Certainly, there are bigger shoe fans in the studio than I. The ladies love when a box arrives from ShopBot or Zappos, especially when it’s for them. Me, I’ve got to look at the shoe, hold the shoe, try on the shoe…and so I did, at Cole Haan. There were several that looked great, some practical, some a bit novel. When I found a pair I liked – distressed brown dress shoes – I immediately turned them over to see the price. I was shocked. Not at the price (that happened when I went next door to Prada!), but at the Nike logo imprinted on the sole. I understood the presence of the Cole Haan logo but why Nike?
“Why’s this here?” I asked the sales person. I suppose this reveals some level of shoe ignorance.
“Nike bought Cole Haan, like, maybe ten years ago.” Turns out it was in 1988.
“But why put their name on these when it’s Cole Haan?”
“They have Nike Air technology.”
“Oh.”
And sure enough, if you go to the Cole Haan website and do a little digging, you’ll find a piece about Walk On Air. The link is below. Online, featured shoes are titled “Air Colton, Air Monroe…” which makes the leap of logic a bit more logical, but why no info at the point of purchase? Yes, you could say I’m just an ignorant shoe fan, or you could say that someone dropped the ball. If Nike Air technology is a plus, it should be apparent.
I’m told that Coca-Cola still advertises because hundreds of thousands are born every day that have never heard of Coke. So maybe Nike communicated this union with Cole Haan back in 1988, but what about the new kids coming along? Shouldn’t they know they’re walking on Air?
Walk On Air link here.