch to Japan
and China
Pricing Strategies
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Intro/Growth: Skimming the Cream
1965- $3.25-$9.95 (double regular)
Maturity/Decline: Penetration Pricing
1970s- $30-$35 (others $60-$200)
1990- $29.95 (inexpensive)
Remarketing: Somewhere in between
Today- $45-$65 (about $20 more)
Promotional Strategies
• Have people design shoes
• Pulsing- new product lines/collections
• Flighting- Back to school, summer events,
holidays
• Continuous- less rely on fans more
Personal Selling Activities
• Consumer:
-Sales Associates
• Industrial:
-Incentives: ex. dELiA*s has every color
and Journey’s gets exclusive designs
-Presentations of new products
Advertising
• Feb 2008 “Connectivity” Ad Campaignbring old icons with new to celebrate 100
years of Converse
• June 2008 “Microsites” by Anomaly
• Summer 2008 “Kurt Cobain” Collectionpart of Converse Century Campaign
• Feb 2009 “Welcome to the Converse
Century” Campaign
• Apr 2010 “All star for all”
“Keep it old school”
Early Ads“Wear your art on your shoes”
1991-Mighty Mighty Bosstones
70s
40s/50s
2009/2010
Advertisements
2008- “Connectivity” Campaign
2009- “Converse Century” Campaign
2008- “Kurt Cobain” All Stars Campaign
2010- “All star for all” Campaign
Special Ads
Xmas 2008
Valentine’s Day 2010
Sales Promotion
• Sales Associates: promote exclusive
designs in store, special prices and sales
• Online sales and discounts
ex. Up to 40% off!
Or...regular sales $5-$20 off
• Free shipping
Publicity
• Feb 1996: All Star Brand Strategy All Star Patch
returns
• Jun 2008: Web Interactions Sites
• Jan 2009: Wrapped in Books
• Feb/Mar 2009: Ozzy & Floyd Collaboration British
music
• Aug 2009: Woolrich Clothing Collaboration
Public Relations
• Marquis Mills Converse sports shape
our country
• ‘Innovative’, ‘defined sports footwear
categories’
• ‘transcended generational cultural and
socio-economic boundaries’
• ‘global youth symbol of originality and
individuality’
• Communication kits
• Sandstrom Partners
Competition
Adidas Jeremy Scott Nizza Shoes- $90
Nike Air Jordan I Retro Shoes- $100
• Converse: $45-$65, Competition: $55-$100
• Previously: Keds, Reebok, Adidas
• Nike- certain shoes, even though Nike
bought Converse
• Etnies, DC Shoes, Element Footwearother “popular” alternative shoes
“Cheapskate” Etnie’s Shoes- $55
DC Men’s Purist Shoes- $65
Element Churchill W.O.W Shoes- $55
Sources
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http://www.converse.com/
http://www.converse.com/#/products/shoes/allshoes
http://www.converse.com/#/products/collections/allCollections
http://www.popculturepost.com/2008/02/28/converse-launchesconnectivity-ad-campaign/
http://www.thedailyswarm.com/swarm/kurt-cobain-converse-customkicks-coming/
*http://www.converse.com/About/PressRelease.aspx?id=71
*http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/publicrelations/7195894-1.html
*http://www.converse.com/About/PressRelease.aspx?id=66
*http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3i3a6a72
6c3dd89a14536244fe5a5ec60c
http://www.converse.com/About/FactSheet.aspx?id=9
http://www.converse.com/#/products/shoes/converseone/builder/chu
TayHiCan0901
http://www.converse.com/Help/OrdersShippingAndReturns/USCusto
mers.aspx
Sources Continued
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http://www.businesshistory.com/ind._footwear.php
http://www.squidoo.com/converse-chuck-taylor-black
http://www.squidoo.com/converse-chuck-taylor-black
http://www.flickr.com/photos/extraverage/546810666/
http://www.theconverseblog.net/2009_02_01_archive.html
http://skateandannoy.com/page/15/
http://www.sneakerinformer.com/special-editions/converse-rens-allstar-all-star-revolution-and-pro-leather-with-wooden-box/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16415249@N03/1795287672/
http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/pistol-petemaravich-the-original-all-star/
http://brothersmcc.blogspot.com/2009/03/ups-does-not-supportbullies.html
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/8da08/c1f6c/c/
http://blogs.app.com/thelook/2008/12/13/a-few-of-our-favoritethings-converse-sneaky-santa/
http://www.shop2world.net/blog/?cat=5829
Sources Continued
• http://stylefrizz.com/200803/kurt-cobain-converse-grunge-is-back/
• http://www.conversestore.net/Celebrities.html
• http://www.ioffer.com/i/1991-Converse-Dickie-Barrett-BosstonesShoe-Print-Ad-78403911
• http://electric-sun.co.uk/vintage-advertising/
• http://www.vashyoung.com/
• http://hypebeast.com/2010/04/converse-jack-purcell-2010-fallpreview/
• http://www.shopstyle.com/browse/tees-and-tshirts/Converse
• http://www.nicekicks.com/2010/04/converse-chuck-taylor-chuck-it/
• http://www.remeyewear.com/ecatalog/index.php?collection=Convers
e
• http://dmtshirtdesign.com/faq
• http://www.closetmix.com/info/community-official-brands.htm
• http://www.deathrockmagazine.com/buy-deathrockmagazine/distribute-deathrock-magazine/
Sources Continued
• http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Converse-IncCompany-History.html
• http://www.converse.com/#/products/shoes/sales
• http://www.converse.com/Help/RetailLocator.aspx
• http://www.v2m.com.br/2009/02/ad-converse-all-star-2009.html
• http://nylonmag.com/nylonblogs/page/318/
• http://karenincolor.blogspot.com/2009/05/take-new-look.html
• http://hypebeast.com/2009/05/woolrich-x-converse-chuck-taylor-all-starcollection/
• http://sneakers.pair.com/chuck2k.htm
• http://thegloss.com/fashion/converse-ozzy-osbourne-pink-floyd/
• http://www.sodahead.com/user/profile/1349925/panic-its-cody/
• http://www.shopadidas.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3786215&cp=
3748174.3748184.2039609.2039613.2012797&cid=G16815&shopGrou
p=R
• http://www.sneakerfiles.com/2009/03/11/air-jordan-i-1-2009-preview/
• http://phillyist.com/2008/12/16/philly_phashionista_holiday_shoppin.php
Sources Continued
• http://www.polyvore.com/converse_logo/thing?id=3674667
• http://media.photobucket.com/image/converse%20logo%20black%2
0background/climaxxds28/converse-logo.jpg
• http://www.griptape.com/dealers.html
• http://www.lynchpop.com/services.htm
• http://etnies.com/shop/cheapskate-3/black-grey/
• http://store.dcshoes.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4014811&cp=
3448740.3448746.3436135
• http://catalog.elementskateboards.com/shoes/view/2124/ChurchillBlk/Gry/Red(W.O.W.)
• http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mrwsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8hM
EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6262,1133650&dq=cost+of+converse+shoes&hl=e
n
• http://books.google.com/books?id=ko_a_Ij3TRMC&pg=PA29&sig=3
DibJPF6ZMH0s2O1M-Ao-gJ3A6c&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false