News: Innovator Interviews: Decathlon’s Frances Sue

Francis Suejoined a sporting goods brand decathlon, two years ago to raise brand awareness in the UK. At that time, Decathlon had been in the UK for 20 years, but brand awareness was still relatively low at less than 50%.

Sue, Head of Brand and Marketing Communications at the company, said: “I have helped build brand awareness in the UK, aligning the brand across many channels of communication and becoming more consistent across channels.”

Sporting Goods Brand Decathlon’s Our mission has always been to make sports accessible to as many people as possible. This often meant people trying new sports for the first time. However, the brand also wanted to serve consumers beyond the entry-level, so it changed its message to focus on “moving people through the joy and greatness of sport.”

“I run marathons, and that’s other people’s worst nightmare,” Sue explains. “It’s about doing what they want. We’re positioned as an entry level, try new sports brands. But it’s also built for more performance products.”

The message is now focused on showing different price points and different tech specs within the category. To cater to the segment looking for a simpler experience, Decathlon is promoting its Easy Tent, which is easy to set up and take down. They also offer rooftop tents for those who love wild camping who do it for their passion for adventure across the country.

“We pay attention to the needs of our various customers and make sure we differentiate our professional lead athletes from those who just want to move every day,” says Sue.

Whether camping, biking, swimming, pickleball, paddleboarding, tennis, running, or any other sport you can imagine, brands aim to tell stories to diverse audiences and foster relationships with people everywhere. increase. In relation to sport. Since the company launched this update, the brand has seen year-on-year growth, especially in some regions such as London, where brand awareness is now over 60%.

Brand Innovators caught up with Sue from her London office to talk about the brand’s transformation, summer sports and innovation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How are you telling these sports stories?

We are a very seasonal business. For example, we are currently planning our summer strategy and direction in terms of overall themes. We then work closely with our internal product team to explore hero product themes from a product perspective. For example, camping, hiking, and water sports for the summer. Once you have your hero category, consider your media plan from a paid perspective and work closely with your creative studio to create the look and feel and identity of your campaign. Then it will start to be reflected across the channel as well.

It sets the overall plan and direction, but each channel has its own approach as to how to activate it across channels. We create our own reels based on a focus on technical specs, showing whether it’s well-engineered or picks up part of the team’s design story. in France. We also don’t have the same brand heritage in the UK as in France, so we can focus some of our PR efforts on rebuilding our authority in the market.

Can you share an example of one of those stories?

Launched football boots. This football his boot is revolutionary in that it adds a very unusual material that forms the boot itself. Football boots often need to be replaced as the bottom of the boot begins to peel. Therefore, we developed a one-piece boot that prevents cracks. For added credibility, we brought in some of the leading football journalists to give us a tour of the shoe’s design lab and let them experience the entire design process, manufacturing methods, and boot testing. We received very positive press and started building our reputation in terms of more expensive football boots, opening up conversations with football spectators like never before.

Another product was a folding bike. Brompton coined as a challenger to his bike. The fact that the bike can be opened and deployed in a second is the design of the mechanics and is very easy for commuters.It was more compact than the Brompton bike. we rely on the media evening standardthe big commuter paper, reviews products and talks about their benefits.

How do brands think about sustainability?

We are currently doing a lot of work on the circular economy. This year we will launch several new proposals. Started rental service. We are the first retailer to offer sports equipment rentals in many sports. As well as addressing the cost of living crisis, sports equipment can be rented from him from £10 a day, getting the most out of our products, and much more. It’s quite a game changer. Many of the products that were demo or display products have been moved to rental offers, allowing you to use as many products as possible.It gives people the ability to try out new sports. Many rental products, such as stand-up paddle boards, kayaks, and electric bicycles, are expensive. It provides an opportunity for people to test it and understand if it is the right product for them.

We are also experimenting with buybacks. I am currently testing it on my bike. Upon return, an estimate of its value will be provided and the customer will receive his Decathlon gift card, which can be redeemed for their next purchase. Those bikes are bought back and sold as part of Second Life’s range. In-store workshops are also being held. We repair tents and bicycles. We do product repair and maintenance. We are setting out to build a circular economy.

Can you tell us how you think about customer loyalty and customer relationship building?

Another pilot we just started is a new membership program based on customer spend. Customers accumulate points that can be redeemed for their next purchase. These points basically have a monetary value. Further down the line, points can also be donated to charities such as local sports her community and other named charities her partners. When customers use workshop services or purchase sustainable products, such as eco-her design products made from recycled materials, they earn base points and additional points on top of her program.

Can you tell us how you think about innovation?

Sustainability is a top priority for us. Some of our team’s innovative products in France have seen things like edible gel pods that people are consuming whether they’re running marathons or long cycles. A packaged version is coming. The danger of a marathon is simply the amount of lappers left along the course that can prove to be very dangerous if you slip.

We also do nutrition innovation and tent product development. Later this year, we’ll be pitching our tents and opening up our rooftops to see all the stars in our 360-degree camping experience. We have also made innovations in yoga mats and fitness equipment that fit in flat decor and consume less storage space. There are many considerations to integrate fitness and sports into your daily life. We are developing more performance products to meet the needs of higher performance sports, such as carbon plate shoes for marathons. While they aren’t necessarily revolutionary for the market, Decathlon’s overarching mission of innovation is to make it more accessible and affordable for more people.