Send us a text

What does it take to turn “dad shoes” into a status signal? We dig into the bold move that helped New Balance shake off 15 years of decline: a radical flip from discount-driven ads to a brand-first strategy anchored in credible influencers and high-visibility partnerships. The twist is the timeline—18 months of flat or negative signals before month 19 broke the trend and momentum took off.

We pull apart why this worked, starting with the funnel. Discounts harvest demand at the bottom; brand and culture manufacture demand at the top. Shifting spend upstream is risky because you’re not just optimizing conversions—you’re changing beliefs. That means betting on consistency, not quick hits. We share how endorsements from figures like Kawhi Leonard and Jack Harlow shaped social proof, why creator-market fit matters more than follower counts, and how nostalgia can be reframed as style when the right people wear the product in the right contexts.

Along the way, we talk about patience as a competitive advantage. Most teams pivot too soon, trading long-term compound returns for short-term comfort. We outline how to set expectations for a delayed payoff, which leading indicators to track before revenue moves (share of voice, search interest, sentiment, community adoption), and how a single viral post can act as an accelerant when the groundwork is in place. There’s frank talk about the cost of partnerships, why some big-show ads won’t pay back on a simple ROAS model, and how to build a portfolio where performance spend keeps the lights on while brand spend builds tomorrow’s demand.

If you’re wrestling with the brand vs performance question, this conversation offers a clear playbook, practical metrics, and a reminder that meaning creates margin. If the show helped you think differently, follow, rate, and share it with a friend who’s scaling—then tell us: would you wait 18 months for the bet to pay off?

📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes on social media trends, email marketing, paid ads, branding, and everything you need to market smarter.

🔥 Got a question or topic you want us to cover? Drop a comment or DM us—we might feature it in an episode!

Sign Up for the Launching Pros App Today! - app.launchingpros.com

📲 Follow us on Instagram and Facebook - @Launchingpros

🌐 More resources at launchingpros.com