459In the Internet era, only brands that can dance on the cusp of the wave can soar higher.
Salomon, a small workshop born in the French Alps, has now become a dual darling of the global outdoor sports and fashion industries.
It is not only renowned for its professional technology, but has also pushed its unique "ugly shoes" to the world, becoming a symbol of street fashion. Even on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, you can spot Salomon outdoor stores.
Salomon's success is not just the story of pairs of shoes, but also about how a brand moved from extreme mountains to urban streets and conquered the world.
From Ski Town to the World Stage
Salomon's story began in 1947, when founder François Salomon established the brand at the foot of the French Alps in Annecy.
Initially, Salomon was just a small workshop producing ski edge blades. With the rise of European tourism, Salomon gradually expanded its product line to cover multiple outdoor sports fields such as skiing, mountaineering, and trail running.
In the 1990s, Salomon's technological innovation reached new heights, launching several revolutionary technologies such as the GCS cushioning system and Contagrip outsole, which laid the foundation for its professional status in the outdoor sports field.
Salomon experienced three major ownership changes during its brand development. In 1997, Adidas acquired Salomon for $1.4 billion, driving a technological explosion for the brand.
In 2005, Salomon was sold by Adidas to outdoor giant Amer Sports, and Salomon began to penetrate the fashion industry.
In 2019, a joint consortium composed of Anta, Tencent, and other capital acquired Amer Sports for 36 billion yuan, and Salomon began to rise rapidly in the Chinese market.
Image source: Salomon Official Site
The Perfect Fusion of Professionalism and Trendiness
Salomon's success lies not only in its professional outdoor gear, but also in its breakthroughs in trendy fashion.
In 2015, French concept store The Broken Arm wanted to find several crossover brands to launch some special co-branded products, so they set their sights on Salomon. The first purely casual shoe "Salomon SNOWCROSS x The Broken Arm" was born, marking Salomon's entry into the fashion world.
Afterwards, Salomon collaborated with many avant-garde designers and brands, such as Boris Bidjan Saberi, Palace, and Rei Kawakubo, launching a series of co-branded models and successfully entering the fashion circle.
Moreover, Salomon's shoe designs are highly recognizable, with modular structural design and striking color combinations, making them favorites among trendsetters. For example, the XT-6 model not only boasts powerful trail performance, but also has become a star item in the fashion world due to its stylish appearance.
In addition,Salomon has always been committed to technological innovation, launching multiple revolutionary outdoor sports technologies.
Take the wildly popular XT-6 as an example. This shoe integrates several of Salomon's signature technologies, such as the Contagrip outsole, ACS midsole cushioning system, and Sensifit upper fit technology. These technologies not only enhance product performance but also improve the user wearing experience.
Global Marketing via Social Media
Salomon's global marketing strategy is also commendable.
It understands that the "celebrity + influencer" seeding matrix is the traffic password of today's Internet, so it leverages the influence of celebrities and internet personalities to achieve massive exposure.
In the United States, Salomon utilized top stages like the Super Bowl. When Rihanna wore its co-branded shoes to perform, it quickly ignited market attention. Within 24 hours after the performance, Salomon's search frequency on the secondary market surged by 800% compared to the same period the previous week, and all sizes of the same shoes on the brand's official website showed out of stock.
In the Chinese market, Salomon also rapidly expanded its brand influence through celebrities and KOLs. Salomon collaborated with Xiaohongshu's trendy IP "Popular Blackening Guide," using celebrity Sun Yang and various style KOLs to create the "Fashionable Wild Style" Speedcross 3 styling guide, showcasing the fashionable charm of Speedcross 3 in actual outfits and allowing more trend lovers to see its unique style firsthand.
Moreover, Salomon attaches great importance to overseas social media marketing. It has built strong brand communities on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, enhancing user stickiness by sharing user experiences and hosting online events.
For example, on Facebook, Salomon has established multiple interest groups, encouraging users to share their outdoor adventure experiences and creating a positive community atmosphere.
On YouTube, Salomon vividly tells the story and culture behind the brand through interviews, microfilms, and advertisements, showcasing its relentless pursuit of professional innovation. These contents not only demonstrate the brand's depth and breadth, but also help accumulate brand value and build a strong sense of brand identity. As of July this year, Salomon has published 1,005 videos on the platform, accumulating 267,000 followers.
Image source: YouTube
On TikTok, Salomon showcases various outdoor sports videos to demonstrate the actual application of its products, such as skiing, trail running, mountaineering, running, etc. The professionalism and fashion sense of the products are conveyed to young users around the world through real experiences, making Salomon's brand image more three-dimensional and attracting the attention and love of a large number of new-generation consumers. Currently, Salomon has accumulated 264,000 followers on TikTok and received over 6 million likes.
Image source: TikTok
Salomon's success relies not only on its outstanding products and technology, but also on its continuous innovation and adherence to its brand's original intention.
Starting from ski equipment, and now becoming a dual darling of global outdoor sports and fashion, although it has gone through 77 years of twists and turns, Salomon has never forgotten its core brand values: professionalism, innovation, and nature.
It is precisely this persistence that allows this 77-year-old brand to continue to shine brightly to this day.
