Foot Locker‘s newest marketing platform aims to get to the core of sneaker culture.
The athletic retailer is revealing the “The Heart of Sneakers,” a new global platform that will guide Foot Locker’s brand’s campaigns, online and in-store experiences and community events. The initiative launches alongside Foot Locker’s 2023 holiday campaign, which features a series of NBA stars tied to top brand partners, including Nike, Under Armour and more.
“The platform is really all about celebrating sneaker culture and showing how Foot Locker continues to play a really integral role as an originator and leader in the sneaker community,” Foot Locker, Inc.’s VP of marketing Holly Tedesco said in an interview.
Foot Locker employees, best known as “Stripers,” will be prominently featured across the accompanying campaigns, acting as the bridge between sneakers and those who love them.
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“A key differentiator for our brand globally is the Stripers,” Tedesco said. “They have the power to fuel the passion, whether you’re a sneaker head or you’re just coming in to find what’s right for you.”
The new platform is in line with Foot Locker’s stated goal to connect more deeply with and expand sneaker culture. The retailer outlined this objective in March as part of its “Lace Up” strategic plan put forward by CEO Mary Dillon that is meant to help Foot Locker increase market share and grow sales to $9.5 billion by 2026.
“Our first imperative is to expand sneaker culture by serving more sneaker occasions, providing more choice and driving greater distinction,” Dillon said in a call with analysts in August, discussing this arm of the Lace Up plan that seeks to tap into different classes of sneaker consumers — from sneaker mavens to deal seekers — to grow its market share.
Part of this pillar involves capitalizing on key sneaker moments and anniversaries while offering consumers a broad selection of brands and styles. Exclusive launches and collaborations will also fuel demand.
“As our team strengthens that strategy tied right back to the Lace Up plan, you’re going to see experiences and assortment curation from a store and digital perspective that is leaning into that strength and taking us to a new level in terms of how we’re going to connect with the consumer,” Tedesco said.
As for the holidays, Foot Locker is going all-in on basketball in a new campaign that features Kevin Durant with Nike, LaMelo Ball with Puma, Anthony Edwards with Adidas and Steph Curry with Under Armour. Musician Enisa will also be featured.
“When you think about the DNA of Foot Locker, sneaker culture and the culture of basketball is really core to how we connect with the consumer and how we build communities,” Tedesco said.
This basketball push comes as Foot Locker leans more deeply into this category for further growth, leveraging partnerships with brands like Nike and Jordan to bring new product to life. Foot Locker EVP and chief commercial officer Frank Bracken said in August that court classics and retro styles from Nike and Jordan “continue to be a meaningful connection point to the culture of basketball for our men’s, women’s and kids consumers.”
Foot Locker in August reported a sales drop and loss in the second quarter, prompting the retailer to downgrade its outlook for the full year. The company expects sales for fiscal year 2023 to be down between 8 percent and 9 percent.
