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Interview With Robbie Vorhaus

Aired September 25, 2003 - 15:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a story where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. We're talking about athletic shoes.
PHILLIPS: Whose shoes were those?

O'BRIEN: I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: They're not Converse. But that leads us into this quote, "It sickens me." And that's what the head of the National...

O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) nice kicks, though. Show those one more time.

PHILLIPS: Oh, man.

O'BRIEN: Must have cost a lot of scrill (ph).

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: We're talking about the Basketball Coach Association, the head of it and what he said about new Converse's shoe. He doesn't like it. And according to "USA Today" it's going to be called "Loaded Weapon."

O'BRIEN: Loaded Weapon. It's drawing a bit of criticism with a name like that. Is Converse going out of its way to court controversy? Or are people overreacting to all of this?

PHILLIPS: Let's bring in public relations executive Robbie Vorhaus for his take on all this.

The first thing I thought about, Robbie, here we are. We're going through security at the airport. Just a minute, I have to take off my Loaded Weapon.

O'BRIEN: Don't say that.

ROBBIE VORHAUS, VORHAUS & CO.: That's true and if you think about it on a very serious note Converse may be saying right now wow we have a lot of controversy, but the first young man who loses his life, because someone tried to steal it from him, they'll have a bigger P.R. problem than they do today.

O'BRIEN: I'm not sure I understand. This is a successor to a shoe that was just called "Weapon."

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Which on its own doesn't sound quite as bad. Loaded Weapon just, you know...

VORHAUS: Well, "Secret Weapon" would have been great. Loaded Weapon -- look, every parent today wants to keep their children safe. The new marketing model is raising versus lowering. It's faith, not fear.

And I think that -- I don't think this was malicious, I think they weren't thinking. Nike bought them in the summer. They said, well, what can we do that could really make a splash? And somebody said, let's call it Loaded Weapon.

But they won't be able to get into the schools which is a big market for the because the schools are going to say no way. The NBA will say no way. Parents will say no way. The basketball coaches are saying no way. And Converse will say, eventually, no way.

O'BRIEN: And now we know why Converse now went to Chapter 11.

PHILLIPS: Seriously, think about the financial situation. How can you say they didn't think about it? Loaded Weapon in a time when everything is politically correct, considering the war and weapons of mass destruction and all of this. I mean this controversy will bring up sales. Everyone's talking about it. We're talking about it.

VORHAUS: It's going to bring up sales, and certainly it's going to attract a certain segment of the market. And I would question, I understand that they're saying the retail price will be $90-plus. That's a lot of money. How will kids get that? For the most part their parents will probably buy it for them.

But this is a company that -- look no long-term strategy has ever been built on a negative theme. This theme is violence. They know it, they want to make a splash. And I don't think they thought about it that hard.

Their parent company, Nike, is probably the best example of aspirational, inspirational marketing in the way of "Just Do It."

O'BRIEN: All right, let's do this. Converse is kind of adverse to doing anything on camera, but we have a statement from their marketing guy.

"We have in no way, nor do we intend to use weaponry imagery in any of our marketing materials of advertising. Although everyone may not be comfortable with such metaphors, which often blends sports and battlefield terminology, the Loaded Weapon refers to nothing more than battles that take place on the court."

Is that a point well taken to you?

VORHAUS: Well, since obviously Converse is not going to be a client now, I can tell you that on the Nike Web site they talk about being a warrior, and they talk about the battlefield. And sports is a metaphor for winning.

Unfortunately, their marketing guy -- and if he or she does have their children and their children come home and say I want to get a Loaded Weapon, it's really cool. Isn't that cool, or whatever terminology they use, the parents are going to say no.

Look, I would rather on a light note have my child walking around the neighborhood with a Loaded Weapon sneaker than a loaded weapon. I think this will be great fodder for Letterman and Jay Leno. But do I think ultimately it will by a winning brand that makes a lot of money and friends? I don't.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll follow up. Robbie Vorhaus, always a pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 25, 2003 - 15:50   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a story where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. We're talking about athletic shoes.
PHILLIPS: Whose shoes were those?

O'BRIEN: I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: They're not Converse. But that leads us into this quote, "It sickens me." And that's what the head of the National...

O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) nice kicks, though. Show those one more time.

PHILLIPS: Oh, man.

O'BRIEN: Must have cost a lot of scrill (ph).

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: We're talking about the Basketball Coach Association, the head of it and what he said about new Converse's shoe. He doesn't like it. And according to "USA Today" it's going to be called "Loaded Weapon."

O'BRIEN: Loaded Weapon. It's drawing a bit of criticism with a name like that. Is Converse going out of its way to court controversy? Or are people overreacting to all of this?

PHILLIPS: Let's bring in public relations executive Robbie Vorhaus for his take on all this.

The first thing I thought about, Robbie, here we are. We're going through security at the airport. Just a minute, I have to take off my Loaded Weapon.

O'BRIEN: Don't say that.

ROBBIE VORHAUS, VORHAUS & CO.: That's true and if you think about it on a very serious note Converse may be saying right now wow we have a lot of controversy, but the first young man who loses his life, because someone tried to steal it from him, they'll have a bigger P.R. problem than they do today.

O'BRIEN: I'm not sure I understand. This is a successor to a shoe that was just called "Weapon."

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Which on its own doesn't sound quite as bad. Loaded Weapon just, you know...

VORHAUS: Well, "Secret Weapon" would have been great. Loaded Weapon -- look, every parent today wants to keep their children safe. The new marketing model is raising versus lowering. It's faith, not fear.

And I think that -- I don't think this was malicious, I think they weren't thinking. Nike bought them in the summer. They said, well, what can we do that could really make a splash? And somebody said, let's call it Loaded Weapon.

But they won't be able to get into the schools which is a big market for the because the schools are going to say no way. The NBA will say no way. Parents will say no way. The basketball coaches are saying no way. And Converse will say, eventually, no way.

O'BRIEN: And now we know why Converse now went to Chapter 11.

PHILLIPS: Seriously, think about the financial situation. How can you say they didn't think about it? Loaded Weapon in a time when everything is politically correct, considering the war and weapons of mass destruction and all of this. I mean this controversy will bring up sales. Everyone's talking about it. We're talking about it.

VORHAUS: It's going to bring up sales, and certainly it's going to attract a certain segment of the market. And I would question, I understand that they're saying the retail price will be $90-plus. That's a lot of money. How will kids get that? For the most part their parents will probably buy it for them.

But this is a company that -- look no long-term strategy has ever been built on a negative theme. This theme is violence. They know it, they want to make a splash. And I don't think they thought about it that hard.

Their parent company, Nike, is probably the best example of aspirational, inspirational marketing in the way of "Just Do It."

O'BRIEN: All right, let's do this. Converse is kind of adverse to doing anything on camera, but we have a statement from their marketing guy.

"We have in no way, nor do we intend to use weaponry imagery in any of our marketing materials of advertising. Although everyone may not be comfortable with such metaphors, which often blends sports and battlefield terminology, the Loaded Weapon refers to nothing more than battles that take place on the court."

Is that a point well taken to you?

VORHAUS: Well, since obviously Converse is not going to be a client now, I can tell you that on the Nike Web site they talk about being a warrior, and they talk about the battlefield. And sports is a metaphor for winning.

Unfortunately, their marketing guy -- and if he or she does have their children and their children come home and say I want to get a Loaded Weapon, it's really cool. Isn't that cool, or whatever terminology they use, the parents are going to say no.

Look, I would rather on a light note have my child walking around the neighborhood with a Loaded Weapon sneaker than a loaded weapon. I think this will be great fodder for Letterman and Jay Leno. But do I think ultimately it will by a winning brand that makes a lot of money and friends? I don't.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll follow up. Robbie Vorhaus, always a pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com