November 4, 2008
[Scene -- two NBA fans talking after a Nuggets game]
Fan 1: Man, what a great game! I can’t believe the Nuggets pulled it out at the buzzer.
Fan 2: Yeah, it was great. The only let down were those horrible clothes George Karl had on. It looks like what Craig Sager and Liberace’s love child would wear. If only there was some men’s clothier who would sign some sort of sponsorship deal with NBA coaches so they would be able to look snazzy before, during, and after the games…
Fan 1: …did you just say ‘snazzy’?
[End Scene]
Every day, all over this great nation, the above conversation happens. Millions of fans display their emotoins; happy that their team was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but deeply depressed about their favorite coach’s choice of clothing. Well, fair reader, Double-breasted zoot suits be damned…Its Joseph Abboud to the rescue! From WSJ,
Under a three-year deal, expected to be announced Monday, the label’s owner, JA Apparel Corp., is providing NBA coaches with at least a dozen free outfits, with a combined retail value of more than $500,000. In return, the Joeph Abboud label gets the right to tout itself as the coaches’ official clothier, though it won’t get an onscreen credit for that role during game broadcasts…
The company, which in August signed an agreement to provide off-the-field attire for National Football League coaches, is building its brand on dressing high-profile sports figures. While other labels generate buzz by dressing celebrities for the Academy Awards, the Joseph Abboud line prefers to provide clothes for athletes and coaches with whom its core customers identify, says Marty Staff, chief executive of JA Apparel and a New York Knicks fan.
While this is a great deal for the Joseph Abboud label, the obvious question that is raised is, “Will this help them generate new sales?”
But scoring with the promotion isn’t a slam dunk for the Joseph Abboud line. The suits and sport coats to be worn by the coaches don’t have visible logos, and aren’t easily identifiable by fans watching pro basketball in person or on TV.
“The product will have to be distinct” for Joseph Abboud to benefit, says branding and trend expert Tom Julian, president of a retail consulting firm that bears his name.
Okay…I have some Joseph Abboud stuff; it is quality clothing. But how many people are looking at Greg Popovich and wondering where he got his outfit from? Am I in the minority on this issue? Is everyone else wondering how Byron Scott was able to get such wonderful tweed socks? Well, if you are wondering, wonder no more…It’s Joseph Abboud!
Although in Joseph Abboud’s defense, the publicity gained by WSJ doing a story about your clothing certainly helps. I just don’t know if enough NBA fans read the WSJ or will inquire about Byron Scott’s clothing to make this deal worthwhile.
Wall Street Journal — NBA’s Coaches to Suit Up with Joseph Abboud
One comment
Joseph Abboud used to be a frequent guest on Don Imus’ show before the unfortunate Rutgers women’s basketball commentary sent Don on a vacation for awhile. I don’t know if he’s back in the Imus stable but he always seemed to be a decent sort of guy and…if you needed someone to hang with who designs clothes for a living…didn’t seem to be a bad person to do so with. As for coaches’ outfits, I could care less and find the expense they seem to layout for their duds ridiculous. Just put a suitcoat on with a decent pair of pants and coach ‘em up. We don’t need “Project Sidelines.”