Kenny Powers is the “new mother f*ck*n CEO” of K-Swiss

Lara O’Reilly is Marketing Week’s digital and telecoms specialist and here she gives her own view on what companies from Apple to Zynga are up to in the wired world of the web.

Russell Parsons

Guest post from Marketing Week news editor Russell Parsons

In a digital world where advertisements are spoofed and marketing techniques are chewed over and spat back by a cynical public, brands have taken the proactive step (as they might credit it) of producing virals that demonstrate that they have a sense of humour and are aware of their occasional lapse in to marketing cliché (at the same time as demonstrating that they are guilty of enough but).  

Think the Jennifer Anniston starring viral for Smartwater, where she unpicks “virus” clichés, or the numerous Orange spots where hapless marketing executives insist on clumsy product references in exchange for funding.  

The latest, and in my humble opinion, the best, is by K-Swiss and features Kenny Powers, central character in US comedy show Eastbound and Down. Powers, a down on his luck former baseball star in the show, cannily exercises legacy stock options to become the “new mother f*ck*n CEO of K-Swiss”. Hilarity – including a highly amusing breakdown of Powers’ radical “high powered marketing concepts” – ensues.

In advance, please forgive us for the expletive strewn clip.

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