In season 15, episode 2 of Shark Tank, the pitch that really resonated with me was ‘Matador’. Matador was a men’s modest activewear line that mostly specialized in leggings. Leggings really connected to me because I wear them all the time, to be exact, I have 13 pairs. After going through countless pairs I have found my favorite pair are the high compression hugger leggings from Arie, so you can say I know a thing or two about what makes a good pair of leggings, a good pair of leggings. I never actually knew there was a market for men’s leggings because I have always know or thought that men mostly wear the compression under-layer and then they wear shorts or sweatpants over top. But when the pitcher Valentine started explaining why it is a good idea, I started following along because it was all the same reasons I love leggings.

The product as explained to the sharks was a modest activewear for men. The product fills the gap for men that want that feel of leggings without having to layer anything on top, and to not compromise their modesty. As Valentine explained that he was becoming a yoga instructor, and in an active setting it is much easier to not be restricted in your movements within your clothing, so to have something that feels like a second skin like the Matador leggings does help a lot. But not only for people in an active setting but also in everyday life because compression is proven to help blood flow which helps people such as stay at home dads and other professions that help you to be on your feet. Valentine was explaining to the sharks that he was looking for 250k in return hell give 10%, it cost him $18.00 and he retails them for $92.00 which is almost a 410% markup, but then that creates a decently good margin. Consumers of the product or people that are thinking of consuming the product will feel the need to participate in purchasing it because the man demographic based of the pitch being men, will see that they don’t have to compromise the feel of compression and movement no longer when they see that they can get both those affect, as well as not having to expose their little johnnies to the gym or the public eyes. Some extra add-ons to the article of clothing include a pocket, zipper pocket and a little loop to hold a t-shirt or towel.

Now based on what we have learned throughout the semester that Valentine is selling a good to the consumers. He is using feeling and experience to convey his point on why you need to buy this product. Through these experiences and explaining the feeling that the leggings create make the consumer think about the times men were self conscious about themselves but didn’t want to compromise their activities, so they just pack on the layers to save themselves of their overthinking brains thinking ‘Am I showing too much? I don’t feel stable. I don’t feel comfortable. Should I just put on the shorts and call it a day?’ which creates a connection between the product and themselves, this then creates the sales through the magic of marketing. Out of the four P’s the place is the kicker for me. He works strictly through e-commerce. Theoretically it would be a good idea, since most of the typical men that I grew up around would much rather order something online rather than going in person. But, based off those same men that I grew up around I also can see how much they spend when they are put in the setting of a Jd sport, Footlocker, Models, or a Dicks sporting goods where these stores sell a variety of brands that Valentine would be able to sell an abundance of product, especially sense he has a unique product.

All in all I think Valentine’s pitch was great but I do think he messed up when he said he has no target audience and ‘wants people to copy’ his idea. Really doesn’t come off as confident in knowing that your product is one of your own. If he just owned the fact that he caters to men and their athletic needs then it’s a starting point from which he can grow from.