Above is Rachel Cargle entrepreneur, author and philanthropic innovator. The Founder and CEO of The Loveland Group – an umbrella company which houses a collection of social ventures – The Great Unlearn – a self-paced, donation based learning community, The Great Unlearn for Young Learners – an online learning space for young folks launching in 2022, and Elizabeth’s bookshop and Writing Centre – an innovative literary space designed to amplify, celebrate and honor the work of writers who are traditionally excluded from traditional cultural, social and academic canons. In 2018 she founded The Loveland Foundation, Inc., a non-profit offering free therapy to Black women and girls.
I was going to name this article, HOKA supports Black women although many Black folks have never heard of HOKA. That doesn’t read very well, but it’s true and it brings to mind another brand that has done something very similar.
Latoya Shauntay Snell — a multisport athlete, content creator and founder of food and fitness blog Running Fat Chef. She has been a Global Athlete Ambassador for HOKA since 2019. Since 2014 she has completed close to 200 running and obstacle course racing events, including 5 ultramarathons and around 25 marathons.
A few years ago, I became enamored with the marketing and support of the Black community by Merrell. The genuine support of various people throughout the diaspora of Black folks around the world was compelling because Black folks in general have never heard of the brand. I understand that making broad generalizations can lead to problematic dialogue, but in Merrell’s case it was true. In HOKA’s case, it’s also true. HOKA is a performance brand that hasn’t really crossed over into the mainstream, although since they were acquired by Deckers, their shoes have changed the way running trainers are designed. The brand is also growing considerably without placement in traditional chains like Foot Locker and Hibbett Sports. Last year HOKA had one of their best years since the creation of the company. “Hoka generated $184.6 million in sales in the third quarter, a 30.3% increase compared to the same quarter a year ago. Hoka sales are up 54% for the first three quarters of Deckers’ fiscal year.” Pac Biz Times
Ce’Aira Brown is a professional track athlete from Philadelphia. She is currently sponsored by HOKA, and has been with them for the past six years. She wrote a blog for HOKA on her pregnancy journey.
While the business growth is impressive, HOKA has made a considerable effort to include Black women in their marketing campaigns. I could turn this into an article on operating in a post Nike retail world, but I need to keep the focus squarely on the variety of stories HOKA is sharing on their platform when their demographic isn’t really the Black community. Like Merrell, the stories being told aren’t aimed at selling product. Ce’Aira, Latoya and Rachel all present non-traditional women in running marketing and definitely non-traditional influencer marketing strategies. As other brands focus on entertainers and cool, HOKA is making sure to share stories from an array of Black women. It’s empowering and beautiful and within that support lies the narrative needed to adjust to a post Nike world.
It’s the opening needed to understand how to exist in retail without the easy sell of the Swoosh. Like I said, I don’t want to go there. The focus is on the marketing of HOKA. I see you. I support you and I am amplifying the brand. Use the links throughout to read more about these women. When you visit the Hoka site you’ll recognize this isn’t a new thing. I shouldn’t be so quick to state that the target audience isn’t Black folks. Maybe I need to adjust this and say what I really want to say. Black folks are not a monolith. We are outdoors, we do jog, we enjoy craft beer and locally sourced restaurants. We are educated and we love our families. Brands who recognize this have an access point and while we may not know you, when we discover you, we better see content like this.