| Every brand that spans multiple decades goes through the same marketing paradox. They see an opportunity. They build a great product. They launch, hyper-focused on filling this need. They thrive. The become ubiquitous with their category. But then, their core consumers age. Younger generations gain influence. Lifestyles change. And these once-dominate brands see sales slips. Market share drops. They're labeled as dusty, dated, or - gasp - something our parents would wear. And they're faced with two options: Evolve or die. Sadly, many perish, becoming those nostalgic brands we reminisce about fondly with friends. (I'm not the only one who misses playing snake on their Nokia phone, right?) Others foresee the change coming. They age-down and adapt to what the new generation needs. Merrell Brands is working toward the latter. Launched in 1981 as a premium outdoor hiking shoe, they've seen the consumer shift from 13-mile backpackers to city-dwellers donning athleisure. We sat down with CMO Pallav Tamaskar to learn how they're redefining "hiking" to modernize the 43-year-old brand for younger generations and cultural shifts. You can listen to the entire podcast here. |
