Footasylum ... sheltering Kickers from the Harsh reality?

After wandering around the stores of Nottingham, we stumbled upon a POS (Point of Sale) in Footasylum for the (in Footasylums staffs point of view) infamous Kickers brand.

The POS is nothing to rave about, but it was positioned at the front of the store which was beneficial. The range of the Kick-Hi Boots was pretty poor, the range was black and brown, none of the coloured or quirky ones, just the ones that you could get away with wearing to school - hence just re-inforcing the 'School shoe' image that Kickers already obtains by so many consumers.

Talking to the staff of Footasylum only solidified what we had originally thought and feared - That every other shoe make walks all over Kickers. No-one really purchases them, and the last person who purchased the Kick-Hi boot from their store was a middle aged man who was just after a sturdy shoe.

This is going to be a challenge ... I will say that again!!

Helena x

A Connector, A Maven or A Salesmen?

A Connector, A Maven or A Salesmen: which one is it going to be? As we all learned from Malcolm Gladwell's masterpiece The Tipping Point, every epidemic is started with one or more of these types of people. This means that in order for Kickers to become the next fashion phenomenon, Kickers need to come into close contact with one of these key players in the trend starting game.




So will it be the connector? A connector is someone who simply connects us to, well, everyone. This will be the person who will see someone wearing Kickers and simply mention it to a friend or blog about it. However, because the connector is so well connected, the word will spread like wildfire.
Or will it be the maven? A maven is basically an information junkie, that gets their kicks (no pun intended) from acquiring as much information (particularly market info), as possible. Although they may not be a trendsetter as such, once the maven gets to telling you about Kickers history and the changing trends in the footwear market with all the accurate statistics to back it up, you may be compelled to run out and get a pair after all.

Maybe it'll be the salesmen. A salesmen is a charismatic person with the power of persuasion, be it deliberately or inadvertently. This will be your friend or even a random person that will either influence you to buy Kickers because of how amazing they look in them or actually persuade you to but them while your contemplating the purchase in-store.

So which one of these people will be the driving force in the Kickers comeback? Let us know what you think!!

Laurie xx

Kickers: Music - Fancy Footwork by Chromeo

Kickers' commitment to music remains as strong today as it has always been. Kickers teamed up with American-based Funk masters, Chromeo in the Fancy Footwork campaign launched at music festivals last year where revellers were challenged to be filmed throwing down their finest footwork on-board a huge trailer for the chance to appear in a finished Chromeo video.

The video is a stop frame clip collage created by production animation house Lovebite, who wove dozens of people’s dance-moves together to create a mountain of feet that would go on to power the star of the video; the home-made, motion-powered incredible ‘machine’ unleashing Kickers shoes. Far from being ordinary shoes though, each is brought to life with additional limbs, wheels, helicopter blades and oodles of personality.

T4

'The Kickers Fancy Footwork activity was designed to get festival-goers using their feet in such a way that could be captured and used to create a unique piece of user-generated, branded content. With their feel good dance tunes, Chromeo provided the perfect soundtrack and the CSS remix gives us an exclusive track to go with the new video' Hugh Sweeney, Marketing Manager for Kickers.

Musics+Activities

Aimee x

[Credits to: mark191082 - http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/104861

Daniella Sapia - http://www.brightonlife.com/news/kickers-fancy-footwork-2678.html]

Kickers on TV!

This is a Kickers advert from 2007. It is very graphic and funky, with a catchy tune in the background, which shows that they have always been trying hard to tap into the teenage market. The advert also features the triple stitching and eyelets, keeping the essence of the brand strong.



Here are some of the comments from YouTube of peoples opinions on kickers:

"I'm a product of the 80's....and back then 'Kick Hi' were the ultimate thing to put on your feet. We'd buy them in one colour and then go in shoe shops stealing the leather 'fleurette' tags off Kickers of another colour...to mix and match them. It was cool to wear red Kickers with a blue tag or visa versa." (posted by slitheen)

"gosh cant believe I use to wear kickers 18/19 years ago, they were the days, remember I had to leave the tags on." (posted by jobymunch1971)

"i'm still yet to get a pair. they r quite expensive! " (posted by QTKittenz)

Louise x

Searching for Who is Kicking it ctd...

Following on from the last post, here are another two of our favorites that we found on our search around town today:

Name - STELLA DOWBENKO
Age - 24

1. WHERE CAN YOU ALWAYS BE FOUND ON THE WEEKEND?
Stealth or The Social (Bodega)

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
Vogue or Nylon

3. WHO IS YOUR STYLE MUSE?
Karen O

4. WHERE DO U SHOP?
American Apparel, Topshop and Zara

5. WHICH ARTISTS TAKE UP THE MOST SPACE ON YOUR IPOD?
Deftones

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOST OVER-USED PHRASE?
Honk Honk

7. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS?
A Bit Strange

8. WHATS YOUR INITIAL OPINION OF THE KICKERS BRAND?
"One of those brands that will always be classic. It reminds me of being in primary school and having to buy a new pair of shoes every year!"

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE KICK-HI BOOTS?
"I actually think they are really cool!"





Name - DAN TURNER
Age - 19

1. WHERE CAN U ALWAYS BE FOUND ON THE WEEKEND?
Rock City/ Rescue Rooms

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
Vice or Sidewalk (Skateboard Magazine)

3. WHO IS YOUR STYLE MUSE?
Mike Caroll (Famous Skateboarder)

4. WHERE DO YOU SHOP?
Non-Stop Skateboard Shop or American Apparel

5. WHICH ARTISTS TAKE UP THE MOST SPACE ON YOUR IPOD?
Phoenix

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOST OVERUSED PHRASE?
Crikey!

7. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS
friendly, polite and confident

8. WHAT'S YOUR INITIAL OPINION OF THE KICKERS BRAND?
"School shoes!"

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE KICK-HI BOOTS?

"I quite like them surprisingly! They are different and nicer than most people probably think Kickers would be"

Louise & Helena x

Searching for Who is Kicking it ---

Myself and Louise, went out on the streets of Nottingham this afternoon on the lookout for potential opinion formers to wear the Kick-Hi Boots. Here are some of the ones we loved and a little survery we got them to fill out!

Name - PSAIM HUMPHREY

Age - 24

1. WHERE CAN YOU ALWAYS BE FOUND ON THE WEEKEND?

Bar 11, Market Bar, Browns

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?

Vogue Homme

3. WHO IS YOUR STYLE MUSE?

SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker)

4. WHERE DO YOU SHOP?

Everywhere

5. WHICH ARTISTS TAKE UP THE MOST SPACE ON YOUR IPOD?

Amerie

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOST OVER-USED PHRASE?

"Sista"

7. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS

I Can Not

8. WHATS YOUR INITIAL OPINION OF THE KICKERS BRAND?

Don't have one ... so suprise me

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE KICK-HI BOOTS?

I like what I see!

Name - ALICE CHANCE

Age - 17

1. WHERE CAN YOU ALWAYS BE FOUND ON THE WEEKEND?

In Town, Stealth and Rescue Rooms

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?

I-D, ELLE

3. WHO IS YOUR STYLE MUSE?

Alice Dellal

4. WHERE DO YOU SHOP?

Topshop, American Apparell

5. WHICH ARTISTS TAKE UP THE MOST SPACE ON YOUR IPOD?

The Maccabees

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOST OVER-USED PHRASE?

Meowww

7. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS

Loud, Edgy, Annoying

8. WHATS YOUR INITIAL OPINION OF THE KICKERS BRAND?

Quite cool, like Doc Martins

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE KICK-HI BOOTS?

"I like them!"

Helena and Louise x

If Dr. Marten did it, Kickers can!

Dr Martens boots follow a very similar story to that of Kickers.
The company began making shoes in 1947, however it wasn't until 1960 that the now famous Dr. Marten boot was launched. They took a while to take off but gradually became more and more popular. They began as a favorite with postmen and factory workers for practicle reasons, later being worn as a fashion statement by Skinheads, British Punks and New Wave musicians.
However, in the 00's sales began to decline and by 2003, Dr. Martens company ceased all production in the UK. It wasn't until 2007 that the company began making footwear again. Their popularity gradually increased, helped along by celebrities like Agyness Deyn and Pixie Geldof.
Dr. Martens are now selling more pairs of boots than they ever have.
The point being made here is that Kickers have every chance of making a comeback. Dr. Martens went completely out of production and came back stronger than ever as a trend. All it takes is for the right people to be seen wearing the shoes...

Louise x