New Balance announces its own race and wants to be one of the 3 biggest running brands in the country – 07/04/2023 – Na Corrida

You’re probably familiar with New Balance.

It’s almost certain that you still don’t know the current New Balance.

The reason is simple. The century-old sporting goods brand restarted its activities in Brazil practically from scratch in January. The team was all changed, and new objectives were defined. But to understand this movement, we need to take a step back.

Until last year, New Balance was represented in Brazil by Grupo Aste – an industrial conglomerate that manages a dozen fashion and sports brands, such as Diesel, Hoka, North Face, JanSport, Kipling and Reebok.

New Balance’s global operation determined a repositioning in Latin America and focused on the growth of the Brazilian market. As a consequence of this, it took the decision to change the command of the brand in the country. In January, the entire New Balance portfolio began to be managed by the Dass Group – which also represents the Fila, Umbro and Osklen brands.

The change brought with it ambitious goals. In Brazil, New Balance is recognized for its fashion appeal and for producing casual sneakers. The North American company wants to import its good reputation as a manufacturer of running shoes, and intends to place itself among the three sales leaders in Brazil. When? It won’t be overnight. One lesson that running teaches is that a marathon is won one step at a time.

The first moves are already starting to take place. In April, the new New Balance organized its first events to launch models with cushioning. On the eve of the Rio Marathon, it announced its first four athletes under sponsorship – first-hand information on the blog On the run. And the brand should communicate to the market in the next few days its first proprietary race: the New Balance Run will take place on November 12, in the Pacaembu region, in São Paulo, at distances of 7.5 and 15 km.

Below, I reproduce the main topics of my conversation with Renato Leite, marketing manager at New Balance. The conversation took place at the end of June, at the company’s headquarters in São Paulo.

Starting point

“In Brazil, New Balance has always been a brand with an appeal for fashion and lifestyle. It had a vocation for running, but without assuming a leading role. Internal surveys carried out a few years ago already confirmed this perception. Furthermore, it is a brand recognized for being premium and which, although known, was not remembered spontaneously.

In 2023, the brand adjusted its objectives and saw a huge opportunity for expansion in Brazil. And the running segment will be the flagship of this growth. The Dass group emerges as a strategic partner in this process due to its experience in brand activations, communication and store presence.”

National production x import

“About 80% of the sneakers we sell come from abroad. Domestic production is restricted to entry-level models, which are simpler and cheaper. In the future, the idea is to manufacture at least 50% of the running shoes here in Brazil.”

beauty is fundamental

“New Balance is a brand present in the world of fashion, associated with a lifestyle. The idea is to bring this to running as well. Normally, running shoes always have more vibrant colors, which are associated with high performance. We want to introduce more pastel tones to athletic shoes, and make a cross between the worlds of fashion and running.

search for protagonism

“Today we look at three key metrics. New Balance’s share of total running shoe sales, the number of runners wearing our shoes in road races, and brand recall surveys. We use these three metrics to measure our success. And, based on them, we want to place ourselves among the top 3 in the running market in Brazil. It is a bold goal.”

evangelization work

“We have a well-made product, a quality product. The challenge is to convey this to the consumer. Today we have two technology platforms: Fuelcell and Fresh Foam. energy, propulsion, lightness and speed. And Fresh Foam delivers cushioning and comfort. But the consumer doesn’t know that, and our challenge is to explain it to consumers and to salespeople in physical stores.”

Support for athletes

“One of the ways to show the quality of our products is to have athletes compete with them. We recently announced our first four professionals under sponsorship. This type of action is a way to publicize the brand, but also to strengthen the Brazilian racing community.”

test sponsorship

“We are present in global races and local events. The global ones are the London, New York and Valencia marathons. On the national scene, we sponsor the half marathon in Porto Alegre, which was our first experience at the beginning of the year. But the big news is that we will have our first proprietary race here in São Paulo, on November 12th, in the Pacaembu region, with distances of 7.5km and 15km.

The plan is to have 3 proprietary tests on the radar in the next 3 years. In other words, our own racing circuit. The inspiration comes from New Balance in Argentina, where the Race Series has more than 10 stages.”

Physical stores and points of sale

“You may have noticed that New Balance stores are closing. This is part of the transition. In the second half of the year, we will have a new concept store on Avenida Paulista, in Conjunto Nacional, which will be the brand’s main physical point in Brazil. By the end of the year, we plan to have seven own stores across Brazil, in São Paulo, Curitiba, Rio and Caixas do Sul.”