Sears is ready to introduce the LL Cool J Fall 2008 collection for kids. Nope. I didn’t make that up. They figure that Mr. J has influence with the parents, so they’ll buy his rags for their kids. Totally stoops.
Wal-Mart has Hannah Montana, which is a brand that both kids and Moms can get down with. What mother is going to purchase a t-shirt for her 6th grade daughter from the guy who brilliantly rapped to women everywhere: “I guarantee you shorty/ It’s real/ Baby stick it out/ Here comes the man of steel”? Doin’ It Well is an amazing track, but come on. Let’s think this through.
Sears’ top marketing executive, Maureen McGuire, is set to leave at the end of the month and hell, maybe it’s time for her to go. Same store sales are slated to be down. Plus, in May, Sears’ reported a loss that didn’t make the street to happy. The company also made the list of The Top 5 Biggest Decreases In Reputation according to a Harris poll. They were right up there with Halliburton.
So, Sears is putting its back to school eggs in a rap star’s basket who is still somewhat in the public eye, but questionably so. LL Cool J’s latest album sounds like it’s not going to break into the Billboard Top Ten any time soon. Still, LL keeps himself out there. Consider his recent thoughts on the A-Rod–Madonna pairing. He told Sports Center that:
“She needs to you know, rub my man’s traps or something before the game, you know? Rub his hamstrings, get his hamstrings loosed up or something.”
This is the guy you want as an exclusive retail partner for back to school? Really?
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