One Lucid Moment

Sure, Kenny Powers as CEO of K-Swiss in enjoyable. But how good is this for K-Swiss long term? They had become an irrelevant brand (unless you were on a high school tennis team) which makes this latest installation as entertaining as it is surprising. On a morning run (in New Balance, mind you) I thought of an analogy that perhaps I should have left on my run but here’s a go, anyway.

My father had Parkinson’s disease until he passed way too early in his mid-60s. And while the average day brought a man of diminished capacity, there were times when he was back. Focused thinking, memories of details that were simply amazing and lucid conversations that were as enjoyable as they were surprising. The question I began to ask was - are these moments of lucidity so incredible because of the condition he was in or were they truly remarkable. Would I have even noticed if he weren’t sick?

The same question could be asked of brands. This is obviously a remarkable occasion from a (recently) unremarkable brand. But would it have been as special if this is what we expected from K-Swiss? I guess it is preferential to zag from the land of irrelevant sameness occasionally than to never zag at all. But how much better off could brands be if their market presence were measured lucid moment to lucid moment without simply being present in between. If the conversation about this video has been about the value of viral, I think the point is being missed. The real conversation is about how awake is your messaging? On its’ average day, what experience does it provide for people and does it make them want to participate? There is an argument to be made, not for obscenity-laden stunts to revitalize your relevance with voyeurs of such things but rather, for more moments that make people notice and fewer that simply interrupt their day. What value do the later ones provide, anyway?

Lucidity in an otherwise dull experience is better than none at all but how would your day be different if more lucid moments were the goal?