How David Maddocks Is Putting a Spring in Cole Haan’s Step

Converse marketing all-star updates a heritage brand

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When Nike plunked down $305 million for a slightly down-at-the-heel Converse in 2003, it tasked David Maddocks with getting the brand back in the running. (He did, helping to increase sales sixfold.) And so two years ago, when the 87-year-old footwear brand Cole Haan needed a refresh, Maddocks wasn't surprised when his phone rang. After all, he was Converse's CMO when the brand was bought by Apax Partners, the same venture capital firm that bought Cole Haan from Nike.

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