Julian Watson
Growing up, sneakers were just something I put on my feet without much thought. But one day when I was walking down the avenue, I passed by a sneaker and clothing store. In their display window, they had a single pair of Air Jordan 6s prominently displayed on a pedestal with a bright spotlight shining down on them. I stopped to admire how the light made the Air Jordan logo and red accents glow.In that moment, the Air Jordans went from just another pair of basketball shoes to something truly special in my mind. The dramatic display elevated them to objects of desire. Even though thousands of that same model are mass produced, the store’s marketing made them seem rare and exclusive.Beyond the in-store presentation, brands like Nike have also marketed Air Jordans as status symbols and cultural icons. The ads and celebrity endorsements portray them as representing athletic greatness, hip hop culture, and street fashion.As a young, impressionable kid who wanted to fit in, I became enamored with the idea of owning a pair of Air Jordans. It went beyond just covering my feet. Owning Jordans became about identifying with a larger culture and community, expressing my style, and having a piece of something that felt aspirational. The brand marketing successfully made me believe that Air Jordans were special shoes that could give me confidence and street cred.
I first learned about Scrub Daddy because I saw the episode of SharkTank that they appeared on. I believe that at the time sponges were their only product. When I moved into my first apartment in NYC, I wanted to buy the best products that I could afford in order to reduce long-term spending, the amount of effort it took to use something and to limit the amount of time and effort it would take me to replace things. When shopping for kitchen products, I remembered the Scrub Daddy pitch from Shark Tank. Their sponges are temperature-responsive (hot water = soft sponge, cold water = harder sponge) and have a smiley-face cut-out that makes it easier to wash cutlery. An added plus from the smiley-face cut-out is that the sponge is easier for me to grip when cleaning. Their sponges are more expensive than most others on the market, so if it weren’t for their demonstration on Shark Tank, and the numerous amounts of TikToks of housecleaners using them, I don’t think that I would have believed the sponges are worth the price tag. Years later, I still primarily purchase Scrub Daddy sponges for cleaning my dishes and home because of how durable the sponges are and because of their recycling program.