06


Fall 2020


COVER STORY


Disrupting an Industry with an


INNOVATIVE NEW PRODUCT


—During the Pandemic By Tim Sweeney


CASE STUDY: Product Launch of the Index.01 Recyclable Running Shoe: A Look Behind the Curtain


Salomon, an outdoor brand based in the French Alps, unveiled their new recyclable running shoe in the middle of a global pandemic, months before anyone would even be able to purchase it. Tim Sweeney, who leads global communications for the brand, explains how—and why—they did it. Hint: It was a TEAM effort.


w


hen the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone in our company to work from home starting in mid-March, it


came as one season was ending (winter) and another was beginning (spring). For an outdoor brand like Salomon—which manufactures footwear, apparel, and gear for running, skiing, and hiking—it was just as our new collection was entering stores for the spring/summer season. So while many of us at company headquarters here in the French Alps were disappointed to lose the last few weeks of our ski season, it was about to become particularly challenging from a marketing communications perspective as well. Throughout the worst days of the


lockdown, with so much suffering in the world, we were very careful about how we communicated from a brand standpoint. Within a four-hour drive of our office, the Lombardy region of Italy was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering what was happening to many of the people in our extremely loyal brand community, we quickly altered the language and tone of our communications, especially in emails and social


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20