Fact: I am not entirely sure what “Bae” is, but I am pretty sure Converse fits the bill.
I have had a pretty intense love affair with Chuck Taylor for years, and just to be clear…I don’t mean some guy named Chuck. Converse has been the apple of my eye for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I coveted every pair of Chucks I saw. I had pangs of jealousy when kids rolled by me on their skateboards and bikes with that sweet All-Star logo making my knock-off Converse pale in comparison. I won’t say that I was necessarily a poor kid, but name-brand stuff just wasn’t something that was common in my house. Payless knock-offs and the annual pair of “gym” shoes were more of our thing. Ok, maybe I was a poor kid.
I guess that is how my collection/obsession began. When I graduated college and cashed my first “big” paycheck, Converse was the headliner of my grown-up shopping list. I bought my first pair of real-deal Chuck Taylor’s in May of 2000 and have maintained a steady purchase pattern ever since. In fact, I use my obsession with Converse to fuel numerous discussions in my marketing classes about brand loyalty and consumer motivation. My students KNOW I love Converse, but they also learn from my sincere dedication to the brand. I actually doubt most of them have ever seen me in anything other than a fresh pair of low-tops, regardless of the situation. I even got married in a squeaky clean pair of red ones that made my wedding photos perfect. My love for Converse is brand loyalty to the extreme. So there is my boring Professor take on the iconic brand.
So here I am, 40 years old and trying to reconcile my childhood pain with my current obsession…and Converse just keeps getting better. Converse recently dropped a killer Pride Month collection that has me considering spending the family fortune. On top of that, I know they aren’t just talking the LGBTQ talk. They walk the walk. They make mention on their website of “enabling young people to be their true authentic selves” and well…BRB crying. I know I may not be young anymore, but I appreciate the inclusion that Converse has been touting for years.
I hope they don’t mind this old professor being so into their incredibly hip brand, but I really just can’t help myself. Converse…you had me at hello. You complete me. It was love at first sight. You’re my lobster. You’re the Bert to my Ernie. I want to Netflix and chill with you. To me you are perfect. I’m just a girl, standing in front of a brand, asking it to love her. That isn’t nearly an adequate number of pop-culture love quotes, but I will spare you any further public displays of affection.
Converse is bae.
The Multicultural Marketer 