Converse In Search Of 'Iconic Status'

Converse wants the winner of its estimated $5 million account to create a TV and print campaign that reinforces the “iconic status of the Chuck Taylor brand,” increases Converse’s relevance to sports and consumers’ lifestyles, and rebuilds its “legitimacy” in the performance-basketball category, according to the RFP.

According to the questionnaire sent out by Converse director of brand development Erick Soderstrom, “The brand has not reconnected to consumers in the performance-basketball category, a key objective in developing a strong business over time.”

A subsidiary of Nike since September, Converse will hear pitches from at least three finalists, sources said, including MDC Partners-backed Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners and independent Mother, both in New York, and independent Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners in Sausalito, Calif.,