In the UK adidas is king and Nike is in chase down mode. If a brand can grow in the UK, they could pull fans from Jamaica and the Islands, back to surrounding areas in Europe. The UK is a vital cog in the growth of sportswear brands, and New Balance, with longstanding roots in London, realized a few years ago that they needed to tackle gaining ground in the marketplace. To do so, it wasn’t a basketball or football thing, it was growing a presence in soccer. The investment into the sport has ranged from special kits (uniforms) for AS Roma, to their 2012 investment in Liverpool. For almost ten years New Balance has attempted to become a stronger entity internationally. The results, according to Statista, is that they are still in seventh place behind a host of other brands. What does the latest video for Bukayo Saka do to continue this expansion into the world of soccer?
WTAPS x New Balance 992 Gray 27.5cm: https://nypost.com/2021/11/18/nbc-comcasts-premier-league-deal-proves-soccer-is-major-us-sport/
Growing their presence in the UK, could contribute to growth in the U.S. by association. Nike, adidas and Puma have the major individual personalities/brands in soccer, but those stars aging or locked into deals; Beckham is retired, Ronaldo has some public issues, Messi and Neymar are adidas and Nike respectively. New Balance is connecting with the next generation of stars and a continued investment into Saka and Raheem Sterling gives New Balance a subtle counter/youth culture connection to Blacks in Europe. This is extremely important as the company has been unable to really crack that code in the U.S. with the dominance of Nike. There is a long, racist history in the UK and in particular in the Premier League. New Balance is a company that has a long history of problematic racial interactions with the Trump administration and conservative policies at home. The recent strategy by the brand is either a sign that they understand the importance of Blacks in sports and fashion, or that they are hiding behind their endorsements as evidence of their support of the community. At this point, I’m simply enjoying the introduction to the sport via Black stars by the brand and I’m taking that at face value.
Sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/312998/leading-brands-of-sports-shoes-and-trainers-in-the-uk/
https://newbalance.newsmarket.com/latest-news/all/new-balance-signs-global-football-star-raheem-sterling/s/4c379b82-95b6-46ed-a286-dd6b722ae3b3
