Muhammed Ali. It may have been a self-proclaimed title, but he certainly was The Greatest in many ways — including crafting his personal brand. Now, a year after the passing of this boxing legend, another great brand has found an unusual way to re-introduce Ali into our lives. With socks.
That’s right, Bombas – the socks that give a pair of socks to the homeless for each pair you purchase — has taken another step forward with their marketing. If you know me (or if you’re a regular reader of this blog), then you know I LOVE Bombas. They got my attention with their give-back promise, and they kept me coming back with their better-than-any-other-sock-on-the-planet experience. (Really. My whole household wears them.)
Something else I love about them (in addition to helping the homeless and being amazing socks) is their absolute command of tradigital marketing. At The S3 Agency, we define tradigital as incorporating the brand-building thinking behind traditional marketing with the modern-day toolkit afforded by digital technology. As far as I can tell, the Bombas team operates exclusively in the digital space – yet I feel the brand experience at every touchpoint.
Case in point: this email I was served up earlier this week, announcing the new Muhammed Ali-inspired collection of Bombas socks before it was made public. Yes, I know I’m not the only one to get this “VIP” email – but it still makes me feel special. And it piques my interest. I mean, it’s a pretty cool idea: my socks can channel the retro-greatness of Ali’s style when he was at his greatest? I know I’m saying great a lot, but come on…
Will I buy these socks? For me? For my husband? For my son? TBD. But that’s sort of beside the point, because their mission of continuing the brand experience is accomplished. This is by far the strongest relationship with a sock brand I’ve ever had. And they continue to come up with new reasons for me to consider adding to my sock “collection” (which was previously just a drawer filled with uncared about foot coverings).
“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.” ~ Muhammed Ali
