I stated last year during my case study on outdoor sportswear that Black people are a viable market segment that should be catered to, but not pandered towards. The problem is outdoor brands sought to look towards youth culture which is always inevitably influenced by Black people, but does not have a long term connection which builds loyalty. Columbia made their shoe, the SHIFT, and Timberland of course continued to play with their East Coast hip-hop influence, but no brand has truly figured out just the right strategy to nail down how to reach this new demographic in an honest manner.
Actually I have to restate this. One brand is doing an incredible job of creating content that resonates, so it’s not that they aren’t reaching the community. Merrell isn’t attempting to manipulate the market. They are generating thoughtful and important content and taking considerable care to not appropriate, but in doing so they might be missing an opportunity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3dxCJK5BaQ
February is Black History Month. During this month there is always anger and conflict in the sportswear community centered on the commodification of Black pain. Sports brands release BHM footwear and apparel and that gear becomes the foundation of attacks by thought leaders and people who are insulted by the effort. There isn’t an answer for the brands because they will always be wrong in some instances and in others they will be right. The result is a collection can lead to damage so what becomes the point of bringing attention to Black History at the risk of damaging the brand?
It appears Merrell understood this conflict and they avoided the perception of pandering by moving the promotion/release of this short film by Faith E. Briggs to March. In doing so the brand missed out on a vital opportunity to finally grab the ear of a segment that would have appreciated this movement by Briggs and her team.
Runner and advocate Faith E. Briggs used to run through the streets of Brooklyn every morning. Now, she’s running 150 miles through three U.S. National Monuments that lay in the thick of the controversy around public lands. Accompanied by running companions who represent diverse perspectives in what it means to be a public land owner, she assesses what is at stake if previously protected lands are reduced and if the public is largely unaware. THIS LAND is a story about land access told through a journey of inclusion and empowerment.
In Briggs’ journey and documentary lies the root of connection to a segment through an honest introduction to pride and effort. Merrell, as they did in two previous campaigns with African-Americans, did not attempt to market to the viewer. They supported the movement. The connection to the brand is an organic approach, but this is my third discovery and the connection has failed to hit a target and gain steam. This is because Black folks thrive on conflict. (Damn it hurts to write this.)
A quick look at the Honey Pot conflict for Target and a Black owned brand featured in a campaign for Black History Month. White women were angry that a Black owned business wanted to provide a source of pride for Black girls. In response Black women purchased double the amount of products, lifting Honey Pot to a new level to counter the trolling being done by White women. When there is an opportunity to mobilize to counter White people, Black people tend to act more swiftly because there is a threat to our pride. I may simplifying this discussion by saying we thrive on conflict. That’s a stereotype. We don’t simply thrive on conflict, it just seems that a more emotional moment drives engagement. Merrell isn’t trying to create what could be negative reinforcement. As I stated last year, Black people in many instances don’t even know that the brand exists.
As I also stated last year, Black people should actually take a moment to check out the brand simply based on the work they’ve done in the last year:
Merrell’s Ambassadors Hint at an Opportunity to Capture a New Segment
There may be an inherent issue for Merrell and their inability to move the important support they’ve been showing African-Americans towards capturing a new segment; workforce diversity. A quick browse through Merrell’s employees on LinkedIn provides one Black face in the first 8 pages. A brand can do all of the right things, but if there isn’t diversity within its walls those efforts can be for naught as they simply can’t convert because the people behind the efforts don’t look like the people in the campaigns. This is a two way street, however. Merrell can’t hire a diverse group of people when there isn’t a diverse applicant pool.
This post serves a few purposes:
- Introduce you to a fantastic advocate in Faith E. Briggs
- Reinforce that Merrell is doing incredible work
- Give a call out to those reading to visit this link: https://careers.wolverineworldwide.com/
Take a few minutes to watch the video above, if you’re in the job market browse the career page and if you want to support a worthy cause use the links at the lead of this post to visit Faith’s site and show your support.
