Interface News Reporter | Chen Qirui
Starting from August, outdoor sports brand Salomon will hold the concept art exhibition "Mind is a Bit Wild" in Shanghai and Shenzhen respectively. The exhibition in Shanghai is located at K11, while the exhibition in Shenzhen is held at Wanda Plaza. The cartoon character "Lionbit" created by artist Crosswave runs through the exhibition, and photos, videos, and installations related to nature and movement are also exhibited on site.
The exhibition does not cover a large area, and there are not many art works on display. Salomon will attract visitors by distributing Lionbit stickers and opening creative workshops. As Salomon, Lionbit, and the exhibition style, born in the skiing scene, are clearly different from the brand's traditional image.
But this is also the path that Salomon has taken in recent years - emphasizing professional attributes and forming influence through entering the fields of art and fashion.
Since the rise of street fashion in 2015, Salomon has collaborated with fashion brands such as Comme des Garons and MM6 Mansion Margiela, making the XT-6 Gore Tex an iconic shoe similar to Adidas' Samba and Nike's Dunk. This measure subsequently also affected the use of Archaeopteryx and Wilson, both of whom belong to the Amalfi Sports.
Salomon's luck lies in the trend of outdoor sports during the pandemic. Unlike urban running and suburban hiking, the recent outdoor trend has begun to focus on niche sports such as mountaineering and skiing that require higher physical fitness. This gave Salomon the opportunity to break free from trendy labels and prove his professional attributes.
But according to the financial report of Amalfin Sports, Salomon's sales growth rate is now slowing down. In the first and second quarters of 2024, the sales revenue of the outdoor products department increased by 6% and 11% respectively, with Salomon being the brand with the largest proportion. As a comparison, the revenue growth of the functional clothing department where Archaeopteryx is located was 44% and 34%, respectively.
Perhaps to attract more potential audiences, in addition to regular outdoor sports promotions, Salomon has recently launched various marketing initiatives targeting urban audiences on Weibo and Xiaohongshu, including sponsoring the Hangzhou Music Festival and HYPEFEST Music Festival, and launching a collaborative shoe series with designer brands Sandy Liang and RIER.
In the field of fashion, Salomon does have a certain say, it's just its advantage. On the other hand, it is precisely because Salomon truly became popular due to trends, rather than being tied to running as on and Hoka One One did when they first entered China, that it is more influenced by popular trends.
In the fiercely competitive field of running shoes and outdoor shoes, it is difficult for any brand to establish an absolute advantage. Archaeopteryx is also pursuing a fashion path, but it relies more on third-party platforms such as trendy media and bloggers to spread its content. The content on official social media platforms is always related to mountaineering, skiing, and research and development.
Nowadays, organizing art exhibitions, sponsoring music festivals, and promoting urban fashion attributes may bring short-term popularity to Salomon, but it cannot solve the core problem. Furthermore, urban style is aimed at a broader consumer group, but Salomon often falls into disputes due to shortages.
At the official flagship store of Salomon Tmall, popular styles such as XA PRO 3D, XT-6, and XT-WINGS 2 are all missing sizes or colors, and some shoes are even sold in only one color. On social media, the shortage of Salomon has become one of the most frequently discussed related topics.
Salomon is opening stores in China at an increasingly fast pace. In 2019, when ANTA Group announced its controlling stake in Amalfin Sports, Salomon had only 13 stores in China. As of September 30, 2023, Salomon has 67 stores in Greater China. In this context, hunger marketing will obviously make consumers dissatisfied.
And using this approach, which originates from the trend field, will in turn deepen the market's impression that Salomon belongs to a trendy brand. Even if it does more designer brand collaborations and art exhibitions in an attempt to enrich its image, once the consumer's impression is formed, it is difficult to reverse. With the slowdown in performance growth, Salomon has now reached a crossroads that requires transformation.