Finally. Nike has caved to popular demand and made the "Back to the Future" sneaker. Remember that site where someone kept posting images of these shoes, convinced Nike was making them, begging Nike to release them? We knew they were up to something when Nike filed a patent in 2010 on this very sneaker.
Well now they have finally made them, see back4thefuture, but they will not be available in stores near you. The 1500 pairs will sell only on Ebay, and the auction is benefitting the Michael J Fox foundation for Parkinsons Research. Prices are already skyrocketing, $5,300.00 for a pair!? Yikes!
What you'll learn from the video above: Kevin Durant should not quit his dayjob.
This reminds me of Eleven predictions back to the future got right. The list is now longer, as the sneakers are finally available, but there's one prediction that'll never happen: Queen Diana.
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Kudos to Nike for taking advantage of their pop culture status to help the Michael J. Fox Foundation. It makes me curious about whether a brand is looked on more favorably or not when the product placement is more in line with how the story is told and not just for show. Back to the Future uses it to show time passing and fads/clothing design changing. It's quite a clever use, really. But take Aston Martin and James Bond. Over the last few movies the car had nothing to do with the movie's script itself...it was just there for show. And before the movie even came out I'm watching clips of the car sliding on ice and spinning out and being told that if I buy it I'll be just like an agent of the British Intelligence. [Insert countless other tie-in campaigns that are only for show here: Toy Story / Burger King, etc.]
It's hard to imagine a pitch for product placement where you say "we'll find a script that can tie in your brand and not just your product, wait 10 years, and then come up with a campaign that ties it all together." But it would make for some pretty clever ideas, I'd think.
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PermalinkThat's interesting. You're right that Nike's movie tie-in relationships are different than others. Another example is when w+k produced that 'real' spot in the awful film "What women want" which was then presented by Mel Gibson's character as part of the plot. Which in turn reminds me of Don Draper's Kodak carousel speech... That's the way to do it.
(The Delorian never sold very well, did it?)
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