Converse

Who are they and what are they doing?
I want to talk about who New Balance's competitors are and what they are doing. Also what New Balance can learn from them.

CONVERSE

"It's not about how old you are, but how good."
Originally the Converse shoe was designed for basketball play, but it didn't take long for the iconic design to become synonymous with the Rock and Roll look. After Rock and Roll exploded onto the music scene in the 50's, this movement needed a look and the Converse shoe fitted perfectly. Since then any band worth their salt has been seen in a pair of classic Converses.

"Celebrating the spirit of rebellion and originality in basketball and Rock and Roll."

The Converse brand has an honest and humble approach to their product. They have kept moving forward by offering new colour ways and design on the shoe. Recently they have collaborated with the original shoe designer Jack Purcell. As well as this they offer a 'design your own' feature. Customers can choose exactly what design they want on their Converse, making the retail experience personal.

Converse also have very strong ties with music. They often use musicians in their ad campaigns and have pushed musical collaborations that are platformed on the Converse website. Community ties are also important to Converse, they are opening a community based recording studio which will help new talent. By doing this Converse have given themselves a positive look that consumers are drawn to. Also the link with music will keep Converse looking 'cool' and relevant. It shows that the brand 'cares' and wants to encouraging communities and new talent.

New Balance can learn from Converse that building connections with other topics such as music can help the brand reach more people and keep the brand interesting. Design collaborations is another method to attract tier one and two consumers. Converse currently hit the majority of the tiers as they have a constant shoe design but appeal to higher tiers with new collaborations and projects.