Birkenstock Research

For our first mini project we have to make a 30 second short film based around a pair of shoes we own, in the style of that brand. As I was wearing my Birkenstock's during the delivery of the lecture, I chose to look at them for this project. I thought the best place to start with the project was to gather some basic information and background on Birkenstock, this will help me to understand their wants and needs for advertising and promotion. I wouldn't want to begin a 30 second project about the shoes in my own way without it actually relating or being true to the brand.

Birkenstock was founded in 1774 and is a global top 5 footwear company characterized by being individual in a industry that is full of short lived fashion trends. They aim for versatile comfort shoes with high quality and high functionality. Their brand mission is to strive for being environmentally friendly, delivering comfort and simplicity. Known for their iconic thick strap gender neutral sandal loved by hippies and dads, Birkenstock stays relevant through its devotion to it's core mission - crafting shoes for comfort. Now the brand has branched into more areas of comfort footwear including trainers, boots and slippers. The reason they're able to stay so successful in the market for almost 250 years in a segment that fluctuates so heavily on micro-trends is Birkenstock's key success factors.

• Authenticity - a family business with a proud background

• Business focus - supported by their core values

• Brand extensions - exploring other options in shoes, cosmetics and beds

• Brand story - constantly nurtured through their communication. A brand name has developed into a language... " : birk, birkenlovers, birkenstory, my birk.

• Content marketing - magazine, events, newsletters

• Marketing strategy - consistency and relevancy across all channels

• Retail partnership - pop up stores, distribution partners,

The brand promote their global presence through a digital strategy, they operate on their online store Birkenstock.com which has multiple language and content adaption to appeal to wider audience. The brand is consistent with what they post and publish across their different channels, being visually noticeable as Birkenstock. The brand use social media, Instagram, to promote customer education with tutorials, share influencer content and other tips and tricks. They use video advertising on their Instagram platform through 'reels' and 'IGTV' where they share short ads and brand history. Their recent reel involves 'The Next Gen' a short video ad which explored authenticity of a younger generation wearing Birkenstocks. Complete with customer profiles and breakdowns of the wearers name age and occupation. This helps to make the video more personal and relatable to an audience that would be using Instagram furthermore inspiring a younger audience to purchase the shoes.

Links from Birkenstock website leads straight to users/influencers wearing the shoe on Instagram and a link to purchase.

After gathering some initial research behind the brand and their advertising strategies I was able to come up with some ideas for my mini project. I would love to incorporate some different styles that people wear with their Birkenstocks to promote how they can be more than just a sandal, such as wearing them dressed up, with socks or as house shoes. I like the idea of a documentary style video of the shoe perhaps in the style of a day in the life, to show the versatility of the shoe. I also like the idea of doing the video as a TikTok trend, Birkenstock has success in the Instagram sector, with regular posts and influencer marketing however, the brand does not use the TikTok platform which is a hugely missed opportunity. Creating a viral TikTok trend associating the shoe would encourage people to participate.

Sources:

Binlot, A. (2019). A Look Inside Birkenstock. [Online]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/abinlot/2019/07/26/a-look-inside-birkenstock/?sh=3592f4fb4ab8 [Accessed 17/10/2021]

Birkenstock. (2021). BIRKENSTOCK NEXT GENERATION Discover the future. [Online]. Available from: https://www.birkenstock.com/gb/campaign/next-gen/ [Accessed 17/10/2021]

Birkenstock. (2021). BIRKENSTOCK | Sporty Next Gen – Intro. Youtube. [Online]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns4I_0pVhIw[Accessed 17/10/2021]

Cheng, Michelle. (2018). How This 244-Year-Old Company Made ‘Ugly’ Shoes Popular and Stylish. [Online]. Available from:

https://www.inc.com/michelle-cheng/innovate-summer-products-birkenstock-244-year-brand.html [Accessed 16/10/2021]