For the past three weeks, I intensified my already insanely-intense workout regime by adding a new component--NGR Shoes. Over the summer, I met Lawrence Isaacs, the creator of said shoes. Learning of my gym rat status, he asked me to try out his brainchild, and I was happy to.
Take a look at them:
Pretty standard shoe, right?
Well, not really. NGR stands for No Gym Required, and what makes these shoes different from the standard workout footwear is that they're weighted. Each shoe has a hidden condensed rubber insole that adds 2.2 pounds per foot and added strain per step.
Can't you tell?
Well, that's just the point. My NGR shoes have become quite the conversation piece over at the Victoria Park gym, my sweathouse of choice, and that's only because I've been telling everybody about them.
On one hand, that's great word-of-mouth marketing.
On the other, if I weren't so damn vainly-vocal about broadcasting the extra effort I was putting into every TRX rep or cardio exercise step, nobody would know.
And that's the problem.
NGR Shoes are a great invention. But on my feet, they're just semi-slick, no-brand sneakers. Their point of differentiation, the all-important unique selling proposition we learned about way back in Marketing 101, is literally invisible, hidden from public eye.
If these contained shoe lifts designed to make me taller...well, quiet, unseen discretion would be the recipe for their success. I could understand, and appreciate, the camouflage then.
But if I'm going to wear weighted shoes for fitness's sake, goddamit, I want people to know about it.
And that's the marketing advice I gave to Lawrence.
Rather than be some sort of Nike/Adidas/Reebok wannabe lookalike, NGR should stand out and look to be every bit as heavy as they feel.
Trust me, these babies are going to get more attention, and more adoption from their sweat-drenched, grunt-and-groan target markets if they looked like some sort of metallic Transformers-meets-H.R. Giger-meets-Frankenstein clunky boot (complete with bolts!).
Counter-intuitive perhaps, and fashion-forward to put it mildly. But at least they would stand out...by exploiting the conceit and feeding the ego.
So here's what I learned this week--something that will not only help me re-design some main focal points at Just For Laughs, but something that should be a mantra for all consumer or personal brands:
Don't hide your raison d'etre!
Word-of-mouth is crucial. But people ain't going out of their way looking for something to talk about. Blatant, simple and direct word-of-eye is what gets tongues wagging. If you've got something that differentiates you, exploit it, don't hide it, for Crissakes!
Don't rely on vain bigmouths like me ;)