This article was first published on Sole Collector.
How did Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, feel when he saw the internet relentlessly slandering the now-infamous "Chef" Curry shoes from his brand? He says that he was actually excited to see people talking about the product, according to Fashion & Mash.
"I thought oh my gosh, after 20 years in business doing this, people finally care,” Plank said during a presentation this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. "That is everything you’re trying to do in marketing...the worst thing in life is apathy; when no one cares if you show up or not."
Sharing the stage with Plank was David Droga, founder of Droga5, an agency that counts Under Armour among its clients. He told the story of getting correspondence from Plank when the shoes started blowing up on Twitter.
"The flurry of emails that came from [Plank] said 'This is potentially fucking amazing, we should lean into this.'" Droga said. "That’s exactly the sort of thing you want to hear. It’s not about panicking, it’s about how do you make something great?"
Under Armour athletes like Tom Brady and Jordan Spieth have since embraced the shoe, although their social media postings feel like something a brand or agency put together rather than genuine approvals of the product.
