What these idiots don't realize is the fickleness of the non-runners/newbie hobby joggers they're chasing. Brooks shoes just don't look good enough nor have the cool brand cache built on years of promotions of Nike and Adidas. Don't care much about whether they support sub elites but they may end up not getting new customers they covet and lose the old ones in the process.
This is a terrible, terrible, terrible idea that will cost them money. Even Deadspin wrote an article about how stupid this is. They have a perfect niche in the market and do very very well in that capacity. No reason at all to "change" the brand. Think of it this way, would Mercedes be a better company if they started selling cheap cars also? Hell no. Not a perfect parallel, but companies should stick to what they do best.
dad bod wrote:
Buffett told Brooks, "Just make the brand stronger" when he bought them, right?
Here's how Brooks is doing the opposite:
1) They sell primarily through specialty running stores
2) Specialty running store sales people are almost exclusively serious runners
3) Recent actions by Brooks are upsetting serious runners
4) Serious runners are soured to the Brooks product and are more likely to recommend something else
I worked at a specialty store through college. I sold A LOT of Brooks shoes. But if I worked in a shoe store today, I would be steering folks away from them.
That's an accurate assessment. I wore Brooks from the early 2000s to early 2010s but switched to Nike when they increased their presence at specialty running stores and made their shoes much lighter. I concluded that the heavier Brooks were causing me injuries, at around the same time they were rapidly changing their styles and losing their way. They seemed like they've lacked direction for 5-6 years now.
moist wrote:
Runnerboy1 wrote:
You're reading way to much into the messaging.
Disagree. The messaging is backed by dollars which are being funneled away from the sport (YES DAMMIT THE SPORT). Bye bye Brooks ID. Beasts and Hansons are next. Replaced by $1 "sponsorships" to nobodies for nothing.
They’ve already dropped their NCAA team sponsorships (Iona, Furman, not sure if there were others). I believe they are also phasing our a lot of their competition gear (spikes, etc).
The new marketing ploys are like Oiselle and the like, having regular folks flood social media wearing their gear. I still think you can do both (elite and regular), but it’s more cost-effective to not pay the elites.
It seems like a weird decision to denigrate the top tier of the sport, even if the marketing plan is going a different direction. Like Wejo remarked, Nike is already doing what Brooks would like to, by reaching those other markets, and for better or worse, are still propping up the elite arm of the sport.
Am I living in the twilight zone? The Boston Marathon weather was terrible!
Des Linden: "The entire sport" has changed since she first started running Boston.
Ryan Eiler, 3rd American man at Boston, almost out of nowhere
Matt Choi was drinking beer halfway through the Boston Marathon
2024 College Track & Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion