Live From DMA07: Kenneth Cole Thinks Outside the Shoe Box

When Kenneth Cole first began his business, he learned an important lesson. The best course of action may be the least expensive — and most simple — one.

On his way to law school, he decided to enter the family shoe business El Greco (no relation, he pointed out, to DMA president John Greco). That business morphed into the wildly successful Candies brand. But in 1982, he decided that he wanted to do something more personal.

He founded his business, and developed his initial product line, which he then had to show to buyers in New York. Cole had two options: He could take a room at the Hilton, side by side with thousands of other sellers. Or, he could set up a fancy showroom.

The former wouldn’t make him stand out, and he didn’t have time to do the latter.

What he did have was a friend who ran a trucking company. He asked him if he could borrow a 40-foot tractor-trailer to use as a display area. Sure, said the friend, but you’ll never be able to park it in the heart of New York.

Undeterred, he called the city and asked for a parking permit. They told him it wasn’t possible — such permits were only issued to vehicles performing city services…or working as part of a production company for a full-length motion picture.

Cole ran to a stationery store, and for $14 changed his letterhead to “Kenneth Cole Productions.” He then called the city again, and applied for a permit to park his truck, which would be used in the production of “The Birth of a Shoe Company.”

He set up the truck, complete with a cameraman (who sometimes had film in his camera and sometimes didn’t), and over the course of two and a half days sold 40,000 pairs of shoes.

During his keynote address at DMA 07 in Chicago on Monday, Cole noted to the audience that while fashion isn’t important to everyone, it is often the only statement one gets to make to people during the day, who might not speak to them or only pass them on the street. Something to think about, he said, is that even if you look like you don’t care about fashion that in and of itself is a strong statement.

Cole’s shoe and accessory business has often been topical in ads, addressing issues like HIV, gun control and the right to choose. Was it controversial? Yes, he said. But it was in character with the brand and its culture.