ASSIGNMENT# 1 - SWOT ANALYSIS & TARGET PROFILE
MABEL WILLIAM
#8789126
STRATEGIC MARKETING COMMUNICATION
MKT8291-22S-SEC1-MARKETING
SWOT ANALYSIS
THREATS T S STRENGTHS
• Existing Competition • USP
• Lack of social media • Professional Advise
activation • Building new Lifestyles
• Lack of Diversity • Grass Root Training
• Increased new • Community Building
competition • Use of IM tools
O W
• Lack of Marketing Budget
OPPORTUNITIES WEAKNESSES
• Social Media Activation • Lack of Reach
• Identify Emerging • No Exclusivity
clientele • No Social Media
• Expanding Boundaries Engagement
• Geographical Inclusivity • Limited Virtual Reach
• Keeping Up With the • Limited Brand
Trends Activation
STRENGTH WEAKNESS
• USP – Best in style, functionality and fabric innovations at • Lack of Reach - Available only in Canada and USA (In-store &
reasonable price. ‘Running Room Fit-Wear and Running Online). Therefore, they do not cater to a global market unlike
Room Extreme (RRX) Fit-Wear are designed and tested to high-end competitive brands such as Adidas, Nike, Reebok, etc.
withstand the extreme weather conditions faced by North-
Americans’ (The Running Room, 2014). • No Exclusivity - With the inclusion of other global and local
brands along side Running Room private labels, clients tend to
• (Professional Advise - Team members are runners and lean move towards existing and established global brands than
therefore is a ‘Store for runners by runners’ (The Running a relatively new brand.
Room, 2014). Team members can provide expert advise to
it’s customers based on personal experience. Real-life • No Social Media Engagement - Athough there is social media
runners represent the brand than an influencer or a ceIebrity. presence of the company, the engagement with existing and
potential customers is extremely low to zero.
• Building new Lifestyles - Educating customers on a lifestyle of
fitness. Running Room emphasizes on committing to active • Limited Virtual Reach - Virtual Zoom sessions on health and
living alongside selling shoes and apparels. Running Room wellness from Running Room advisors are available only for
also adapted to virtual presence providing expert advise via Canadian Residents.
zoom. • Limited Brand Activation - Little to no Brand Activation either
• Grass Root Training - Training programs for runners with through advertising or online marketing.
different interests and skillsets. Beginner to expert level
running programs.
• Community Building - Brand loyalty built through strong
sense of community building.
• Use of IM tools - Agile and interactive brand interaction
through integrated marketing communication. Running Room
also adapted to virtual presence providing expert advise via
zoom.
• Inclusivity of new brands - The Running Room provides an
opportunity for emerging brands to feature their goods.
OPPORTUNITIES THREAT
• Social Media Activation - Requires more active and • Existing Competition Customers prefer more
engaging social media presence in platforms such as established and high-end global brands such as Nike,
Linkedln, Facebook and Instagram. Reebok, Adidas, Lululemon etc. which are more
accessible to local/global audience.
• Emerging clientele - Potential customer interaction
can be exercised through continuous and interactive • Lack of social media activation - With Rapid expansion
social media. and popularity of E-commerce at an exponential rate,
The Running Room needs to make its strong presence.
• Expanding boundaries - Online store services can be
extended to a global audience. Since pandemic, there • Lack of Diversity - As a sporting manufacturing goods
is an increased demand of sports and fitness activities company, The Running Room has not expanded it's
and therefore, the sportswear industry is a fast market to other sports and their required goods.
growing industry with steady revenue.
• Increased new competition - With the increased
• Inclusivity - Training sessions can be offered to global demand of fitness and wellness, there are many small
audience with credible region specific and big businesses making its presence known in the
runners/athletes. industry. Therefore, The Running Room needs to
maintain its position as North. America’s largest
• Keeping up with trends - With the shift of speciality retailer alongside global brands and fend off
demographic’s demand to a more healthier lifestyle, new and emerging businesses.
programs can have a more holistic approach than just
physical. Expanding markets to other sports and • Lack of Marketing Budget – The Running Room spends
fitness activities and identifying market requirements. considerably less on advertising and marketing as they
Adapting to the new trends in lifestyle and wellness. concentrate on creating a niche clientele with
increased brand loyalty than attract new /potential
customers.
The Running DEMOGRAPHICS
25-65 Years Average Age
room
➢
➢ $75,000 Average Family Income
➢ University or College Graduates
➢ Working professionals
TARGET ➢ Proximity to Running/Walking Trails
MARKET GEOGRAPHICS
PROFILE ➢
➢
80,000+ Population
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
➢ 81% Urban Population (Alberta) & 81.56% Urban
Population (Canada)
➢ 82.66% Urban Population of USA
➢ 5. The top 5 competition for Sports goods and apparel
in Canada are Nike, Adidas, Puma, Under Armor and
Lululemon, according to Brand Finance 2022 Ranking.
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
The target market for The Running Room are runners and
The Running walkers. This demographic is usually people who stay
physically active or is in the look out for recreational
activities that requires to be in the outdoor. Various other
room factors also affect the interest of the target market such
as work, mental health, physical health issues.
The Running room targets people who are motivated to
stay fit and healthy through running or walking. The target
TARGET
market also consists of those who want to start their
journey to a healthier lifestyle. Since pandemic there is a
steady rise in the people whose main focus is to stay
MARKET healthy by staying physically active.
The Running Room provides services, programs and
PROFILE
goods to the ones who show interest in physical activities
such as Marathon runners, athletes, joggers, etc.
The Running Room caters to target market via in-store
team who are real-life runners, company’s website
([Link] running room
magazine, 150,000+ email subscriptions and social media
platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Taking into consideration the Covid -19 situation, The
Running Room also provides Virtual sessions with expert
advisors on Health, fitness and diet.
BEHAVIOURISTICS
The Running The Running Room services sporting goods which serves primary purpose
of walking/running. Therefore, the target market aims at joggers, speed-
walker, marathon runners. The target market varies based on interests. The
room
product use primarily serves the function of staying physically fit and
active. The Running Room sporting goods are manufactured specially to
withstand the North American weather conditions and therefore is a
conscious choice for the customers to choose the brand.
The primary audience who seeks services of The Running Room are heavily
invested in self-Improvement. Consumers are educated by the trained
TARGET
and real-life runners on the various health benefits of walking and running.
This includes mental and physical wellness. Consumers can also
participate with the company by benefiting from the training programs
offered based on the skillset, Beginner to Marathon Runners. Consumers in
MARKET
the Canadian region can book appointments virtually for training and the
advisors will guide the customer based on the familiarity to the activity.
Consumers avail services and goods from The Running room for primary
PROFILE
consumption. Shoes and apparels are purchased based on the
running/walking requirement and the level of difficulty. Consumers are
therefore, given the choice to choose from their various collections based
on their consumption frequency. Clients can choose from
Purchase if made by the customer of Running Room for continuous and
consistent use. Products are manufactured to stay durable through North
America weather conditions and extreme physical activities. The niche
clientele of The Running Room also takes part in events and activities
organized by the company with the primary focus on the functionality of
their goods.
The Running Room believes in creating a strong sense of community for
the clientele who shares the common interest of running. This can be for
leisure or competitive. According to The Running Room website, the
company has allowed the clientele to form a runner’s club thereby
actively participating in the various events organized by the company. This
builds a strong community relationship within the brand which in-turn
created brand loyalty within the consumers.
References
Website
1. Running Room. (2014). About Us. [Link]
2. Justin Dallaire (2019), Running Room makes room for all runners, Strategy, p
5-9, [Link]
runners/
3. Aaron O'Neill (2022), Urbanization in Canada 2020, Statista, p 1 ,
[Link]
canada/#:~:text=Urbanization%20in%20Canada%202020&text=In%202020%
2C%2081.56%20percent%20of,in%20Canada%20lived%20in%20cities.
4. Camilla Cornell (2004), Running Room goes south, Canadian Business, p 5-
25 , [Link]
south/
5. Amanda Tarlton (2022), The 15 most popular activewear brands of 2022, USA
Today, [Link]
activewear-brands-2022-lululemon-adidas-athleta-gymshark/9087990002/
6. Brand Finance (2022), Apparel 50 2022 Ranking,
[Link]
References
Case study:
1. Anderson, Chorley, MacKinnon, Trewhella,
(2001), Case Study: The Running Room, p 4-10
[Link]
1-information-systems-and-you/case-study-the-
running-room
Image
1. Logo Image sourced from
[Link]
p?fileId=731d7f5490a6e7b524a9f2dba421edbf
THANK YOU
