Patter - 04
Running brands as leaders in IRL community, Subspace's Sydney Marathon weekend event series & Beams' Setinn is becoming a real tennis brand
It’s been a good few weeks but I’m back with some thoughts…
In this recent issue of Glossy Pop’s newsletter it was discussed how direct to consumer brands are hosting a whole range of active participation community events; walks, hikes, jogs, etc.
It talks about brands who are dipping their toes into new models of community development and away from the older model of influencers as a channel.
It’s well worth a read and the case studies in there create a solid case for exploring IRL activations with all cohorts of customer, but especially those who are advocates by nature.
Why I think this is interesting?
Reading this got me thinking that running brands have been spearheads for IRL community, customer loyalty, and an all together, more in-person representation of their brands.
For over a decade, we saw Nike et al sponsoring and ‘owning’ run crews, meet-ups, and, in some instances entire race experiences.
What I’m seeing of late is newer running brands host, sponsor, and create a global network of active participation events and clubs. On seems to have a real tight grasp of this and not just in running; they recently hosted a weekend of tennis events in Brooklyn.
In tandem and as an example, Nike, who have famously lost their footing in runnings’ communities - RIP Run Dem Crew - are giving signals that a network of vertically integrated running crews could be back on the cards in the future to be less reliant on the influence model of old. That model is currently represented by independent run crews partnering with as many brands as possible, as frequently as possible. While lucrative, it jars against those brands themselves needing to develop loyalty, resonance, and connection on their owned channels; as such, a return to brand-owned communities is the next logical step in running brands continuing to lead the way in IRL community and resonance.
See what I wrote earlier in the summer on the likes of Nike & Asics testing out some new vertically integrated community channels, here.
Next up…
Subspace is a collective of three run crews between Melbourne, Sydney & New Zealand, who with the help of On & Coffee Supreme are staging a 3 day event series around the Sydney Marathon. It’s got everything - group runs, breathwork sessions, film screenings and my favourite bit, some really good food.
Subspace previously popped up during the Melbourne Marathon last year, without the support of On but with the support of some great local businesses in Melbourne.
Why I think this is interesting?
Simply put, I think this is a really well curated and coordinated series of events.
The creative and imagery is lovely and really tells the story of travel between these three run crews, their cities and the Sydney Marathon.
Something similar in Berlin too; with Advanced.Research partnering up for a series of events over the marathon weekend. Check it here.
& also…
Setinn, Beams’ tennis inspired and focused brand has made quite the subtle splash. I saw a flurry of Setinn gear photographed during the US Open and then, via a Beams menswear buyer, discovered that Setinn were in fact a kit sponsor for a handful of junior Japanese entrants.
Why I think this is interesting?
I’ve been tracking Setinn for some time. They’ve executed an intricate brand seeding phase, with the first reference to the Setinn brand appearing about 14 months ago. Since then, it’s cropped up during fashion weeks and all over the Instagrams of the incredibly online Beams’ buying team.
It’s not entirely clear where Beams is positioning Setinn. However, it looks to be leaning into Tennis in every way, not just design queues and sector hype alignment. I dig it a lot. It would be cool to see more brands that design and position themselves within a given sports culture actually invest in that sport.
Some links:
Read about Folk and Speedo’s new partnership here
Dora Atim talking about getting more black runners to UTMB next year and why organic community growth is so important - here
Mike, of Kicks You Wear with a run down of the latest evidence that Tennis rules the world - here