Blundstone – Brand Strategy Analysis

Blundstone – one of the world’s most recognizable boot brands has its headquarters situated
in Tasmania. The focus on comfort and sturdy shoes divided their brand into two categories –
Blundstone and John Bull. The journey of Blundstone in Canada started about 25 years ago in
1994 and never left the market being used for concerts, schools, and music festivals provided
and creating a market for ‘Comfort.’

Capturing a prominent spot in the footwear product market – a complex and diverse industry
providing a range of products varying from athletic shoes to fashion heels, it caters to all
kinds of consumers providing a plethora of options to choose from and creating a competitive
market.

The structure of the product – market consists of various things starting from research, and
design to promotion and pricing and finally working on distribution and customer service.
The initial focus is to gather data on consumer needs and work on positioning the products
accordingly. Once the market has been analyzed, the work on designing the products and an
actual product to be presented. The product is then promoted through various channels i.e.
social media, advertisements, and collaborations to create awareness and buzz. The pricing of
the product is based on research and determined through factors like competition, brand
value, and target audience. Finally, the product is made available through various distribution
channels i.e. D2C, e-commerce, retailers, etc. The brand then focuses on providing
satisfactory customer service to retain the consumer and brand value.

Evolution

Over the course of the year, the footwear industry has undergone a significant amount of
evolution with significant changes in technology, consumer preferences, designs, and
manufacturing which is currently driving the development of new products and various
market segments. Some key development includes:

1. Mass Production: In the late 19th and 20th centuries, there was a significant development
in industrial manufacturing techniques which led to the mass production of footwear leading
to an increase in efficiency. This led to a massive decrease in cost and an increase in the
products being available to the end consumers.
2. Personalization and Customization: With consumers wanting to have a unique pair and
create their designs, an entirely new market has been created to cater to them to ensure steady
sales.
3. Sustainability and environmental responsibility: There has been an increasing
awareness and concern about the environmental effect of industrial and consumer items in
recent years. As a result, the number of footwear firms stressing sustainability and
environmental responsibility in their goods and operations has increased. For example – Nike
has started a whole sustainability segment including apparel and footwear.
4. E-commerce and Social Media: The rise of e-commerce and social media had a major
impact on the industry as it allowed new entrants in the market to capture a place to build
brand loyalty. Brands could collaborate with celebrities for promotions on channels like
Instagram, and Youtube and create more awareness.

We will now look into a few qualifying measures of this product market.

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 1. Design: The footwear industry offers different designs in each segment of footwear
offered and the aesthetics of the products include style, color, and material.
2. Performance: To be able to differentiate according to consumer-specific demand i.e
protection, comfort, and support.
3. Distribution Centre/Availability: Footwears are now available through various
channels i.e., e-commerce, online retailers, brick and mortar shoes.
4. Price Range: Footwear can range from anywhere affordable to luxury depending on
one’s demands and needs. This helps in catering to different market segments and
being available to all consumers throughout the market.

Competition:

Direct Indirect Emerging

Timberland Converse Allbirds
Dr. Martens Vans Rothy’s
Red Wing Reebok Everland
Redback Boots Adidas Warfield & Grand
Nisolo Steve Madden Tarvas
Keen Boots Valentino

Direct Competition: All the brands mentioned under direct competition have been known to
produce high-quality, durable boots that have a similar price and style range as Blundstone’s
offerings.

Indirect Competition: Under this, I have looked into brands that produce boots that might
not be as rugged or sturdy as Blundstone’s. Further, the offerings of these brands lie under the
same product market but have a different market segment as well that offers more casual,
trendy, and party wear.

Emerging Competition: This includes brands that are new entrants and might disrupt the
market. The majority of the brands mentioned offer boot rand that is comfortable and casual
similar to Blundstone. On top of that, they are also sustainable, and durable while ensuring
high quality.

Q2. Using Romaniuk’s Framework for CEP Generation determine the CEPs for consumers
for the product-market in which XXX competes (15%)

Why When Where With/For With While How Feeling

whom What
Vacation Weekend Home Myself Clothes Working Comfort
Meeting Outing Office Parents Class Formal Confident
Events
Celebration During Hiking Partner Travel Visiting Convenient
s the Week Places
Hazardous For a Trekking Colleagues Quality Everyday Stylish
Place holiday
Support For Fishing Employees Design Hiking Pampered
outdoor
activities

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 Safety Sports Weddings Friends Running Sophisticated
Walking Hunting Walking
Protection

Needs-based segmentation model

Nickname of Need Dimensions Sought Customer-Related Characteristics

Customer Segment
Professional workers
Families
Outdoor enthusiasts
Vacationers/Travellers
(Qualifying/ Determining)
Comfortable, Durable, Good Traction.
Provides safety, easy to work in, sturdy
to walk through construction.
Comfortable, Durable, Good Traction.
Easy to wear, goes with formal outfits,
can be worn by multiple members of
the household, stylish, affordable
Comfortable, Durable, Good Traction.
Withstand rough terrain, Water-
resistant, Provides grip, lightweight
Comfortable, Durable, Good Traction.
Does not hurt while walking, adaptable
to terrains, easy to clean, slip-resistant
Profession workers going to work at
an industrial site where heavy
construction is taking place.
Families with kids or working that
have a life on-the go and have to
walk places
Adventure loving individuals/groups
that are involved in activities like
hiking, camping or rock climbing
Solo-travellers or groups that explore
different areas and walk around the
cities

Q3. Infer the Leadership Philosophy for XXX (GBL Framework). It must follow the format
used for the Patagonia and Starbucks examples in class. (25%)

Brand’s Best Self: (Our values, Blundstone)

 Family - Our people are the driving force of our business. We care for, respect and
value the diverse group who are a part of our family
 Customer - Our mission is to listen to, understand and deliver on the needs, wants
and expectations of our consumers and our customers
 Community - We are proud to be an active, positive and contributing member of our
communities, locally and around the globe, today and for future generations;
 Design - We are committed to designing innovative, quality, honest products, services
and experiences that are fit for purpose
 Integrity - We always seek to do the right thing: to behave ethically; to act with
integrity; and to minimise our impact on the environment.
Tension to Resolve: The increasing impact of product waste and unsustainable means of
sourcing raw materials has caused detrimental effects on both consumers and the
environment.
A Brighter Future: We’re going to be continually shifting the goalposts - getting more
ambitious, applying the very latest in technology and material advancements, moving ahead
of the times to ensure minimization of product impact and waste, sourcing sustainable
material and following ethical and transparent conduct. (Our future, Blundstone)

Brand Purpose: To promote a society with minimum wastage, and sustainable and
innovative products while enabling top-notch customer satisfaction, brand honesty and
employee happiness.

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-, R. R., By, -, Rahul RajamuthiahThe author has over two decades of experience navigating,
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The vertical structure of the footwear industry. - researchgate. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30,
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