Product Placement is Boss...

Whether they know it or not, the public relations team for Kohl's Department Stores got a little added product placement this past Sunday in CBS' “Undercover Boss.” It seems when Belfor CEO Sheldon Yellen was getting ready to get down and dirty on the job site, he chose to wear work boots from the sportwear-inspired Kohl's-exclusive collection Sonoma life + style(R).

An opening shot in the program pictured Yellen  in his closet, which looks more like a small clothing and footwear emporium. “He likes shoes...” quipped Yellen's wife. The thing is, Yellen  has very expensive taste, preferring fine European goods to mass-market synthetics.

So perhaps I was a bit surprised when Yellen was getting ready for his first day on the job site that he chose work boots from Kohl's. Hey, I work as a Kohl's shoes department supervisor, and I know our stuff...those work boots were Woody by Sonoma. How can I be so sure—after all—couldn't they be a look alike? I can't know 100 percent that they were Woody, but compare the still frame of Yellen's feet to the Kohl's.com product photo following this post. The tan-with-red laces. The same-shaped toe and stitching. The faux dirt and distress markings. Convinced yet?

First and foremost, for a guy who confessed to having an affection for fine luxury goods, what is he doing wearing Kohl's merchandise? Woody, with its synthetic sole and upper, is not exactly Armani-quality footwear.

Regardless, Kohl's got a little bit of product placement. This is just like the incident I blogged about last spring when the seasonal Croft & Barrow misses sandal collection got some press in an AP photograph. Now the big question is, can Kohl's exploit this to its advantage? Perhaps a Facebook and Twitter mention of the product placement? How about a mini-blog entry featuring a model sporting a pair of Woody by Sonoma along with some Sonoma distressed denim and a complimentary polo shirt?

I'm just saying—Woody hasn't exactly been the most popular seller from this season's collection. It's not steel toed or waterproof—two virtues of a heavy-duty work boot—while the faux dirt has served to confuse some shoppers who think the boot is actually dirty. Kohl's has an opportunity to exploit this little bit of product placement and perhaps build some awareness for a product that, as its selling season quickly winds down, has not been the most popular shoe of the shelf.

Kohls.com product photo

CBS still frame