What girl is destined for greatness by thinking her bottom half should be better than her top half?

Could Skechers Shape-Ups be what society really needs?

While I am convinced that the marketing function in American business is the spark plug of a prosperous, innovative, free-market economy, there are times when I would, if introduced to a stranger, attempt to obscure my identity as a marketing guy—simply to not be guilty-by-association with others in commerce who make claim to the same space I do in the scheme of business.  Today is one of those days.  This is because I recently learned of Skechers’ new footwear line, Skechers Shape-Ups for little girls, preschool to grade school—all with the intention of counter-acting childhood obesity. 

The new line comes in sizes 2-6 and while the company doesn’t want to call little girls fat, the message is nonetheless ostensibly for little girls to get in shape, to look good, and have a good time, I suppose, with boys. The company claims that the purpose is to overcome child obesity—but let’s face it, an ordinary pair of sneakers can do that! 

The problem with the Skechers strategy is really more complicated:  the advertising of this line is much more sinister—and a lot more subtle--than most people might at first think.  Here’s how it works:  The Skechers campaign for the Shape-Up line will serve to make the marketplace, i.e., that of little girls, aware that the firm, Skechers, has a line of shoes especially made for them--so they can be fit and look good.  So far, no big problem.  But that’s not the entire equation.

Should little girls really worry about their butts?

What will really drive sales—starting with these little pre-school girls—is the Skechers’ slightly more mature models that are targeted—and thus advertised—to, a somewhat older set of females.  And this would be in the form of the “Love Your Butt” Skechers Tone-up commercials.  Here, take a look for yourself….

What, love your butt?  You mean to tell me that that’s a purpose worth getting worked up for in the morning, especially for little girls?  You see, it’s the viewing of this kind of commercial from Skechers—aimed at an older yet aspiration group for little ones—that is the catalyst which will drive sales for the Skechers Startups.  Indeed, the company’s tag for this creative strategy is—and I’m quoting exactly here—“Make your bottom half your better half with Skechers Tone-ups.”

That little pre-school girls need to start dealing with this kind of information and making sense of these sorts of ideas is really wacky if you think about it for more than five seconds.  I can think of at least two objections off the top of my head:  First, why must little girls have to wrestle with sexuality as early as five or six?  Can’t they just be little girls for a little while longer? 

Second, I’m pretty sure that a society made up of young females who will eventually grow up to be adult women is not really destined for greatness when they are compelled to strive to make the bottom half of their bodies better than their top half! 

Do marketing execs live in the same world as the rest of us?

All of which raises the question, Aren’t there any execs at Skechers with little girls—or granddaughters--of their own?  How can any thoughtful person think this is a good plan to sell shoes when, in effect, you're literally changing the way very young girls think about the world and themselves?  You might guess that a college professor would think that everybody’s top half is, in truth, more important than their bottom half.  But, really, is it just me? 

I don’t really think so, but sometimes it sure seems that way—especially when I think about the marketing strategy of Skechers!  Like I said at the start...sometimes I'm not really proud to be a marketing guy.

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Follow Keith's biz blog on Twitter for updates and see more of what he's reading about on his Facebook Page. If you are inclined, you can write him at kmurray@bryant.edu.