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Brooks
Brooks are very well known among runners but their profile has really moved up a notch - along with sales - since the introduction of their MoGo midsole technology. Now that has been taken a step further, no pun intended, with BioMoGo which hits stores this Autumn in their flagship shoe, Trance. Martin Exley explains the company's beliefs and the way forward for the brand.
SGB: Could you give us a brief outline of Brooks as a company?
Martin Exley: We've been around since the turn of the last century, but it wasn't really until the late 1970s, early 80s that we developed our name with specialist running shoes. We've had a lot of innovative ideas since then that we've brought to the market, and we have a great reputation in the specialist running market.
Currently we deal with specialist running stores and sports stores that offer specialist running services throughout the UK, and we have a lot of very happy customers.
SGB: You have a great reputation for making shoes for heavier runners, how did that come about?
ME: We were the first brand to develop a pronation device to support the heavier runner, and that was in a shoe called the Chariot; since then we have developed a shoe called the Beast, which became legendary as one of the most supportive shoes on the market for runners. That's where many runners know us from. Since then, we've added greatly to our range and we have a wide range of support shoes and neutral shoes as well as holding our own very well in the motion control category.
Of course, all technology is evolving all the time, so we have taken technologies that we developed early on for the heavier runner and moved them into shoes for lighter runners, and those that don't need as much support and correction in their gait cycle. We are constantly looking at new technology and all sorts of innovations, that we can use, to help the runner in their daily struggle to keep fit.
SGB: What's the perception of Brooks as a brand with the retailer and with the end user?
ME: I think the perception is that we are a bit of a niche brand, but very solid, authoritative and very in tune with the market and what it needs in terms of offering runners products for support, guidance, neutral runners... We are renowned as a specialist running brand. We don't go in for other sports shoes and we don't make fashion shoes, we are a specialist, and that's a nice way to be perceived - everyone knows what we stand for.
SGB: How do you market to your intended end user, the runner?
ME: We market through several different means. Of course, we advertise in some of the running press and through our web site, but we also do a lot of work on the ground, going to local events, races, doing promos at running stores, anything that can attract the end user in to try a Brooks shoe on. Once they've tried the shoe on, at least they know the feel of it, and can make an informed decision. We're always trying to market to that end user and drive them to a specialist running retailer.
In some of the direct marketing that we do, the advertising is often linked with store listings. If we have, for example, a new shoe coming out, or some apparel (like our Nightlife collection which is out in the Autumn), those stores which are stocking it will be listed as dealers in the advert . This goes out in the running press, so anybody at all interested in running will see our dealers and where they can buy our product. We also tag all those adverts with the words 'Brooks is only found at specialist running stores which you can find by going to our web site'.
Quite often in spring and autumn we have promotional parties with retailers, where we do free gait analysis, and people can come in and try the shoes and get knowledge and advice. The reps that do these, all have UK athletics coaching qualifications, which means they can give independent advice to runners.
We sponsor about 100 races or events a year. Some are at a very local level, with 200 or 300 runners, some are at national level. For example this October we're sponsoring the National 10k Road Race Championships at Chichester, we do some big half marathons like Plymouth and Hastings There are thousands of people that run in Brooks events throughout the year. It is one way to reach consumers who might not already know the Brooks brand name.
SGB: Do you have any endorsements?
ME: No high-profile athletes, because we're not that type of brand and we don't have that kind of budget. We endorse athletes who are out much more on their local scene; many people will remember Dave Buzza, who lives in the South West and is a veteran runner now. He's a local icon and because he's out and about, all the runners know him and know he is supported by Brooks. Also we support Nigel Gates, who just broke the age best for the mile and he lives in the Brighton area. We endorse people like that who are local motivators and are running regularly down at their clubs. We also support our "Out There Running" athletes, such as Stephen Sharp and Jason Ward, and then we have our young, Up-and-Coming" group of athletes we help on the way up . The only athlete we endorse heavily is Chrissie Wellington who is the IronMan Hawaii winner, who has just won IronMan Australia and IronMan Germany, and who will be one of the big favourites to win again in Hawaii this year.
SGB: Having an athlete who is not so high profile can be an advantage though, as runners will know she's more likely to be using the shoes because they're right for her rather than because you've paid her.
ME: Absolutely. The Brooks athletes we are associated with, all enjoy wearing Brooks; if they should leave us to go to another brand, they will hopefully remember Brooks with fondness and positive thoughts, and be happy to recommend us to people. Those are the kind of characters we like to have associated with the brand.
SGB: How will the brand grow? It is a specialism, and there are a finite amount of shops that can accommodate a specialist running shoe.
ME: We'll work with the retailers we are working with, some of which are expanding their own horizons. The specialist running market is very healthy, and more sports stores are getting gait analysis in and understanding the specialists running side more, so there's plenty of room for growth over the next few years in our sector.
SGB: You changed the cushioning in your shoes in 2006 - what's the feedback been like from that?
ME: We introduced a new midsole cushioning compound that we call MoGo in late 2006; the feedback was very, very positive. We wanted something that would give a performance that at least matched its predecessor, Substance 257, that Brooks had used for a long time. But we also wanted something a little lighter and a bit more durable, and very importantly we wanted it to have a slightly softer feel, greater cushioning, without losing any stability in the material.
MoGo has been very successful and sales have increased since we adopted it. Going forward, for Autumn/Winter 08, we're just putting out our first shoe with a biodegradable midsole, BioMoGo. It comes to market in a top-of-the-range shoe, the Trance, and by Spring 2010 we hope to have the biodegradable midsole across our entire range.
SGB: Is this proprietary technology?
ME: It is our technology. When we developed MoGo, it's basically a chemical formula and it took many variations before we got that formula right. Later on, working with that formula, we realised that by putting an additive into it we could make the midsole biodegradable. We've offered to share this with the running industry so that biodegradable midsole material can become standard, it's up to other brands whether they take us up on that offer.
With sustainability in mind, from Spring 2009 most of our shoes will have laces made from recycled water bottles (PET). We're looking at environmental issues as we go along.
We've improved our shoe boxes so we use vegetable inks, and we use less ink; the boxes don't use any glue so they can fold totally flat; the paper stuffing has been removed and we just use one piece of card, too.
SGB: With the costs of research and development involved in all new technologies, is there any added cost to retailer and runner?
ME: There has been an overall increase in market prices going forward into Spring 09 due to the global economic climate, oil price increases, transport cost increases... So there's been a slight increase overall, but the environmental issues have not caused any price increases.
