THE TASK

A Fortune 500 sneaker brand, a cultural icon the world over, was focused on localizing its brand image to boost sales in India. The brand sought to develop a more direct marketing strategy catering to the Indian youth’s needs.

THE OUTCOME

The brand is trying to crack communication that will land well within this market. They are also currently working with their local partner to develop in-store retail experience.


A major sneakers brand wanted to make a comeback in India and faced an interesting challenge. Though they were entrenched in the life and style references of youth in their home market, in India, the struggle was how to stay relevant and to local youth.

The brand approached us to help them understand what is likely to click with the young Indian audiences today to sharpen their brand image and make their designs more locally appealing. Our approach involved immersing in Tier 1 and 2 cities in India to understand what the meaning of style is for this audience.

We hung out with them to understand their unique attitude towards life; studied their footwear closets and went shopping with them to uncover their category behavior; and retail options and style references to examine their influences and influencers.

Piecing this all together, we were able to decode the presence of the brand, and identify levers that would strategically springboard it back into the game.