An "extensive" campaign by Arnell Group, NY, for Fila's
newest basketball shoe, the Grant Hill IV, "seeks to
concentrate more on the performance aspects of the product
than its fashionability," according to Stuart Elliott of the
N.Y. TIMES. The goal "is to counter perceptions that Fila
shoes are more likely to be glimpsed in GQ than Sports
Illustrated." The new TV campaign, which begins tonight,
portrays Hill "either playing basketball or thinking about
playing basketball so single-mindedly that at one point he
even challenges his reflection in a mirror in an effort to
demonstrate" that, as the campaign asserts, "the only
competition is yourself." The decision by Fila "to overhaul
how Hill is hawked" is central to a strategy to improve sales
in its footwear category. Fila Senior VP/Advertising Howe
Burch: "Frankly, this has been a difficult year. The company
is really trying in many respects to re-engineer itself by
enhancing our performance capabilities, and we see Grant as
the cornerstone." The campaign is the first from the Arnell
Group for Fila's Hill line and Fila's total annual ad budget
is $20-25M (Stuart Elliot, N.Y. TIMES, 10/31).
