Curated This Week 10/24
A weekly curation of marketing and creative from around running.
A weekly curation of marketing and creative with the running industry in mind. Thank you as always for reading along.
First and foremost, this happened. It’s tragic and preventable. I don’t have answers but we need to keep each other safe and that starts with awareness and not letting these stories be skipped over by the media cycle. This issue weighs heavy for women all the time - not just at times like this. As a husband and father it’s on my mind as well. It’s not marketing or creative related per se but perhaps brands/races/everyone can keep this top of mind because when women run they aren’t thinking about how great their gear is, they are looking over their shoulder.
The SGB Media article on Running USA’s 2024 Global Runner Survey is super interesting. Some stats that jumped out:
46% responded that they train and race in different brands (shoes). Super shoes seem to be a different product category without a ton of brand loyalty.
Brooks is the top shoe for both training and racing but there is a lot of parity. The top 7 brands are between 18-8% of respondents.
87% rely on wearable devices or fitness apps. Wow. Are we at saturation?
Rock Climbing is among the most popular activities for runners. It’s behind weight training, tied with hiking and AHEAD of both fitness classes and cycling. This isn’t just trail running, this is all running. I wouldn’t have guessed running overlaps with rock climbing so heavily. We typically see running brands also target hiking, training or occasionally cycling but who also targets rock climbing? TNF? Sportiva? Adidas?
The recent Elfried Samba episode on the Uncensored CMO podcast is fantastic. Despite the title it is not a conversation limited to social media. It’s a brand/market fit conversation that keys on community and storytelling. Plenty of insights here for marketers and creatives. This is an example of an episode I put on when starting a run and the run is over in a blink of an eye. So many takeaways.
These two CD positions have come open recently.
Altra and Merrell are relatively similar in size and both sit within the portfolios of large conglomerates trying to get back to growth (VF and Wolverine). Both have sister brands within those portfolios that overlap in the footwear space (North Face and Saucony). Each has its own specific strengths/weaknesses but these CD gigs are similar situations in a lot of ways. I’d love to see them both succeed with a challenger brand strategy but neither really stand out as particularly distinct at the moment.
Here are a few approaches that I think could unlock their growth:
John Schoolcraft, Creative Director at Oatly speaking with Marketing Society:
“As the company grew however, it turned into a something resembling a Proctor and Gamble out in the field. A small company of 50 employees, but behaving like a major multinational. Looking at computer data for how to do marketing for instance.”
“Being a challenger is having a mindset of realising you're trying to change something, rather than be a challenger to be cool and help sell more product. Because consumers will be able to feel it.”
Gerard Cleal, Creative Director at Norda in an interview with Pier Five:
“The brand (logo, wordmark, colours) is really a small piece. The brand identity is the mammoth. That’s the customer, the tone of voice, the identity, the feeling that it gives to customers. That stuff is like the iceberg below the water that isn’t seen but is massively important.”
Rafa Oliveira, Creative Director at Tracksmith in an interview on Sprezza:
“Numerous new running brands have emerged, each striving to stand out as much as possible, neglecting the appeal of simplicity and straightforwardness. Instead of consistency, they opt for over-commodification, attempting to cater to every possible preference.”
New Balance is now the sponsor of the Mont Blanc Marathon. I don’t think I can recall NB ever sponsoring a trail race. (Correction! NB sponsored Leadville approx 10yrs ago, no clue how I forgot that). I’m really excited to see what they do with some racing real estate going forward. IMO a race or event like this is a prereq for a brand looking to own a distinct brand story in our sport. Even small brands can put on races (Saddles 100) or, on a smaller scale, partner with race-like events (Take The Bridge).
NB seems to dip its toe in and out of trail periodically. The early Anton days were great before they disappeared. NB is typically very deliberate and distinct with its marketing in other sports (basketball, baseball, football (soccer) and of course track/road). I’d love to see them bring that distinct NB voice and approach to trail.
180 Studios in London had Charlie Dark in for a listening session where he played specific tracks from his vinyl collection and told corresponding stories/anecdotes. What a cool way to get to know someone and explore how music bookmarks our lives. So many of us listen to music while running, I would love an event where someone curates songs and tells stories of how the songs tie into their running life. “This track brings me back to X marathon in X year when this happened to me and running meant this to me.” That’s an event I’d attend. I know Des Linden has a solid vinyl collection. Let’s make it happen.
The Portland Trail Blazers did a cool thing to broadcast their games over the air, skipping past the paywalls that keep local fans from watching. What an awesome way to break the mold and show your local community how much you care about them. Bravo.
Local Hoops is a lifestyle brand focused on spreading the love of basketball. They’ve created some really cool apparel and artistic basketballs. They also support local basketball communities with court renovations and events for adults and kids - a really cool value-driven approach that focuses on lifting up each community around the sport.
Tabisuke Tabizo is a running apparel brand out of Japan. The product design is simple and clean and their packs are gorgeous. I’d love to see the brand tell their story in ways that extend beyond product as well. I’m a big fan.
I’ll leave you with some perspective to motivate you to take that leap and put your ideas into the world. Get after it. Create things. No fear.
Go to read for all brand/marketing related thinking!
Always well written