Oakley, a unit of Luxottica Group, virtually invented the
sports-performance eyewear category. Over its nearly 40-year
history, its used many athletic endorsers, including: two-time
Masters champion Bubba Watson; Olympians Shaun White and Lindsey
Vonn; and NBA superstar Michael Jordan.
But sponsoring athletes is a double-edged sword. Oakley was
one of the last sponsors to stick by cyclist Lance Armstrong.
But it finally dumped the disgraced former Tour de France winner
when it concluded he was lying through his teeth about his use of
performance-enhancing drugs.
Oakley
still has a deal with Olympic sprinter Oscar "The Blade Runner"
Pistorius, who's on trial for shooting and killing his girlfriend
in his home country of South Africa. Oakley has suspended the deal
pending the results of Mr. Pistorius' trial.
Mr. Baden is tall and amiable, referring to Oakley as a "lucky"
brand. But talking to him, you get the sense he's a handful as a
client.
Oakley handles marketing in-house from its corporate campus and
design center in Foothill Ranch, Calif. Among the shops that have
recently
worked with Oakley on projects are Factory Design Labs in Denver and
New
York-based Thinkmodo.
Mr. Baden sees the writing on the wall when an agency digs in to
defend its work: "Soon as you start drawing lines, then I always
know that's the beginning of the end."
Advertising Age interviewed Mr. Baden at Oakley's new flagship
store in the Big Apple that was designed by Moment Factory. The
flashy, high-tech outlet offers an "eyewear bar" (where customers
can design their own sunglasses) and Oakley's new ICON lifestyle
apparel collection previously sold only in European stores.
Excerpts:
Ad Age: What do you want from this agency
search?
Mr. Baden: I like to think we're a premium brand and that we're
known for good design. It was nice to hear from [agencies] that
were competing to have our account that they want to be associated
with us.
Ad Age:What went wrong with your previous
agency-of-record partnerships?
Mr. Baden: We've had AOR's. The relationships start out strong.
As a culture we like to keep exploring. It's like that quote on the
wall: "Everything can, and will, be made better." It's hard. I've
seen maybe three or four agencies since I've been with the brand.
It always follows a cycle. They get tired [of me] critiquing their
work. … This round I said: "We're getting married. And it's
for a while. This is what goes on in our relationship. … My
point of view doesn't go away. It gets worse."
Ad Age: Talk about this upcoming brand
effort?
Mr. Baden: Saying it's a marketing campaign would under-deliver
the significance. … We need to think big. … A
company-wide mantra around the brand. ... Just make a statement. Be
relevant for that -- not just because we make great stuff.
Ad Age: What athletes have you used most in your
marketing?
Mr. Baden: It certainly fluctuates. It was Michael Jordan. Then
it was Lance [Armstrong], Shaun White. Now it seems to be Bubba
Watson.
Ad Age: You personally know Mr. Pistorius. What's your
reaction to him being charged with murder?
Mr. Baden: I've been with Oscar on several occasions. What a
great story [he had]. What a wonderful human being. What an
inspiration. And now? I don't get it. I don't get it.
Ad Age: You say Oakley's a 'lucky" brand?
Explain.
Mr. Baden: Bubba wins the Masters. Great. We just got millions
of dollars in advertising for free. When 33 miners came out of that
Chilean mine wearing our products, because they needed to, how much
marketing did we get out of that? For free?
I just think we're a lucky brand. We're on your face. That's
what they photograph. They don't photograph your feet. We had
[hundreds] of Olympians wearing one frame color [during,the Sochi
Olympic Winter Games].
We'll do something ... again in Rio de Janiero. I guess we've
always approached marketing with a certain efficiency -- because we
were lucky. But what if we strategically approached marketing with
some money? What would happen when we define what our culture
is?
