Skechers is going to learn a hard lesson on Super Bowl Sunday. That is, that Mark Cuban is not Kim Kardashian. I know that's shocking for most of you, so I'll give you a second to digest the news. 

According to Bruce Horovitz of USA Today, Skechers is not going to use Kardashian for their Super Bowl commercial this year. Instead, they are going to have a commercial involving a dog training for a race, with an appearance from Cuban. 

From a business perspective, it's hard to see this as a good move. According to Horovitz, Skechers have four-times as many Facebook followers as they did a year ago, which they largely attribute to Kardashian's commercial in Super Bowl XLV. 

Like Kardashian, Cuban does bring his fair share of baggage. It's undeniable that he's had success as an NBA owner, but he's also ruffled some feathers.

According to an ABC News report in 2006, Cuban had accumulated $1,665,000 worth of fines from the NBA. That was in 2006. That number has gone up. 

What that shows is that there's a polarizing element to him, just like there is with Kardashian. From Skechers' perspective, this comes down to a tale of the tape. 

Kardashian is polarizing, certainly not loved by all. She carries a high profile and offers notoriety as well. Meanwhile, in Cuban, you have a trimmed down version of that. He's not as high profile, so he's not as disliked overall, but he also doesn't have as much notoriety working for him.

There's also one other thing that Kardashian has over Cuban. Of course, this is a matter of personal taste, but Kardashian is a little better on the eyes, which tends to be a big factor in these things.

Skechers has every right to put whoever they want into their commercials. However, this is a decision that they're going to come to regret. Cuban will not raise their profile in the same way that Kardashian did. 

 

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