S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications (United States)
newhouse.syr.edu

Project Title: Brooks Gait Gauger
Client or Class Name: Portfolio 3 Creative Advertising Emphasis - https://newhouse.syr.edu/

CLIENT

At Brooks, we sell running gear and nothing but – running shoes, shorts, sports bras and jackets. We’re a global brand, with $600+ million in sales in 2017.

BACKGROUND

We’re proud of the innovations we’re introducing – be it GuideRails for support, DNA AMP for energy return and DNA LOFT for cushioning. As you might expect, ours is premium gear. Shoes can cost $160 a pair. Because of our reputation of serving runners, we’ve built quite a following over the years at specialty run shops (SRAs). If you go to one in your town, chances are that one of the three pairs of running shoes that they bring out will be a pair of Brooks. And statistics show that people who try on Brooks are very likely (65 percent) to buy Brooks.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

So, we’re good at specialty run shops. It’s everywhere else that we need your help. (That’s breaking in with the mall crowd. And selling online – be it our own site, Zappos, etc.)

TARGET AUDIENCE

Right now, we appeal to older, college-educated runners. Folks who can appreciate our technology and afford the price tag that comes with it. But people age out of running, and like many other companies, we need millennials. (Perhaps you know a fewJ) And we need these younger runners at a time when the running category isn’t growing. This means people new to Brooks will be switching from other brands. We want to emphasize that we want to target existing, dedicated runners. Not try to encourage non-runners to try the sport. One more wrinkle, we’re currently selling to 60 percent women. We’d like to get this to 50/50. Put simply – we need your help in marketing Brooks running gear to your peers.

MISSION

We create the world’s best running gear because we believe a run can change a day, a life, the world.

KEY MESSAGE

Your day, and maybe more, will be better for having run in Brooks gear. This is based on the insight that as we scan the prevailing mood the world over right now, everybody could benefit from a run.

TONE

Irreverent/Witty (we’re not sarcastic, but we like to laugh), Genuine, Fresh One note on wit – we take our products very seriously. Ourselves much less so. Our competitors in the category often feature gritted teeth, and beads of sweat dripping off of chiseled frames. We want to be much more inclusive and welcoming of anyone and everyone who wants to run.

CATEGORIES

Influencers, Running Communities, Social Media and Retail