Many continue to be critical of downtown #Portland but today was another example of the light that continues to find its way through the cloud we are supposed… | 13 comments on LinkedIn
Source: Stephen Green on LinkedIn: #portland | 13 comments
I tend to focus on the business aspects of the sneaker industry which creates distance for me when looking at how race and cultural backgrounds shape the marketplace. While I realize the importance of touchpoints in marketing and that brands often miss on a wide range of segments, I also understand that brands have to cater to the market currently supporting the business. In a recent post I discussed that ON has begun to land with a new demographic.
An Interesting Discovery as ON-Running Lands with an Untapped Segment
In this discussion I didn’t explain whether ON reaching a new segment of consumers was intentional or simply circumstantial. Foot Locker and Finish Line in the Memphis area have the defacto situation of sitting in a 70% Black population. Adding more of the product to these store locations should lead to an increase of sales to a consumer that isn’t typically associated with ON Running. Newness drives engagement, but if the product doesn’t perform engagement will typically subside. Right now, it appears ON is performing well enough to capture a consumer typically focused on Nike and more popular brands.
Stephen Green’s recent post on LinkedIn showed how the brand is looking to grow beyond the perceived audience. What sits in support of this are campaigns created over the last few years aimed at an underserved demographic.
While there is evidence of aiming at a consumer that isn’t exactly aware of the brand on a greater scale, a video like the one above still needs feedback and insight from people like Stephen to ensure that it lands with a much broader spectrum of people in a certain cultural demographic. Race is very hard to account for and can be expensive to take on as a marketing strategy, but to read that ON is inviting in analysts like Stephen Green is an excellent strategy and a sign that the leadership team gets it.
