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December17januarybb L
December17januarybb L
Months of Gathering
EVENT
Winter Break Brings Celebrated Conventions to the NJ/NY Area
SNEAKER CON KICKS UP RESALE MARKET Major League MVPs Meet in Midtown
Market for Footware Fanatics is Baseball Writers Association of America
December 16-17 in the Javitts Center Hands Out Seasonal Awards on January 27th
BY ALDEN RACZ By Sean Lange
fanatics to do business in the Jacob deGrom and Ron Darling, Don
For sneaker lovers, December secondary market, where the When Major Mattingly and Mariano Rivera.
16th and 17th come as an early holi- dynamics are much more inter- League Baseball, its Swarthouts standing gives him
day in 2017, as they are the dates of the esting than the original market. journalists, and ho- insight into the private interests of these
Among the rarest and tel operations con- baseball legends, and this facet of his
highly anticipated New York Sneaker
verge on a night in job is enviable: die-hard fans covet any
Con event. Founded by Yu-Ming Wu most coveted sneakers at the late January, its opportunity to feel closer to their favor-
and the Vinogradov brothers Alan and event could include rapper Em- the culmination of a ite players a pursuit that precipitates
Barris in 2009, Sneaker Con has since inems collaboration with the spring, summer, and human relations challenges. A crowd of
been the meeting place for the buy, sell, Jordan 4 line and U.S.-based fall worth of action enterprising sports collectors from the
and trade sneaker market. apparel company Carhartt. -- travel carousels, general public patrols the Hilton lobby
The evolution of Sneaker Con This all-black shoe was initial- airline schedules, and for before and after the dinner, awaiting
has been rapid. In just six years, its or- ly only given out to friends and family lodge bookings that never makes it to the appearance of baseball personalities
ganizers have already begun global con- of Eminem; and those lucky enough to the ballpark, to the press box, or beyond with black pens, pristine baseballs, and
ventions such as Sneaker Con London, have received the pair are now listing it the revolving doors of the Marriotts, hotel stationery. As the dinners pro-
Sheratons, and Hiltons in Miami, San moter and the MLBs ambassador, the
Tokyo, and most recently Berlin. In a at resale prices in the range of $10,000 to
Francisco, or Houston. Its also the in- director must keep both the public and
recent interview with the magazine cov- $20,000. Other highly anticipated sneak- augural ceremony for a class bound for the players equally satisfied.
ering hip-hop music, politics, and cul- ers include the recent collab between permanent enshrinement in a bucolic However, there have been re-
ture The Source, co-founder Wu recount- Adidas and singer Pharrell, with the line town, rather than a few-night stay in a cent public relations circumstances
ed how in 2009, sneaker culture was, labeled as the NMD Human Races. The buzzing city. that were completely out of the dinner
still pretty small, so just to test out the most recent sneaker they released, Hu- The Baseball Writers Asso- directors control. The 2017 dinner fell
market we decided to rent out a come- man Race x Chanel, retailed at $1,000. ciation of America, which awards the on the day after President Trumps in-
dy club in Times Square. At that event With the release being extremely limited, MLBs major accolades for every sea- auguration; and the ensuing Womens
there were roughly 600 people, vendors resellers have estimated that the shoe will son and votes on the new Hall of Fame March in Manhattan on that Saturday
included. But at this years convention, be priced around $28,000. classes, has held a afternoon poured
Other extremely popu- black-tie banquet 400,000 demon-
the Sneaker Con founders are expect-
each January since strators down 42nd
ing a crowd of about 20,000 attendees lar sneakers that will be easier to acquire 1923 to honor the Street, which the
alone! include the Nike collaboration with the chosen Cy Youngs, NYPD had blocked
Events such as Sneaker Con fall luxury streetwear brand Off-White, in MVPs, Rookies of off from vehicle ac-
into the secondary sneaker market, or which ten of Nikes most iconic silhou- the Year, Managers cess. The protest
resale market, which is its own entire en- ettes of all time, like the Air Jordan 1 and of the Year, and to be passed in proxim-
tity from the the Hyperdunk, the first celebration ABOVE: 2015 AL MVP Miguel Cabrera ity to the Hilton,
primary mar- have been re- of the incoming mem- prepares for the dinner. with the rerouted traf-
ket that most modeled. Many bers of Cooperstown. fic holding guests up,
consumers of the models Ken Swarthout is the hospitality Swarthout had to delay the dinner for
retail prices professional that serves as the director nearly three hours.
identify with
for the dinner, which has been held in Ironically, this scenario in-
the Nike, Adi- will most likely
the ballroom of Manhattans Midtown spired some dj vu: it was the second
das, Footlock- LEFT: Human Races x Chanel
be no higher Hilton since the 1990s. At the onset, his straight year where attendees on the day
er, Finishline, RIGHT: Kanye Wests Adidas Yeezys than $250, but job fittingly resembles stadium opera- of the dinner could have walked flush
and Champs some of the tions: assembling a roster of available in the middle of Midtowns avenues,
brands. According to SportsOneSource, silhouettes, such as the Off-White Jor- players, contacting agents, publishing without care of being hit by a car or taxi
since 2004 the international sneaker dan 1 and Off-White Nike Presto, will programs, running box office sales, and cab. In 2016, a record-setting, 27-inch
market has grown by more than 40%, be re-selling for upwards of $1,000. Ad- employing security. His next duties blizzard prevented guests staying even
to an estimated $55 billion in sales. And ditionally, rapper and fashion designer more closely mimic the gala disposi- blocks away from the Hilton, like Hall
according to The Washington Post, Mil- Kanye Wests collaboration with Adidas tion, and include ordering tuxedos and of Fame-inducted catcher Mike Piaz-
limousines, deciding guest seating, and za, from trudging the snow-entombed
lennials have become a key driver for has sent smaller-spending sneaker lovers
approving the menu and assortments of sidewalks, and made hosting the dinner
this market. Americans aged between into a frenzy in the past two years. A pair beverages, and commissioning trophies both a practical and political impossibil-
18 and 34 spent $21 billion on footwear of the 750 model from Wests signa- and plaques. Throughout, Swarthout ity. Basically, the Mayor of New York
last year, a 6% increase over the pre- ture shoe line, Yeezy, can go for as high as has the unique responsibility of tailor- made the decision for us because he lit-
vious year. When sneaker companies $1,500 in the resale market. ing the dinner experience to the profile erally closed the city down, explained
such as Nike and Adidas release highly Sneaker Con general admission and preferences of each MLB award Swarthout. So neither the security, the
anticipated models, they intentionally is $25 for each day, but are available for winner, as well as of the past All-Stars waiters, nor anyone else could make
keep the production of them low, which $40 by pre-purchasing a two-day pass. If that the BBWAA invites to the event it in. By noon, ticket holders in-tran-
makes the shoe more limited, and thus you happen to have free time, go check to present the awards. Invitees from sit and guests aground at the Midtown
more desired by sneaker consumers. it out. This celebrated buy-sell-trade con- the past three years include names like were notified that the 2016 BBWAA
Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Dinner had been cancelled.
However, the first ones to buy these vention may be hosted in other cities at
Trout, Tony LaRussa, Hank Aaron, and
models arent the last ones to own them. other times throughout the year, but for Willie Mays. Dinner guests have been
A venue for buying, selling, and trading sneaker lovers there is no place better See BBWAA, Page C2
able to mingle with New York greats like
such as Sneaker Con allows footwear than New York City during the holidays.
Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Poets & Quants Ranks TCNJ School of Business in the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States www.bbltcnj.weebly.com
page bi | The Bull, Bear & Lion | Vol. IV, No viii. December 2017/January 2018
THE BB&L WINTER BREAK SPECIAL SECTION
On the first day of December, sales. Apple could become the first Falling: The courtship
some stock analysts cheered the season of $1 trillion market-cap company on among these companies
Flying: The historic tax bill the popularity of the iPhone X. fails to result in marriages,
buying and benevolence, and heralded that leaving the Department of
passes via the Republican Flying: Encouraged by a positive
the Dow Jones Industrial Average would Falling: Having risen from Justice oversight panel with
majority in the House, view on the tax bills triumph, having made the sweetest
breach the 25,000 benchmark by years 19,881 after January 3rd,
bringing with it a new 22% tax 2017, to 24,352 on Decem- more blue-chip companies deals this December.
end. The claims werent complete dreams; rate for businesses, and ber 11th, 2017, the market announce that they will use their
by the firing of the corporation-friendly tax leading the way for higher may have already priced in increased revenues to buy back
bill through the U.S. Senate, markets were corporate revenues in 2018. the positive news for the year. stock in 2018, a la Walmart, Bank
already decked with 434 more points after of America, and Home Depot; this
dashing through the 24,000 threshold in the Falling: The House of beneficence delights shareholders.
Representatives does not
session prior. The DJIA, on the strength of pass the reform, Falling: Concern about the
one of the most virulent bull markets to go red-lighting the principle success of the tax bill leaves
reason for the bull companies putting off
down in history, has shattered one millen-
market rise this season.
nium-mark after another in 2017. Starting
buyback plans;
non-donor companies fail CUPID
with 20,000 on January 25th and having to receive the windfall of
grown three more sizes to 23,000 by Octo- BLITZEN stock-owner optimism.
ber 29th, it then took only 30 days for the in-
dex to be lured into leaping the last thousand FROM THIS YEAR: Marketing Missteps
points.
If the expeditious agendas of joy- What Doves & Pepsis Mistakes Tell Consumers
ful investors and triumphant Congressmen
continue to dovetail in December, the Dow By Kim Tang
could be in for another big bull-run before In early October, Dove released a three-second body wash ad showing a black woman changing her brown-colored
Christmas Day. Its now upon the House shirt and transforming into a beige-shirted white woman. Although the next frame showed the white woman changing into
an Asian woman, the company was slammed for the racial insensitivity in the first transition. Previously, Pepsis ad featuring
top-guns to make investor spirits bright.
Kendall Jenner was also a hot-button topic this past April. People were upset and frustrated at Pepsis shortsightedness with
The field is set for 25,000 to be announced respect to the complex issues of police brutality and injustice.
during 2017, guided by the passing of the Dove is known to be a progressive brand that has succeeded in the past with socially diverse and empowering adver-
tisements; so the fact that the company can widely miss the mark on what appears an obvious infraction is startling at the
tax bill, and in a part, ridged in paired trea-
very least. However, while it is meaningful to highlight diversity in all forms of marketing, diversity in marketing shouldnt
ties between CVS and Aetna Health, and just be celebrated for diversitys sake. Rather, companies should first be promoting the inclusion of race, gender, and ethnicity
Disney and Fox. However, there are just as within their own corporate cultures and employee constitutions. Striving to have a more inclusive workforce can help compa-
nies promote the ideals they set out to achieve, recognize obvious offenses in their advertising content, and consistently create
many factors that could bring a haltering stop
genuine messages.
to the Christmas magic for shareholders, just With this in mind, it may be worthwhile to examine the corporate makeup of PepsiCo and Unilever (Doves parent
before calling the burst through 25,000 by company), using their 2016 annual reports.
December 25th. - S.L. PepsiCo: Unilever:
27% of board directors were women; 50% of non-executive directors;
33% were people of color
Pepsis Branding Cola-mity, 25% of senior executives were women;
43% of board directors were women
22% of board directors were people of color
Broken Down
42% were people of color
34% of all U.S. executives were women;
23% of its executive leaders were women;
15% were people of color
24% were people of color 46% of total management were female
By Kaelyn DiGiamarino 35% of all U.S. managers were women; 67% of total workforce were men;
29% were people of color 33% were women
19% of all U.S employees were women;
The Tweet highlighted below on the 38% were people of color
right is just one example of a fearless consumer
who was unafraid to express his sarcastic discon- Beyond statistics, the differences among the language used in each report underscore each companys degree of
tent with a brand. Consumers understand when a emphasis. A quick keyword search in PepsiCos report shows that diversity appears three times; the same search in
brands image does not match the values set forth Unilevers report yields twelve results, four times PepsiCos mark. Furthermore, Unilevers discussion of diversity goes
and as a result, are left confused and disappoint- beyond just stating that they strive for it, and provides in-depth explanations and information about the steps the company is
ed in the company. Crises in corporations largely taking to be more diverse. It also includes a hyperlink to their Board Diversity policy. See Dove, Page C2
affect consumers trust in the organization, and
thus their loyalty to the brand itself. wide-reaching, with an overall consumer opinion that it was tone-deaf, be- criticism, but rather the appearance of a celebrity figure.
In early April, PepsiCo released a littling, and ignorant. The commercial brought to the screen complex issues The commercial addresses current political topics relevant to
two-minute commercial spot featuring Kendall such as police brutality, LGBTQ+ rights, and ethnic, religious, and foreign average American citizens. To convey a message that appeals
Jenner. It sparked immediate controversy because community coexistence with an air of simplicity. Similar to how one can to the average citizen, there needs to be an average person
it appeared that the company was belittling the extend an olive branch cast as the protagonist. Pepsis commercial portrays an
United States political differences. Pepsi pulled as a symbol of peace, the image of a misrepresented population looking for their
its commercial from YouTube within 24 hours of Pepsi can passed from the So we should just give Putin & Assad & voices to be heard through protest. Adding a celebrity
being published. hands of Kendall Jenner Trump a can of Pepsi & everything will to the cast created a disconnect because Kendall Jenner
The commercial begins with snapshots to the police officer is not underprivileged, and the resulting dissonance left
of a violinist, a photographer, and a crowd of initiated reconciliation
be fine? consumers confused about the PepsiCo brand and de-
protesters. Each character is frustrated, and ulti- between the parties. In creased, rather than increased, brand identity and trust.
mately joins together in the protest. The camera that way, it appeared that This sense of tunnel vision resulted in the creation
then reveals Kendall in the midst of a photo Pepsi was offering its product as a quick fix to American differences. of content that produced intense backlash. Marketing Week
shoot, intently modeling and unfazed by the The Pepsi beverage has few distinguishable attributes from its conducted a poll of marketing professionals and found
protesters passing by. It is not until the violinist cola competitors. Thus, its consumers purchasing behaviors are highly that 42% of marketers feel that their company brands fail
walks by and nods his head to her that she de- dependent on them choosing to identify with the Pepsi brand more than to reflect a contemporary, racially-diverse, society in their
cides to dismiss the photoshoot to join the march. they identify with the competitors brand. As a brand, Pepsi tends to follow marketing and advertising. This inability to produce culturally
The commercial shifts to a celebratory mood as culture rather than lead it. Rather than curate content that becomes the sensitive content could be a result of the disconnect between
Kendall immerses herself into the crowd and reason people begin buzzing about a topic, Pepsi synthesizes preexisting desired brand identity, and actual brand reputation. Pepsi
hands a Pepsi to a police officer, thus resolving pop culture icons into its content. missed the mark because it failed in seeing how its consumers
the unspecified conflict. Pepsi cast Kendall Jenner as the celebrity protagonist for its com- actually perceived its brand.
Criticism of the Pepsi commercial was mercial. However, it is not the appearance of Kendall Jenner that brought
Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Poets & Quants Ranks TCNJ School of Business in the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States www.bbltcnj.weebly.com
page b2 | The Bull, Bear & Lion | Vol. IV, No viii. December 2017/January 2018
THE BB&L WINTER BREAK SPECIAL SECTION
Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Poets & Quants Ranks TCNJ School of Business in the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States www.bbltcnj.weebly.com
page c1 | The Bull, Bear & Lion | Vol. IV, No viii. December 2017/January 2018
THE BB&L
Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Poets & Quants Ranks TCNJ School of Business in the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States www.bbltcnj.weebly.com
page c2 | The Bull, Bear & Lion | Vol. IV, No viii. December 2017/January 2018
THE BB&L
Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Poets & Quants Ranks TCNJ School of Business in the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States www.bbltcnj.weebly.com
page a2 | The Bull, Bear & Lion | Vol. IV, No viii. December 2017/January 2018
THE BB&L
review
Book
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
by Simon Sinek
Review by Kaelyn DiGiamarino
Contact us: bbl@tcnj.edu Poets & Quants Ranks TCNJ School of Business in the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States www.bbltcnj.weebly.com