Saucony and the New Running Culture
Following the Berlin event, we caught up with Saucony's CMO, Wendy Kula, to discuss why the brand chose Tempelhof as the backdrop for its boldest community event yet, the ever-changing shift in running culture, and how Saucony is balancing its performance heritage with an expanding presence in the fashion and lifestyle space.
I was thinking back to the crazy, crazy environment for that run, and I was curious what went into that thought process. Like, why Berlin, and why Tempelhof Airport as a location?
Wendy – I mean, the team has been cultivating that run community and that culture for almost a year. So it was actually pretty incredible for me to come and learn from the team how much time and investment and prep it took to make that event happen. I think they did a site visit pretty much 12 months prior, and they had this incredible vision of redefining what a race looked like, at an iconic spot, but still truly culturally and locally connected. Something that could feel like a race, but also then feel like a festival.
So the vision started early. And it was an ambitious, ambitious vision. But a lot of that groundwork was working with local run crews, creating that kind of cultural authentic credibility in the space. And then obviously just imagining how you create an energetic space in such a vast location too, you know. So I give the team a tremendous amount of credit for having the ambition and boldness, to think and dream big, and then the commitment to just work the city and really create the relationships that created the energy ultimately through the week and then on race day.
For me, it was so interesting having such serious runners there and then there's me, not such a runner, and everyone comes together. And I feel like 5 years ago, that would have looked very different. What do you think changed in the running landscape that's kind of got us to this point?
It honestly is so exciting for me being so passionate about the running category and the opportunities Saucony has. We’ve seen over these last couple of years, just the explosion of run culture and there's obviously still that serious edge and like wanting to push and break limits.
But you've seen, I think, just a democratization of the sport in a really awesome, powerful way, that doesn't detract from either side. It does not detract from, you know, pushing the limits of what's possible in sport and inviting people who maybe have not been part of the sport before. I look towards the consumer landscape and culturally, I do think some people talk about it as that epidemic of loneliness, the lingering effects of what COVID did to people craving community and real life experiences and things that could be done with as little as the right running shoe, and a group of people willing to come together.
So I think that the environment was ripe for the explosion of running. I do think running culture is pushing the limits of what fashion, lifestyle, apparel, footwear looks and feels like. And I think you're seeing that happen now with events like Berlin; of being able to break barriers of who's there, but see this amazing integration of a lot of different people who might have come for different reasons, but then get to have that shared experience.
Growing up I neverthought of running as a social activity, and now it kind of feels like people are chasing community just as much as performance. Like there's people that are very serious about running, but they're not worried about time. They're just worried about getting with their run group and having that social element to it.
And what I've seen too is people come for that community element, but then they do actually start to get more into the performance element of the sport. And I actually think that's what is unique about what we're trying to do at Saucony is that kind of true integration between performance and lifestyle. And we welcome people who come in more through a community or lifestyle angle or people that come in through pure performance. And then you can see that you get introduced across that spectrum to new people and experiences. But yeah, it's been pretty incredible. And I think we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what is possible with events like this.
It's also one of the few times, I think, where you're not with your phone. You might have Strava or something recording, but I feel like running's one of the few times you're away from your phone, which I feel like is a big part of why it's kind of resonating now.
100%. Yeah, it's funny, people are even saying that there are times where they want to even release themselves from the tracking element of it, right? Truly be free, just to run, and be present. And we talk a lot about how movement is medicine, and I think running has that to offer the next generation of our communities, and we just want to be a platform to fuel that.
Has the running boom changed the way you guys think about product development and storytelling?
Well, first of all, I'd say there's certainly been a running boom, no doubt, but one of the reasons I am so passionate about being here at Saucony is the absolute deep, deep heritage and almost 130 years of running innovation, and so we've never looked away from how important it is to have quality product, always push the boundaries of innovation, and always think about what's next.
So, in some ways, the running boom has caught up to our culture of innovation. But, you know, you won't see us stop. I think there's some really great stuff coming in the pipeline where we'll continue to push on the performance lens. And also continue to push the design aesthetic because I think these days the consumer's demanding that fashion, style, and performance are integrated together. So when we look at innovation, yes, it is from a performance innovation, but it's also from a design aesthetic. And it certainly enables so much more storytelling. The spectrum of how we can talk about innovation; from innovation in how we show up for communities, innovation in run experiences, innovation in product has increased.
That's what gets me excited; the word innovation probably can touch everything that we're doing in our consumer experience, from product to activations.
Do you feel like there was a conscious decision for Saucony to move into lifestyle and fashion, or did it just kind of happen naturally?
I think it happened more naturally. Fashion has been increasingly pulling inspiration from sport, and I think consumers are seeing that. And a brand like ours where we have real credibility and a point of view, it allows us that permission to be in that lifestyle conversation. Whether it's some of our retro inspired racing silhouettes or whether it's being able to now credibly have collaborations and partnerships that have a new take on performance or heritage running. I think it was a natural extension of what we had been doing, and now we see that there's even more opportunity to fuel that.
You mentioned the collaborations. I’m curious how Saucony chooses a collaborator and a partner, because it always feels so thoughtful when they do.
Yeah, well, I have to give credit to the team, and to Jason, who I think you met. For us with collaborations, I think the first is finding that authentic credibility. Even that partnership that we have with Minted, I mean, that was built over a long period of time. And so I give our brand, our team such credit to basically be looking for authenticity, looking for partnerships that can stand the test of time, and quite honestly, ones that can bring something new and exciting to the consumer. I do think we look at partnerships and collaborations like that. Like, can we offer something new to the consumer, and can we both have shared values and try to do something new and exciting?
As you navigate moving more into a fashion and lifestyle space, how do you keep the credibility and, I guess, keep the trust of the people that are in it purely for the sport?
Well, I think first and foremost we are 100% a sport and performance brand. Like, that is our DNA and that is our starting point. So we want to make sure that we are undeniably built in sport. And so I think that's first and foremost and having that commitment to performance and innovation I think allows the credibility and authenticity to span into fashion.
So that's kind of the first filter, you know, of course we want to push the boundaries of lifestyle, and create what's next in running culture and fashion and lifestyle. But we remember that we're a brand built in sport. And if we continue to do that and we continue to launch innovative new products that are built for performance, that can really help push that serious runner to their personal best, that will keep our foundation grounded, and I think that will allow us to have permission to play in both worlds successfully.
What excites you most about the future, both for Saucony for running in general?
For Saucony, I am just so excited that there's not another brand positioned so well to lead this next chapter and explosion in running performance and running culture. I think I'm excited to kind of build on what the team has already started, like, redoing the playbook for global experiences and race formats.
And really redefining what ‘ground up’ and ‘community led’ can mean for a brand. I say that it's super important. That relationship building and co-creating with the community and creating a platform to create what's next, that, for me, is where I feel that Saucony has authenticity, and where we can not only participate in this running boom, but quite honestly, shape what is next.
And that's what makes me super excited.
And I do think there's more innovation and disruption to happen, right? Like, what I love and what I want to continue to push the team on is to keep inventing what's next and new, and we never want to get tired of challenging ourselves and asking the community to help create what's next. Like you talked about run crews and how big they have grown. What will be next? How can we show up differently? How can we support that community? That's what I'm excited about.
But as I said earlier, we've scratched the surface. We've seen this running boom. I think Saucony can lead where it goes next, but we're gonna do that with those communities that have helped shape it.
