Hip-hop star Kanye West recently entered the shoe game with Adidas, selling really expensive Yeezy sneakers to the masses.
Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins wore a pair of Yeezy football cleats for Sunday’s opener against the Chicago Bears, and those cleats ended up being really, really, really expensive.
Hopkins was fined $6,000 for wearing the Yeezys during the game, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The NFL’s fine exemption for the 9/11 cleats apparently didn’t extend to wearing cleats to honor the guy who sang “Jesus Walks.” And, not surprisingly, Hopkins is not going to be wearing them again.
But Hopkins wearing the cleats was undeniably effective. Hopkins got his fashion cred in an NFL game (and caught a touchdown while doing so), and Kanye got a truckload of free publicity. If Adidas or Kanye gives Hopkins, who is an official spokesperson for Adidas, a nice $6,000 bonus this week to cover his fine, they’re still way ahead of the game. Yeezy cleats were officially released Thursday morning (retail price: $250) and they’re already gone. If you go to the site for Yeezy football cleats, you can’t get them. They’re sold out.
That’s what some high-level publicity will do for you.
Say what you will about Kanye or his wife Kim Kardashian, but also include this: They know how to get publicity and monetize it pretty well. Hopkins’ $6,000 fine is the most cost-effective advertising they’ll do all year.
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