Brooks CEO: “Running’s not really a sport....Nobody remembers who won the Olympic marathon and what shoe they were wearing”

PeteMesquite89 wrote:

I'm confused at the relation between both statements...

Running isn't a sport because no one remembers who won the olympic marathon?

1. Yes we do...

2. How does that mean running isn't a sport?

Very confused...

It was a confusing and intentionally provocative statement. There is obviously such thing as a sport of running, and there are people who follow it passionately, just as there are people who follow just about any sport passionately. What he's trying to say is that 99% of "running" has nothing to do with the sport. It's an activity that for most people has no connection to competition, either from a participation perspective or a spectator perspective.

Running isn't alone in this regard. There are lots pursuits where there's a major disconnect between the small number of elites who compete and the overwhelming masses who pay no attention to the elites and are just trying to have fun. Biking, skiing, climbing, fishing, lots of outdoor sports are only really "sports" for a small group of people. That's important to understand for marketing purposes. While there are obviously bike shops and ski shops that cater to racers, there's a much bigger market out there, and it would be a mistake to think that you can target every possible customer, or even most of them, just by promoting Froome or Shiffrin.

OP_ wrote:

OP_ wrote:

Then you must also think the vaporfly "messes with your form"?

Zoom fly would only seriously affect your form if you have a big flaw in your stride (hence my

Post cut off for some reason. Meant to say (hence my

This is really weird, posts aren't coming through in full. Last try to see if it still cuts off. The plate in ZF and especially the VF allows for more energy return than in any of Nike's competitors' high end shoes. Obviously the VF doesn't last long and you know that going in, but I haven't noticed the ZF wearing down any quicker than other shoes I've run in.

OP_ wrote:

Post cut off for some reason. Meant to say (hence my

The less than symbol does this. It's a glitch in the boards that LR has inexplicable refused to fix over many, many years.

Since when the hell is knowing the winner of the OG a requirement for doing the sport. I doubt many know who won the skiing World Cup skiers included. I can’t name the past NBA, NHL, or MLB champs and I casually follow sports.

Plus since an American didn’t win the OG in the marathon most runners here don’t care.

I’m guessing brooks will look to sell to pro video game players.

Used to be Rono wrote:

Running Times folded. But Runners World rolls on. Brooks' CEO ain't a fool. Serious runners are not plentiful enough for sustainable sales growth.

Still seems like a strange strategy to me. Convincing people that your gear is good enough for the pros seems like the best way to market it to the rest of us.

Serious race car drivers are even less plentiful than serious runners, but I don't see BMW adopting a marketing campaign designed to convince customers that their cars aren't designed for performance. Sure, BMWs are driven to the grocery store a million times more often than they are driven at a triple digit speed, but no one buys one because they think it's designed to be the ultimate store-going-to machine.

he obviously means by not being a sport by most people do it for enjoyment and not the competitive nature of sport. However even the often derided on these boards 'hobby jogger' wants to improve so might not be competing against other people but are competing against them self.

The dude who mentioned Adidas Yeezy shoes nailed this thread. The lifestyle category dwarfs the 'serious runner' category. Boost is a fashion accessory, you see.

Ya'll are crazy around these parts. Business is business.

Gonna say more people in the world know who won the 2016 Olympic marathon than even know Brooks even makes shoes

It is indeed. However to remain competitive, one wouldn't want to alienate the base. Which it seems to me he's doing.

Nobody knows the name of the Brooks CEO. I still don't know his name. I just know he's an idiot who trolls and makes provocative statements.

The Hoka One One Gaviota has cured my shin splints, plantar faciitis, and multiple calf problems that come with running 10 miles everyday competitively. Hoka's are not designed for SPRINTING and they are noticeably superior than Brooks and Nike when it comes to trail/ ultrarunning.

weird wrote:

Jose Altuve wrote:

I'm not sure he's wrong. I would bet the average runner doesn't know who won the Olympic marathon. But, to be fair, the average fan of any sport probably doesn't remember who won last season's championship.

he said ' “Nobody remembers who won the Olympic marathon and what shoe they were wearing,' he didnt say the average runner he said nobody would know that means every single person

When people are very hot and say that they are “burning up” do you think they are literally on fire? Are you autistic?

Never goIn broke again wrote:

Nobody knows the name of the Brooks CEO. I still don't know his name. I just know he's an idiot who trolls and makes provocative statements.

Here is something I know: he is more successful than you are. He also makes more money than you do. So there’s that. Knowledge!

still market performance wrote:

Used to be Rono wrote:

Running Times folded. But Runners World rolls on. Brooks' CEO ain't a fool. Serious runners are not plentiful enough for sustainable sales growth.

Still seems like a strange strategy to me. Convincing people that your gear is good enough for the pros seems like the best way to market it to the rest of us.

Serious race car drivers are even less plentiful than serious runners, but I don't see BMW adopting a marketing campaign designed to convince customers that their cars aren't designed for performance. Sure, BMWs are driven to the grocery store a million times more often than they are driven at a triple digit speed, but no one buys one because they think it's designed to be the ultimate store-going-to machine.

I don't think it is that strange. I post here and care about improving my running a lot, but I don't care at all what shoes or gear sponsored elite runners are wearing. There is definitely value in getting a recognizable name like Usain Bolt behind your gear, but when most runners don't even know the names of Olympic marathon champs sponsorship has limited value.

Running is not a sport

Racing is a sport

I forgot to put the link to the original article in the OP. Here it is.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-01-03/why-brooks-needs-runners-who-hate-to-run

Never goIn broke again wrote:

Nobody knows the name of the Brooks CEO. I still don't know his name. I just know he's an idiot who trolls and makes provocative statements.

Cue the "Any press is good press" morons.

still market performance wrote:

Used to be Rono wrote:

Running Times folded. But Runners World rolls on. Brooks' CEO ain't a fool. Serious runners are not plentiful enough for sustainable sales growth.

Still seems like a strange strategy to me. Convincing people that your gear is good enough for the pros seems like the best way to market it to the rest of us.

Serious race car drivers are even less plentiful than serious runners, but I don't see BMW adopting a marketing campaign designed to convince customers that their cars aren't designed for performance. Sure, BMWs are driven to the grocery store a million times more often than they are driven at a triple digit speed, but no one buys one because they think it's designed to be the ultimate store-going-to machine.

Look, this is driven by one thing: VC/Investor return on investment. They don’t care about anything else. To them, this could be running shoes or lawnmowers. They don’t care about anything other than ROI ASAP.

They had a great strategy to focus their efforts on a segment of the market to increase profitability dramatically. Very smart move in my opinion. Now the investors are getting greedy, and for some reason they are not recognizing the folly of returning to a strategy that was making them unprofitable in the first place. Entering that big mass market is a whole different ballgame. Foolish.

The strategy by Brooks goes beyond just not pursuing big name sponsorships. The CEO's comments are designed to actively convince me that his product is not intended for use by serious athletes. That is what strikes me as strange.