Redefining a Fresh Image for a 120-Year-Old Brand

Visual via Chat GBT

A few weeks back, I previewed a great video by Forbes about the marketing masterclass by a nearly 120-year-old clothing and sneaker maker, New Balance. With the 2025-26 NBA season tipping off and the World Series first pitch on Friday in Toronto, a look at perceptions and brand marketing in sports seems appropriate.

For decades, New Balance was the quintessential official footwear of dads everywhere. They were the kind of shoes that you’d wear on the sidelines or bleachers of your kids soccer, lacrosse or baseball game, or while mowing the lawn. I certainly heard a few snide remarks from our kids. So much so, that I put a pair in the garage, with the intent to use as a backup in case of emergency.

Well, something radical has now happened, as New Balance’s customer base is now overflowing with Gen Z sneakerheads, influencers, fashion models, young athletes, in addition to dear old dad. But how did this happen?

New Balance made the bold wager to amp up their image, with the hopes of appealing to a wider audience, and it worked! Their marketing team flipped what was a stereotype about who and what they were and instead of just abandoning their loyal “dad” customer base, they leaned into it and created a much bigger tent.

They signed a bevy of 2025’s most talked about and visible athletes: 18 year old Dallas Mavericks forward & former Duke All-American Cooper Flagg, 21 year old American tennis superstar and 2025 French Open Champion Coco Gauff and once in a century baseball talent Shohei Ohtani who the only real argument about is, if he is more talented as hitter (55 home runs in 2025) or a pitcher (167 strikeouts in the 2023 season) for the 2024 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Coco CG2 has some dad shoe vibe – but it’s something that a tennis champion like Coco Gauff can dominate the court in. The Ohtani 1 training sneaker sold out in almost every size online in less than one day, while the new Cooper Flagg x Hesi Low v2, will debut October 22, 2025 with high expectations.

Across a wide product lineup, they made the uncool cool again and suddenly people are scrambling to get their hands on pairs. New Balance also didn’t trade in its soul or heritage just to chase the hype train. They didn’t try to be Nike or Adidas; they doubled down on being New Balance.

The storytelling by Forbes truly makes this case study shine, dissecting exactly how a brand can turn perception into performance.

Over the years, I have been known to call and compliment a journalist whose adjectives came to life in the words they wrote or spoke to their audiences. I also like to use the phrase, ‘turning perception into reality’ for various clients and their important audiences.

Kudos to both the Forbes and New Balance team for the radical reimagination they served us after all these years, and for providing dads with a new reason to walk or run proudly in their old-is-new-again kicks.