Lonzo Ball Buries Big Baller Brand
The Big Baller Brand hit social consciousness like a level 5 hurricane spear headed by a contrarian loud mouthed spokesperson, Lavar Ball. Lavar was kind of a mythical character at first making proclamations we watched come into fruition such as his son Lonzo going to the Los Angeles Lakers. After that came to light, it seemed as if he had the midas touch which he attempted to capitalize on.
This brought about the creation of the Big Baller Brand empire which was supposed to be black owned and would compete with top sports shoe companies for the consumer dollars. The contrarian spirit was good for the brand at first because fit the narrative of the little guy fighting against giants and for african americans to challenge the sociio economic system and be self empowered. The issue with the brand is that it was a reach and not fueled by passion.
Poor marketing and production execution lead to the brand having issues living up to the expectation even though then Laker, Lonzo Ball was the face used to promote the brand with his visibilty. If Lonzo lived up to the expectations set by his dad (to be even better than Steph Curry), the brand might have had a chance. When he fell short, people soured from the brand because it all felt like hype.
Fast forward to today, Lonzo Ball officially ethered the brand by speaking about how subpar the product was even for him, especially for a shoe priced at $500. He claimed he had to switch them every quarter because they would rip from play on the court. The admission came on a wine induced interview on Josh Hart's podcast which can be viewed below.
I think this was the nail in the coffin for a brand already rated low ironically by The BBB (better business bureau) . Do you think this brand still has a chance after this? Comment below.
