Brooks Running’s ‘Run Happy’ Brand Focus

Finishing my second to last semester at the University of Minnesota I reflect on a recent book I read called Running with Purpose by Jim Weber CEO of Brooks Running and fellow University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Alumni ’82. I found this book very relevant to my U of M experience thus far taking classes on Brand Management, Consumer Behavior, as well as Product Design. Running with Purpose takes you on Weber’s leadership journey to rebuild the Brooks brand through marketing and product management.

Arriving in 2001, Brooks had been struggling, losing $5M and was $30M in debt. Upon taking the helm, Weber announced a ten-point plan to get Brooks back on track but was encouraged to narrow it down to four. In that moment Weber remembered a powerful quote, “Success requires moving a wall of bricks forward, as there are many ways to fail” (Weber, 46). He told the board they had to achieve all ten steps, or the company wouldn’t make it. Challenging as it was for Weber to earn the team’s trust he persisted and drove home the idea that Brooks would build its brand under one focus: Performance.

To lay a new foundation for Brooks, some of Weber’s steps included dropping big name stores that wanted to sell low-end product, dropping 60% of all Brooks’ product lines, and solely continuing retail relationships with specialty stores. These specialty store employees who wholeheartedly cared about their customers would ensure that Brooks’ products were getting into the hands of serious runners who cared about fit and comfort, as well as injury prevention and high-tech performance features. “You are who sells you.”

In addition, Weber introduced a new marketing slogan and positioning “Run Happy,” which honors and celebrates the decision to run and helps make the next run something to look forward to. Rather than marketing a “podium placement” Brooks takes a differentiating position to “find your best Run Happy every day” encouraging a healthy, fun, and easy-going lifestyle.

My favorite marketing promotion mentioned in the book was the “Big Endorsement Campaign.” Weber mentions that many runners dream of being an endorsed athlete, but it’s reserved for the few top runners in the world; however, on June 7th, 2017 (National Running Day) Brooks announced the largest sports endorsement deal in history by signing any interested runner to a $1 contract and access to exclusive training and nutrition content. From this campaign, Brooks expected to have maybe 20k people sign-up, but they were astonished to find 80K+ people inked their deal.

Brooks movement in the "Running Positioning Chart" (Weber, 94)

By refocusing Brooks’ product design / management to be performance oriented and experience-driven, as well as pairing with “Run Happy” brand positioning Brooks “became the fastest growing brand in running, passing Asics in November 2010 to become number one in market share in the specialty run channel” (Weber, 98-99).

The biggest take-away from Running with Purpose is the importance of owning your product and building a strong brand. Weber analogizes this idea saying: “If you have an economic castle – and Brooks has a castle – someone is going to try and take it from you.” He says two things are needed: “First you need the right knight. Then you need a moat around the castle. And you need to keep throwing piranha and sharks and snakes in there, because people are going to try to cross it.” “The ultimate moat is a great brand, but protecting that moat requires getting that brand into the head of every runner or potential runner in the world,” and essentially matching each customer’s brand expectations. “…If you do that, the moat keeps widening.” “And what you want in their mind about Brooks is that it’s going to bring out the best in them and do the most for them, and then you can’t disappoint them. And if you do that, the sky is the limit” (Weber, 121).

In conclusion, in any role you may find yourself in whether it be a management position or you're just starting your career, Weber says that it comes after success but I believe it could come at any time, "staying humble, remaining curious, and avoiding complacency are essential [following a great success]. A final point on staying curious: re-evaluating and recalibrating don't mean losing sight of your constancy of purpose" (Weber, 70-71). Never forget why you do what you do, and what you stand for.