The Golden Goose

A brand I paid more for when there was an option for more affordable would be my Golden Goose sneakers. These sneakers are about 4 times the price of normal sneakers, but because they were a brand, I was able to convince myself that there was enough value to purchase them. The tactics I used on myself were that they were Italian made, Italian leather, handmade, and one of a kind. The way the brand works is that they only make one or two of each style per size, so the sneaker does make you feed elite and different when wearing them. By having this knowledge, the brand is able to market and benefit off of this human desire to feel important and have the desire to impress others and so they are able to charge a very high marginal cost on the shoe. Also, each sneaker looks “dirty” so the longer you have and wear them the “newer” they look. I obviously knew I could buy shoes for $60, but it didn’t feel it would have the same effect on me. I felt that this large purchase was “worth” the money.

This purchase choice did remind me a lot of the Godin theory in chapter 7 about “The Canvas of Dreams and Desires”. When Godin discusses, “marketers, make change. We change people from emotional state to another. We take people on a journey. We help them become the person they dreamed of becoming, a little bit at a time (Godin, 105)”. This resonated with me and my Golden Goose sneaker purchase because when I decided to purchase them it made me feel that I was in a way more “special” since I knew other didn’t have the same ones as me. It did give me confidence and feel a part of a more specialized world.