Brand+ : The OS For Brand Growth

Welcome to a series of insights from the Brand New Future, shortlisted for a Business Book Award. Below is an excerpt from the book, describing how Repositioning Salomon allowed them to win the battle without firing a shot.

“In 2006-07 Salomon had been sold by Adidas to a Finnish holding company
called Amer. Although it was turning over £300 million, following multiple sales
the company had lost its way, and its confidence.

Understanding these elements provided a simple positioning: Salomon,
the Mountain Sports Company. This was a clear, deep-rooted, undeniably
authentic identity. It was about moving it away from a lifestyle proposition
and saying, ‘This isn’t lifestyle, it is life.’

We moved Salomon back to their essential truth — they were not a lifestyle brand, but an innovation and specialised tech company — narrowing the pitch to broaden the appeal. It didn’t need the big ad campaign; it was about getting the positioning right and anchoring in the truth of who they were and are. In military terms, we helped them win the battle without firing a shot.”

Salomon repositioned as The Mountain Sport Company through their authority in mountain innovation, allowing their revenues to transform from £300m to ~£3bn.

Our work with Salomon involved designing a simplified logo and visual language alongside a campaign built around the multi-seasonal activities of the mountain and product development of the category-defining ‘XT Wing’ trail running shoe.

A common challenge is keeping storytelling consistent as content demands grow across channels. Brand+ solves this by connecting brand strategy directly to content production, ensuring everything stays on brand.

We’re onboarding 10 brands this year, including Salomon and N.Peal, and would like to share a quick overview with you. Contact naomi@freshbritain.com
for more information.