Exploring brand evolution
New Balance generated $3.3 billion in sales last year and will approach $4 billion this year, that’s more than Under Armour (2014 – $3.08 billion / 2015 – projected $3.82 billion), and also represents annual revenue growth of 15% on average over the last five years, while Nike’s annual revenue has grown by approximately 10%. Since 2010 New Balance has nearly doubled its sales globally.
In recent years, New Balance has gone through a major brand evolution and on July 1st 2015 launched a new brand platform called ‘Always in Beta’ that promises to relentlessly improve, to push, to evolve and to progress by striving to design and manufacture products that improve upon yesterday, and to rally athletes everywhere, both professional and amateur, to achieve and then reset their own goals. The campaign puts Team New Balance Athletes front and center across the sports of running, baseball, tennis, football/soccer and triathlon.
New Balance entered the global football market, the world’s biggest sport, in February 2015 and recently launched its first football boots on June 16th 2015. The New Balance Football portfolio includes Liverpool, Porto, Celtic, Stoke, Sevilla as well as athlete deals with Aaron Ramsey, Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri.
The company has demonstrated aggressive growth while still keeping a focus on strengthening culture and incorporating long held values into every aspect of the business.
Having previously adopted a no endorsement approach, growth has forced New Balance to start thinking like a global brand, and in order to become global, you have to be in the world’s biggest game – football.
Joining in 2007 and leading the transformation into a broader athletic brand, Rob DeMartini will be delivering a keynote presentation at the Leaders Sport Business Summit in London (7 – 8 October 2015). He will delve deeper into the story behind their brand evolution and offer insight into how New Balance is taking on the incumbent heavyweights of the sportswear industry with vision, culture, and purpose.
To attend the Leaders Sport Business Summit, please click below: