Portland Business Journal reporterDemi Lawrencedigs into the running club landscape across Portland to explore the marketing opportunities that their meetups create for footwear and apparel companies. Pamplin School of Business’ Professor of Marketing, Dr. Ian Parkman, provides some insight.
How Portland’s run clubs have become brand marketing opportunities
By Demi Lawrence – Staff Reporter, Portland Business Journal
“As smaller companies like Hoka, On and Brooks vie for market share with legacy brands like Nike and Adidas, run clubs now serve as a neutral space for runners to try new brands and for brands to form connections with customers through outreach like Sobotka’s.
We wanna be like Mike, that’s what advertising and marketing used to be. ‘Show me the best athletes wearing the product,’” said Ian Parkman, a marketing professor at the University of Portland. “But now, I don’t know if consumers care that Steve Prefontaine wore a shoe in the same way that people in the past did...'”
