Friday, July 23, 2004
New Balance Sucks
According to the Boston Globe's exhaustive inventory of convention gift bags, irritating middle-aged Brighton jogging shoe manufacturer New Balance springs to the forefront. What else would we expect from the company whose ads (sweaty office complex jogger ducks into elevator, yet somehow avoids being beaten to death by colleagues) argue persuasively in favor of the reinstatement of capital punishment in the Bay State?
"New Balance was among the first to commit, spending $250,000 on top of its cash contribution to make the 30,000 canvas bags bearing the company's logo and the host committee's logo -- ''Boston 2004: Nothing conventional about it."
As a testament to the marketing prowess of the convention gift bags, New Balance is also providing bags for the Republican National Convention in New York next month.
But the Republicans will be getting a different accoutrement: a fashionable, black messenger bag that slides across the shoulder.
''It's very New York," explained Katherine L. Shepard, a New Balance spokeswoman. ''The tote is more New England."
"New Balance was among the first to commit, spending $250,000 on top of its cash contribution to make the 30,000 canvas bags bearing the company's logo and the host committee's logo -- ''Boston 2004: Nothing conventional about it."
As a testament to the marketing prowess of the convention gift bags, New Balance is also providing bags for the Republican National Convention in New York next month.
But the Republicans will be getting a different accoutrement: a fashionable, black messenger bag that slides across the shoulder.
''It's very New York," explained Katherine L. Shepard, a New Balance spokeswoman. ''The tote is more New England."
