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PROFILE - Sports Retail SGB
Sports and Outdoor
w w w. s g b - s p o r t s . c o m
Brooks
Martin Exley, UK Sales and Marketing Manager
for Brooks Sports Limited, spoke to SGB about
the company, and about their new biodegradable
midsole which is hitting shops soon.
B
rooks are very well known among runners but well in the motion control
their profile has really moved up a notch – along category.
with sales – since the introduction of their MoGo Of course, all technology
midsole technology. Now that has been taken a is evolving all the time, so we
step further, no pun intended, with BioMoGo which hits have taken technologies that
stores this Autumn in their flagship shoe, Trance. Martin we developed early on for
Exley explains the company's beliefs and the way forward the heavier runner and
for the brand. moved them into shoes for
lighter runners, and those
SGB: Could you give us a brief outline of Brooks as a that don't need as much
company? support and correction in
Martin Exley: We've been around since the turn of the last their gait cycle. We are
century, but it wasn't really until the late 1970s, early 80s constantly looking at new
that we developed our name with specialist running shoes. technology and all sorts of
We've had a lot of innovative ideas since then that we've innovations, that we can use,
brought to the market, and we have a great reputation in to help the runner in their
the specialist running market. daily struggle to keep fit.
Currently we deal with specialist running stores and
sports stores that offer specialist running services SGB: What's the perception of
throughout the UK, and we have a lot of very happy Brooks as a brand with the
customers. retailer and with the end
user?
SGB: You have a great reputation for making shoes for heavier ME: I think the perception is
runners, how did that come about? that we are a bit of a niche
ME: We were the first brand to develop a pronation device brand, but very solid,
to support the heavier runner, and that was in a shoe called authoritative and very in
the Chariot; since then we have developed a shoe called the tune with the market and
Beast, which became legendary as one of the most what it needs in terms of Chrissie Wellington
supportive shoes on the market for runners. That's where offering runners products for support, guidance, neutral perceived – everyone knows what we stand for.
many runners know us from. Since then, we've added runners… We are renowned as a specialist running brand.
greatly to our range and we have a wide range of support We don't go in for other sports shoes and we don't make SGB: How do you market to your intended end user, the
shoes and neutral shoes as well as holding our own very fashion shoes, we are a specialist, and that's a nice way to be runner?
ME: We market through several different means. Of course,
Radius 7 men
we advertise in some of the running press and through our
T5 Racer women 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
Glycerin 6 men Beast men
Ghost men
14 AUGUST 2008
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