Sarah Blakely built an empire with Spanx, a name that snaps with energy. But her new high-heeled sneaker line, Sneex? Let’s just say… we think it sux.
Does This Brand Suck… Sneex?
Why? Because it’s a little too sneaky. A name should tell you something about WHY you need the product, and this one misses the stilleto point. Watch this tellthetruths video to see whether you agree!
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Hey guys, it’s Rebeca with BrandTrue with a “Does This Name Suck?” We’re going to talk about a brand called Sneex. I wrote about it on LinkedIn a few months ago and people lost their minds. We got into a lot of discussions, so I knew I wanted to make a video about it. In a nutshell, does it suck? S-N-E-E-X. Yes, it sux. S-U-X. I couldn’t resist it. It has some things going for it. It is something of a mixed bag, but it ends up in the “sucks” column, and I’ll explain why.
So first of all, it comes from Sarah Blakely, the entrepreneur who brought us Spanx, and she was hugely successful with that. One of the first self-made billionaire women in the United States or anywhere. And the name is clearly trying to build on that, having the X at the end, but I think that that’s the tail wagging the dog because it’s a very different concept. It’s a high-heeled sneaker. And the name Sneex doesn’t tell me it’s a high-heeled sneaker. It tells me it’s a sneaker, so I guess that’s got it going for it. But it tells me more sneaking than sneaker-ing. And so that’s confusing. It’s also spelled E-E, not E-A, because there’s somebody else doing, like, sneaker cleaners and sneaker protectors. And so that slight spelling change, I don’t think it’s enough. I think they’re right on top of another name, which is not a good thing.
I also think that, you know, what’s the problem we’re trying to solve here? Why would you have a high-heeled sneaker? High heels are beautiful. Sneakers can be very beautiful as sneakers. If you make a sneaker into a high heel, I, as a woman who likes both, can’t help but think it’s to make it more comfortable. It doesn’t make it more beautiful. I mean, like, look at them, it’s a crime. I mean, what is that? Look at that one. What the heck? And so this ugly-looking thing, I think the only way you’re going to sell it, as bad as it looks, is if you somehow convey that, “Oh, you can run in it. Oh, it doesn’t hurt like hell like most high heels.” And the name just doesn’t get me there. I think it becomes, like, a mishmash. And so, no. That’s what I think. Let me know what you think. Thanks. Bye!
