Editor’s Note: Brooks is known for its running shoes. And the brand hasn’t deviated from performance footwear and apparel since its launch more than 50 years ago — until now. Melanie Allen, chief marketing officer sat down with Multichannel Marketer’s sister Chief Marketer to talk about why the time was right to launch a lifestyle shoe and its marketing strategy for it. Below is an excerpt from the piece; head to Chief Marketer for the full article.
Chief Marketer: Why did Brooks decide to make the move into lifestyle?
Melanie Allen, Brooks Running CMO: There were a couple reasons. One, we heard from our community that they really wanted to be able to wear Brooks in more moments of their day. And as we started talking to some collaborators and talking to creators, we also heard from them [that] it might be time. And then the last reason: I think there’s just a point in time in your brand … We grew to a point where we were starting to say it’s probably time that the brand can hold the category outside of run.
CM: Following up on that, what methods do you use to talk to your community?
MA: We have a consumer research team. We call them the “Run-sites Lab.” They’re all about gaining insights from runners. We’re talking to runners all the time, so we hear it from that standpoint. We also hear it just in the field. If you’re out with runners over at events, whether you’re running with a community or talking to our store partners, you start to hear a little bit more of that feedback.
CM: What makes you think this initiative will be successful?
MA: We’re keeping it really authentic to the stories and not over-skewing or increasing the line. It’s really about storytelling about the brand and taking those key moments. So I think that’s one of the main reasons—our discipline of making sure it’s just got a great story. And I do think our creative partners are a big component to it as well … You start to see this combination of our world and their world coming together.
For the full piece, head to Chief Marketer.
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