What If Everybody Ran? Mizuno Running Social Media Monitoring: Part Two

In my last post, I introduced you all to Mizuno Running and the company's relationship with social media platforms.  Diving in deeper, we looked at some basic analytics over the course of a month to get a sense of how Mizuno Running was doing from a data-driven point of view. 

This week, I present to you the next (and final!) installment of the Social Media Monitoring project. Here, we will cover a few topics and wrap up some loose ends:

1. "If Everbody Ran" Campaign and its relationship to social media platforms
2. Demographics...who is left for Mizuno to tap into?
3. How does Mizuno Running fair against their competition?
4. Promotion Suggestions & Recommendations

Let's dive in, shall we? 

What if Everybody Ran?

It was a gift from the social media gods: Mizuno Running released a new campaign right as I was putting the finishing touches on Part One of this report.  Highlighting and analyzing this campaign seems to be the natural starting place for Part Two.  This hypothetical question is enough to make many people want to keel over. However, the videos produced by Mizuno are less intimidating and more motivational! 

An article published by Ask Men explains:

"According to a 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80% of adults do not get enough exercise.  That's why Mizuno USA decided to offer a unique opportunity to North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School by asking a simple question with big implications: 'What if everybody ran?'" 

The study, released on March 5th, was all over their Facebook page the day it came out, of course!

And Twitter was a buzz, too! 

Not only was Mizuno's Twitter handle going crazy promoting this new study, but the groundswell was ignited.  Mizuno fans, non-runners, and even well known companies (like Runner's World and Degree Women) were linking to the Mizuno study and using the #IfEverybodyRan hashtag.  

A Runner's World tweet that was sent out on March 11th stating: "What could the world look like if everbody ran? Mizuno ran the numbers to find out #IfEverybodyRan" received 66 retweets and 73 favorites.   The Runner's World handle has over 764,00 followers, so the impact of those retweets is great...especially when we remember that Mizuno Running has just over 26,000 followers. 

Mizuno Running was certainly "first to market" in terms of producing a study/large scale social media campaign that was designed to be widely inclusive yet wildly personal at the same time.  It wasn't just for Mizuno shoe wearers or just for runners or just for athletes.  It was for anyone and everyone to who are interested in happiness, health, and maybe needed some motivation.  At the very least, it could maybe just brighten someone's day briefly.

But, arguably most importantly, did it work? Did the campaign create buzz around the brand? Take a look at the IceRocket graph below.  Short answer: yes, it did work.

There is a LOT of action happening right around the time the study was released and marketed heavily (March 4th,5th,6th), with continuing peaks and valleys that extend through the remainder of the days in March.  This may not result in a huge boost in sales immediately, but it will certainly serve to boost the name recognition of the brand. 

Demographics

Selling running shoes is a tricky game to play because there is so much brand loyalty involved.  For seasoned runners, it is likely that they have run in the same brand of shoes for years and years and years. After all, if it isn't broke, don't fix it!  For new runners, I imagine the word of mouth is a powerful influence on what brand they go with.  And for non-runners, well, I'm not actually sure how they choose shoes.  I do know that my boyfriend, who prefers cycling, walks into Dick's Sporting Goods and chooses the plainest shoe he can find. 

Using Alexa, a free (and awesome!) online analytics tool that spouts out all sorts of interesting bench marking data, I looked at the current audience demographics visiting the Mizuno website.  The graph shows that in terms of the traffic to the Mizuno site compared to the general internet population: 

1. Men are over represented, females are under represented.
2. Lots of college educated folks are browsing the website.
3. More people browse from work than from home.

This data could mean a lot of different things, depending on how you chose to look at it.  For example, I would be interested in finding out why people visit the Mizuno website.  As someone who has purchased many pairs of running shoes, I have never bought a pair of running shoes from the brand's website.  Why pay full prices when you can go to a site like Holabird Sports or Running Warehouse and save lots of money, get free shipping, and free returns?  So perhaps one of the reasons why women are underrepresented on the Mizuno website is because they are more likely to find a deal on shoes, rather than pay full price.   

Mizuno Running & The Competition
Keeping in mind the brand loyalty that goes along with running, how is Mizuno Running fairing against the competition? Turning to Alexa once again, I looked at the popularity of Mizuno vs. Nike and Adidas.  

Globally, Mizuno trails both Nike and Asics. Domestically, Mizuno and Asics both trail Nike significantly, but Mizuno actually has ab it of an edge on Asics. This could be because Mizuno and Asics have different sites for different countries and Nike has one site for everyone, though I have a hunch that sorority girls' obsession with and willingness to pay full price for Nike Free Runs and "Norts" has something to do with Nike site's overwhelming popularity. 

It can be difficult to steal customers away from other brands, especially after the customer has built up a level of trust with the shoe and brand their wearing.  With positive word of mouth however, it is possible to change people's minds and preferences.  My roommate had run in Asics for as long as she could remember, but became curious about Mizunos after I bought my third pair. Because I only had good things to say about the brand, she decided to give Mizunos a try.  And just like that, Kerien and a pair of Mizuno Inspire 10's lived happily ever after. 

Promotion Suggestions & Recommendations

1.  Partnerships with Community Organizations to Re-target Highlighted Demographic Groups (Engaging with the Groundswell)

On Saturday, February 22, 2014, Mizuno Running partnered with the Atlanta chapter of Back on My Feet (BOMF) to host the inaugural Mizuno Women's 5k.  Their website advertised the following: 

"Hit the streets with your girlfriends, sisters, and other ladies in Atlanta to honor the strength, beauty, and determination of all women.  Stand up for women experiencing homelessness, and let's help them get back on their feet.  Run like a warrior, finish like a lady... finishers will also receive a women's Mizuno tech shirt."

Philanthropy promotes positive word of mouth which is good for business and good for karma. Mizuno, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, should continue to partner with community organizations that highlight unique, untapped demographic groups.  Other examples may include: 

• Girls on the Run (highlighted demographic group: adolescent girls): Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-8th grade.
• The Hall Steps Foundation (highlighted demographic group: individuals in Africa): The Hall Steps Foundation is a non-profit movement to fight global poverty through better health.
• College campuses (highlighted demographic group: poor college students): Never underestimate the power of free or reduced priced apparel.  College students will support close to everything if there's a free t-shirt (or pair of shoes?!) involved. 

2. Shoe Exchange Program (Celebrating & Rewarding the Groundswell) 

Shoe exchange programs are not new.  There are plenty of organizations that will gladly take your old running shoes to be donated to people in need.  Truth be told, Nike has an incredibly cool  "Reuse a Shoe" Program.  Donated shoes are turned into a new material that has been used to make fields and other play areas.  Really, really cool idea.  

Nike certainly does not have a monopoly on the shoe recycling market, so there is plenty of room and original opportunity for Mizuno to also profit from this service.  Imagine if Mizuno set up shop at college campuses, race expos, and other well-attended events.  They could offer incentives: if you bring us a pair of your old shoes, we'll recycle them/donate them/reuse them and give you a coupon for 20% off your next pair of Mizunos.  They could even offer special incentives to unique demographic groups: receive something extra (a free t-shirt!) if you're a faithful Mizuno brand wearer OR receive an additional 10% off if you're interested in trying your first pair of Mizunos.  This way, Mizuno can reward their loyal customers while providing incentive for others to try their brand. 

 3. Monitor Comments and Feedback All Across the Web! (Listening to the Groundswell)

Now, it is very likely that the good people at Mizuno Running DO scour the web frequently to read the reviews that are being posted of their shoes on other sites that sell shoes.  If they do, they should continue to read feedback and respond when necessary!  If they do not, they should begin immediately. Much chatter happens in the reviews and comments sections of places like Holabird Sports and Runner's Warehouse... those are usually the first places I go when I'm curious about a new model of shoes.