Category Archives: Chapter 20: Personal Selling and Sales Management

Made for Walking, or Showing Off? The Emergence of a Luxury Boot Brand

17 Thursday Apr 2025

Posted by in Chapter 12: Developing New Products, Chapter 20: Personal Selling and Sales Management

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istockphoto / Mariakray

Lizzie and Sarah Means grew up on a cattle ranch in rural Texas. The sisters spent much of their childhoods customizing their own cowboy boots. Following early careers in finance and fashion, they decided to introduce their designs to a fashion-conscious, largely female audience that values both design and authenticity. Thus began Miron Crosby, a footwear brand that effectively caters to growing demands for “quiet luxury” by selling bespoke, handstitched footwear.

The success of Miron Crosby also benefits from the rising popularity of alt-country music and western-inspired clothing styles. But the key appeal that the Means sisters promise, and that Miron Crosby delivers, is the possibility of owning a personalized, unique pair of boots, crafted by hand, by artisans. Buyers who seek luxury offerings that set them apart, in a demure way of course, clamor for the chance to select from the range of colors and styles available from Miron Crosby, and then get the company to personalize their order even further. 

Reflecting such popularity, Miron Crosby boots can be seen both on the runway and off. The designer Prabal Gurung launched a highly lauded collaboration with the brand. Celebrities in various sectors—from the musician Kacey Musgraves to the model Gigi Hadid to the actor Beth Behrs—count themselves as fans and appear in various media reports wearing their personalized boots. 

Exhibiting their marketing savvy, the Means sisters have worked hard to capitalize on their free publicity, while also continuing to market strategically to their ideal customers. For example, the founders pursued and entered into a partnership with Neiman Marcus. The luxury retailer will feature an exclusive offering of celestial-themed Miron Crosby boots in its famous annual Christmas Book. At a retail price of $28,000, the footwear come with a complimentary reading from Dua Lipa’s astrologist—a wink and a nod to the reemerging popularity of horoscopes, alongside the ever-present obsession with celebrity culture, even among ultra-wealthy consumers. It’s a sort of “IYKYK” branding that signals Miron Crosby’s effective marketing strategy.

The Means now appear more focused on expanding their luxury label. For example, a third physical location recently opened in Aspen, where the local clientele offers the perfect mix of new money in the hands of outdoors enthusiasts who might need boots to trek over snowy sidewalks. This location follows its first two stores in Dallas (also the original home of Nieman Marcus) and Houston, which appear in exclusive, wealthy neighborhoods. When asked about the brand’s plans further into the future, the founders raise the possibility of tackling the very concept of high fashion and romanticizing the silhouette of the cowboy boot, especially as it exists in American history. 

Discussion Questions 

  1. As a consumer, are you part of the Means’ target market? Would you consider investing in a pair of Miron Crosby boots? What makes them appealing, and alternatively, what dissuades you? 
  2. Could Miron Crosby undertake a product line expansion and introduce more affordable versions of its boots?

Sources: Caitlin Clark, “How Miron Crosby’s $28,000 Fantasy Boots Became a Neiman Marcus Reality,” D Magazine, November 11, 2024; Pamela N. Danziger, “How Two Sisters from Texas Bootstrapped a Luxury Cowboy Boot Brand, Miron Crosby,” Forbes, October 21, 2024; Stephen Garner, “How Miron Crosby Is ‘Bringing the Cowboy Boot to the Fashion Table’ as It Eyes Growth,” Footwear News, December 2, 2021

Lost in the Shuffle: The Challenges Facing New CEOs

01 Tuesday Apr 2025

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What do coffee, sneakers, and airplanes have in common? For some of the biggest names in these markets, their shared characteristic is change. That is, Starbucks, Nike, and Boeing have all undergone the upheaval of losing their existing chief executive officers and bringing in new leaders, with radically different ideas and approaches, to run things. Although still in the early months of their tenures, some of them already appear to be faring better than others.

After Starbucks faced its third consecutive quarter of falling demand—seemingly due to increased competition in China and boycotts of the brand following conflict in the Middle East—it brought in Brian Niccol to revert course. The former CEO of Chipotle, Niccol is something of an expert in turning companies around. He plans to return Starbucks to its original brand identity and reestablish the physical stores as community coffee houses. Niccol has also vowed to simplify the menu and improve staffing levels. Investors seemed happy with the appointment; Starbucks shares increased by 24.5 percent on the day it was announced.

Elliot Hill’s appointment as CEO of Nike followed a year in which stock prices fell 25 percent and revenue was down 10 percent. In his first few weeks at the helm, Hill earned praise for his strategic determination and success in negotiating a 12-season extension of Nike’s partnership with the NBA. But the real test for Nike remains, because Hill must find a way to inspire the established company to create more innovative, appealing products that can compete with trendy, new, hipper sneaker companies like Hoka and On. Nike’s ability to tap into the aesthetics of athleisure, in a way that also creates a more compelling brand image, will likely be what decides its economic future.

And finally, there’s Boeing, with its widely publicized and deeply dangerous product failures. Although notable events like doors flying off planes are recent, expert observers believe the source of many of the company’s problems actually began in the 1990s, when the company exhibited a clear change in focus, prioritizing profit over engineering quality. The installation of Kelly Ortberg as CEO in August 2024 was supposed to help resolve the problems, not make them worse. But even as Ortberg vowed to improve the workplace culture at Boing, strikes by union workers cost the company an estimated $1 billion per month. Boeing reported a $6 billion loss in just the third quarter of 2024, one of the biggest in the company’s history.

Turnarounds of big companies are possible, and the narratives of how they happen make up much of the lore surrounding the genius of company leaders. For example, stories of how Apple and General Motors recaptured market share after periods of decline continue to inspire managers at various hierarchical levels. But success is never guaranteed, and the new leaders of these three companies confront massive pressures to make the right choices. The survival of the brands depends on it.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are some other ways that these companies might deal with their declining sales? Would a strategy suggested for Starbucks also work for Boeing? Why or why not?
  2. Is it fair that so much of a company’s success or failure is attributed to the CEO?

Sources: Allison Morrow, “Why Nike, Starbucks and Boeing Have Lost Their Magic,” CNN, October 25, 2024; Hope King, “New Leaders at Boeing, Starbucks and Nike Face Similar Problems,” AXIOS, October 23, 2024; “How Vital Is a Company’s CEO?” BBC, November 27, 2024

How Detroit Army Became the Unofficial Uniform of Detroit Lions Fans

25 Tuesday Mar 2025

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For many years, admitting to being a fan of the Detroit Lions was something people did with their heads hung and a bit of regret in their voice. One of the few NFL teams never to have won a Super Bowl, the Lions suffered years—nay, decades—of losing records. Yet like the scrappy Midwestern town they represent, Detroit fans refused to give up completely, demonstrating their commitment through thick and thin. 

Consider Todd Lansky, who maintained his fandom even while living in the home of the Lions’ division rivals, the Chicago Bears. To proclaim his loyalty, Lansky designed some hats and t-shirts that he and his pals could wear to their local pickup basketball games. They referred to themselves as the Detroit Army—a collection of Detroit expats who found one another in Chicago and offered the moral support needed to remain a fan of a losing team. Encouraged by the popularity of his gear, he started selling hats and shirts on the side, developing a tiny retail operation.

When the Lions hired Dan Campbell in 2021, we can only imagine the excitement of the Detroit Army. Campbell came in with a brash attitude and a determination to win, and his success has been remarkable, leading the team to the playoffs in the past two seasons. The combination of his no-nonsense attitude and ability to inspire realistic hope among Lions fans has transformed him into one of the most popular sports figures in the NFL today. When Campbell makes an announcement or a promise, fans pay attention. 

Todd Lansky is a fan too, which is why he sent some of his Detroit Army gear to Campbell on a lark. But imagine what happened when Campbell, in a nationally televised pregame interview with Michael Strahan on Fox Sports, sported a Detroit Army trucker hat on his head. Lansky likely had no idea what his personal selling initiative would bring about: Within 3 minutes of the broadcast starting, the Detroit Army received 379 requests to place orders. A year later, it racked up nearly 3,000 orders placed and delivered.

But the company still remained mostly a hobby. Although Lansky—an attorney by trade—was smart enough to have trademarked the Detroit Army name and logo early on, he did not initially imagine it as his primary business. As the orders poured in, he quickly worked to develop a more functional website. His teenaged daughter helped set up the company’s Instagram account and coached her dad on how to post compelling content. Even as the marketing tactics they use gain sophistication and traction though, personal selling remains central to the company’s approach. Lansky sends a care package of updated Detroit Army merchandise every couple of weeks to Campbell and other coaches. These public figures frequently and voluntarily wear the gear, praising the brand’s local identity and authenticity, as well as its underlying goal of bringing Lions fans together. Other than the free swag, the Detroit Army does not offer the coaches any compensation; they wear it because they want to. 

Thus, the Detroit Army might have a lot of fans and recruits, informally. But so far, the company remains a one-person operation (at least until Lansky’s daughter graduates from college and, he hopes, joins him in running it). Still, as the company itself claims “Detroiters are fiercely loyal to their hometown. That’s why it works.”

Discussion Questions 

  1. At what point will the Detroit Army need to scale up its operations to meet demand? What sort of marketing plan would you design and recommend to Todd Lansky?
  2. Is sending free merchandise an effective marketing tactic? When and in what sort of conditions is it likely to be more or less successful?

Sources: Scott Cacciola, “As the Detroit Lions Surge, Fans Flock to an Unofficial Uniform,” New York Times, January 17, 2025; Eric Woodyard, “Six Stories that Explain Lions Coach Dan Campbell,” ESPN, December 14, 2022; “Our Story,” Detroit Army, https://detroitarmy.com