E001 - How New Balance's CMO Turned Around A 15-Year Decline

What we learned about brand marketing from New Balance's turnaround.   TL;DR - For 15 years, New Balance watched its revenues decline. Consumers saw its sneakers as “dad shoes”—safe, comfortable, but uncool. Traditional direct-response marketing wasn’t reversing the trend. In April 2020, a new CMO, Chris Davis, arrived with a bold idea: flip the marketing mix from a 70% reliance on direct-response ads to a brand-led approach. It was a big gamble that took nearly 19 months to pay off, but when it did, New Balance emerged as a revitalized global brand.   Written version: https://www.thefreetoaster.com/p/how-new-balance-s-cmo-turned-around-a-15-year-decline   About Us: The Free Toaster is a newsletter for at the intersection of marketing, lending, and fintech. We deliver news, data, and insights (like today's episode) to help you acquire more customers. Sign up to get it shipped weekly to your inbox.   www.thefreetoaster.com   This show is produced by Ghostmode.co, a media production studio for B2B Newsletters & Podcasts. To discuss how we can help with your show, contact us at [email protected].