The well-known sunglasses brand that onboarded Deion Sanders early this year has been swamped like never before. The response – in terms of sales, phone calls, and emails – has significantly heightened ever since a contrasting football coach from Colorado State criticized Sanders’ habit of speaking to adults while wearing a hat and shades.
The irony is that this criticism served as a valuable business boost for Sanders and the eyewear company. Sanders humorously quipped his critics saying, “They don’t understand they just facilitated my business expansion.”
Fascinating Timing and Promotions
This positively conspicuous timing, almost theatrical in its nature, appears staged, yet it wasn’t. Head Coach Sanders from Colorado is preparing to play host to Colorado State on the awaited Saturday night ESPN feature. Perhaps even more intriguing is the fact that Sanders had also scheduled the official launch of a novel range of sunglasses with Blenders, a company based by the beach, within the same week.
The partnership offers an intriguing insight into Sanders’ rather pragmatic yet personal approach towards business – he aligns his personal brand with the product he favors, leading to an effortless sales drive. The criticism about his eyewear usage has only sparked the sales surge even further, as curious customers turn to Google in their quest to discover the brand he endorses.
Deion Sanders’ notable Shade Affinity
Sanders possesses an unparalleled affinity towards sporting sunglasses. Unsurprisingly, the critics haven’t been able to resist expressing annoyance at Sanders. His unique style and success often trigger a sense of envy among his peers.
Sanders, aged 56, is often sighted sporting shades, a hat, or both while giving public addresses or interviews.
Sanders has been a consistent figure in the spotlight for his distinctive sunglasses style for years now, with clear instances dating back to as early as 1989 when he donned “Python” frames from French designer Emmanuelle Khanh during his appearance as the No. 5 draft pick in the NFL draft.
Over the ensuing years, his preferences have shown some variations, and his choice has not always been restricted to one particular label. Earlier this year, he was captured flaunting sunglasses by Gucci and Jacques Marie Mage in a featured article and photoshoot published by GQ magazine. He has also been seen sporting stylish shades from a unique brand hailing from Australia, named TWO SVGE, and even wore them for a KFC family commercial.
The Coach Prime’s ‘Marketing Machine’
Come October, the signature “Coach Prime” Blenders sunglasses will be officially launched in gold and black hues, both symbolizing Sanders’ home team, the Buffaloes. Though not yet available in stock, these shades have opened for pre-order.
The formal declaration of this partnership came on Friday, accompanied by the news that Blenders will officially serve as the exclusive eyewear partner for CU Athletics.
Sanders commemorated this moment by gifting pairs of these signature shades to his team during a meeting. “Not only are we going to prevail on the field because it’s personal, but it will also be enjoyable,” Sanders assertively told his team, as shared on his Instagram account. Adding that, “When I mention business, I mean Blenders. With Blenders, I produce a line of unique sunglasses…So, unintentionally, they (Colorado State University) have contributed to my business profits.”
Blenders’ CEO Fisher revealed that they had to expedite the production of 150 sunglasses to fulfill Sanders’ pledge to his team, which proved to be quite a challenge taking into account that these shades are manufactured overseas and are still not readily available in the U.S. Nevertheless, the company has experienced an unprecedented internet breaking response, ultimately proving the incident to be a brilliant business boost.
