After a four-year hiatus from TV advertising, MA-based
New Balance will "rely" on non-celebrity endorsers "to push
its footwear line" when its ad campaign breaks in March,
according to Jim Kirk of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. New Balance
has increased its ad budget from $4M to $13M and its new TV
campaign focuses on "real people" and ends with the tagline,
"achieve New Balance." Kirk reported that the new campaign
"couldn't come at a more significant time" as "the Nike
strategy of latching on to a star athlete as endorser is
looking more risky than ever right now" with the highly-
publicized "troubles" of athletes. New Balance VP/Marketing
Paul Heffernan: "[A]s time goes on, (the non-celebrity
endorser) continues to separate us from other companies.
Every day a Latrell [Sprewell] does his thing gives us more
integrity for our decisions." Kirk added if a company like
New Balance "can boost its image among younger consumers at
a time when Nike and Reebok are suffering from soft sales,
marketers said that the endorser pendulum may swing away
from using athletes in the future" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/9).
