Is Elmo Gaslighting Us?
On figured out that the secret sauce is linking brand, product and culture.
On is making a lot of noise. Soft, soothing noise. They were a hot topic of discussion immediately after the Super Bowl. I preferred to wait and listen just a bit longer. Now that all the hype has moved on to Skims/Nike (gross) let’s really look at what On is doing.
First a few Auteur Sportif updates:
Up next are three new products with two launch campaigns. One campaign is already shot and will feature some fun insight into a trail running icon.
I’m actively working on a handmade limited collection using upcycled elements. The brand strongly believes in timeless apparel and the character of wear
Looking ahead to Western States I’ll be dropping a small capsule with a uniquely AS take on the event. Get excited.
Subscribe to our email list if you want to get a jump on these launches. Email gets the first look.
Finally, I am still giving away a free year of the Coopah run coaching app and a pair of the new Hoka Clifton 9. Instructions to enter on the most recent Guest Pace post. Enter before the end of February.
Is Elmo Gaslighting Us?
On sent me the new Cloudsurfer 2 as part of the PR launch (Thank you!). I have a lot of experience with running shoes but don’t often split hairs over which are the best. I’ve run in a LOT of shoes and most of them have worked perfectly well. The Cloudsurfer falls into that category. It’s light, soft and feels crazy comfortable. Like a hug as Elmo would say. This shoe will be on my feet for a lot of neighborhood miles. I can confirm no gaslighting from Elmo.
The Cloudsurfer itself, however, is only part of the picture. I’m bullish about On because they’re figuring out how to link the trifecta of brand, product and culture. The “soft wins” campaign is one of the best I’ve seen in a while.
I’ve tried to identify with the On brand for a while but it’s never really clicked. Their mission is to “ignite the human spirit through movement”. Sorta generic, could mean a lot of things. I’ve been in mission statement meetings and the committee dynamic tends to really blandify things. Alas, many successful brands have bland mission statements so I let it go.
Looking at On’s website, they go on to define the brand by discussing things like “innovation”, “sustainability” and “by athletes for athletes”. Literally every running brand talks about these same three things. I’m still not connecting.
Over here is Roger Federer, over there is Zendaya somehow on an alpine slide? Like Allbirds before them, any airport terminal is packed full of people wearing On. They have elite runners hitting fast times and a they figured out how to spray a shoe on your foot. Cool, cool. It still wasn’t clicking for me. What’s the thread? What’s the story I should identify with? Sections of garden hose on the bottom of a shoe? That’s not a brand promise. That doesn’t tell me what the brand MEANS.
The light bulb finally came with the “soft wins” campaign. It connects the brand to the running boom, the current societal mood AND the product.
Now we have a cohesive story.
On has been paying attention to the fact that the massive growth in running is derived from a shift in perception. We’ve gone from exercise, competition, stop watches and qualifying for Boston to run crews, connection, mindfulness, joy and well-being. Soft skills.
At a macro level our world is teaming with stress, burnout culture is pervasive, we all yearn to disconnect from devices and this toxic administration cares only about being “great” - whatever that even means.
Noting all of this, On looks over at Nike who has simultaneously doubled down on its 1980s mantra about winning at all costs.
That’s a lot of intense focus on a competition paradigm and On is reading the room. People are tired of it.
Enter Elmo. He’s cuddly, empathetic, funny, forgiving and is aired in over 150 countries. He’s the perfect celebrity to take a contrarian approach and discuss the more inviting and softer side of running that isn’t concerned with winning.
On launched the campaign while addressing maybe their largest brand awareness hurdle (QC vs ON) during the Super Bowl. They hit the biggest problem first. It shows self awareness, humility and gets that hurdle out of the way during the moment with the most eyeballs.
Then they got to work telling this story across all of their brand extensions. I’ve made a lot of films and the best ones orchestrate a cohesive message and tone across the various film components (visuals, music, sound design, graphics, transitions, etc.) I see these various brand extensions (athletes, media, community, retail, product, etc) as those film elements. They all must align to communicate the story.
The Cloudsurfer 2 is very soft, like soft wins. The product connects to the story. Check!
Endearing skits with both Roger Federer and Yared Neguse. Athlete connection. Check.
Rich Roll is always having soft conversations on his podcast. He should interview Elmo! Media, check!
Bring the message to the community with runs. Hold them at On’s new retail stores. Call them Soft Run Saturdays. Check and check!
With “soft wins” On has synced their product and brand promise. Now they’re really storytelling. It’s cohesive, doesn’t feel forced and is perfectly timed for the moment in wider culture.
Excellent storytelling.
Where do they go from here? Well, despite opposing Nike with the soft vs hard messaging, On is pushing to grow their DTC channels relative to wholesale - much like Nike tried albeit hopefully not as abruptly. Outstanding brand campaigns will be critical to that success. When Nike pushed DTC they simultaneously laid off the brand work - a mistake that they are still paying for.
Right now 60% of On’s business is wholesale and I’ve heard of retailers being unable to get product from them. There’s a lot of risk here and I’m not sure which way it’ll tip. Can they make this transition or will they pay a price for neglecting their wholesale relationships? Can they keep up the brand work on this level? How expensive will the retail build out become? These are the things I’m looking at with On this year.
I found a few critical job posts that I’m sure are expected to lead this retail push:
Global Head Retail Brand Marketing
Head of Retail, Americas
Senior Lead, Retail Design EMEA
What do you think of On’s strategy?
Will this more brand-forward retail push succeed? Or is it a mistake to neglect wholesale?
Have you seen any other campaigns link the brand, product and culture so well?
Let me know in the comments.
Here’s a bonus photo of Martha Stewart wearing a Skechers rip-off of On’s classic product design. Skechers is shameless. I took this ad straight outta the New York Times. I’ve gone old school and subscribed to the NYT Sunday print edition and it is wonderful - let’s bring back slow Sunday mornings with a physical newspaper!
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The people I saw in NYC wearing On were the same types that wore Hoka 10 years ago. In London, if I see a runner in On, I think they mightn’t have a clue about good shoes. That said, I like some of what they put out, but the demographics covered in the ad campaigns are aspirational. They’re also nowhere in the streetwear space. Zero vibes, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Elmo
Great read as always!