Nike?

Nike？

Maybe Adidas?

也許是愛迪達？

What about New Balance?

那 New Balance 呢？

Where does the running shoe fit into the picture?

New Balance 的跑步鞋有在這個市場中嗎？

New Balance has always been a really reliable running shoe.

New Balance 一直是一個非常可靠的跑步鞋產品。

But worn by chubby white guys in their late 30s to early 40s.

但是會穿的人只有 30 多歲到 40 初頭歲的胖白人。

Did Steve Jobs wear New Balance when he launched the iPhone?

史蒂夫·賈伯斯發表 iPhone 時穿著 New Balance 的鞋子嗎？

Perfect. Perfect shoe. I cannot wait to wear these.

完美。完美的鞋子。我迫不及待地想穿上了。

When I think of New Balance, I think of dads, even though I'm currently wearing New Balances.

當我想到 New Balance 時，我會想到爸爸們，雖然我現在穿著 New Balance 的鞋子。

New Balance ended 2022 with a revenue of $5.3 billion.

New Balance 在 2022 年年底的收入為 53 億美元。

A new generation of top athletes, influencers, celebrities and hypebeasts have pushed the brand into the spotlight.

新一代的頂級運動員、網紅、名人和追潮族都將這個品牌推向了聚光燈下。

I feel like the past couple of years, it has been harder to get pairs that I want because New Balance is so popular now.

我覺得在過去的幾年裡，要搶到我想要的鞋子變得更加困難，因為現在 New Balance 非常受歡迎。

Here's how the company that was once seen as the home of the ugly dad shoe became a fashion forward brand.

以下是這家曾被視為醜陋老爹鞋的公司如何轉變成時尚前衛的品牌。

This is Suddenly Obsessed.

這裡是《Suddenly Obsessed》節目。

These are the Mini Mouse's.

這些是跟米奇聯名的。

You can only buy these at Disney World.

這雙鞋只能在迪士尼世界買到。

I bought my first pair of New Balance around 1994.

我在 1994 年左右買了我的第一雙 New Balance 鞋子。

It was the 496 model.

那是 New Balance 496 鞋款。

They were $40 bucks at the time.

當時它們的價格是 40 美元。

I am Richie Rojas and I collect New Balance sneakers. I have over 600 pairs.

我是 Richie Rojas，我收集 New Balance 運動鞋。目前擁有 600 多雙。

43-year-old Richie Roxas's 600 pair New Balance collection features both new and vintage sneakers, along with New Balance clothing and memorabilia.

43 歲的 Richie Roxas 的 600 雙 New Balance 收藏包括新、舊運動鞋，還有 New Balance 的衣服和紀念品。

I definitely got made fun of a lot in high school 'cause most people were wearing Nikes and Jordans, only a handful of us in school had New Balances.

我在高中時經常被人取笑，因為大多數人都穿著 Nike 和喬丹鞋，學校中只有少數人會穿 New Balance。

Today, Richie is constantly scouring websites and thrift stores, searching for rare and unique New Balance models.

現在，Richie 不斷地在網站上和二手商店裡尋找稀有和獨特的 New Balance 鞋款。

I think what sets New Balance apart is the quality and the comfort, and they just last longer than other brands.

我認為 New Balance 與眾不同的地方是其品質和舒適度，而且比其他品牌更耐用。

And that's, you know, a big reason why I started collecting them in the first place.

這也是我當初開始收藏它們的一個重要原因。

In 2013, Rojas started the Instagram account "newbalance365" to keep track of his growing collection.

2013 年，Rojas 創立了「newbalance365」的 Instagram 帳號，用來追蹤他持續增加的收藏。

Today, his page has almost 18,000 followers.

現在，他的帳號有近 18,000 個追蹤。

I don't really care about selling any of my sneakers or making money off of them.

我並不在乎出售我的任何運動鞋或從中賺錢。

That's not really my goal.

這並不是我的目標。

Richie may not be interested in resale, but a lot of people are.

Richie 對轉售可能不感興趣，但很多人是。

New Balance sales have grown for four straight years on the retail site StockX.

在零售網站 StockX 上，New Balance 的銷售額已連續四年增長。

It's one of the top five traded sneaker brands on the site.

它是該網站上交易量排名前五的運動鞋品牌之一。

The most popular styles are from the New Balance 550 Aimé Leon Dore collection and the New Balance Kith Spring Collection.

最受歡迎的鞋款是 New Balance 550 Aimé Leon Dore 系列和 New Balance Kith 春季系列。

Richie bought this special edition sneaker at retail for $200.

Richie 以 200 美元的零售價購買了這款特別版運動鞋。

The same pair recently sold for $2,000.

同樣的一雙最近以 2,000 美元的價格售出。

So the resale market can do a lot for building up buzz around the brand and building brand heat.

二手交易市場可以在品牌周圍營造熱烈氛圍和品牌熱度。

There's a couple of things that you really need to see a brand do, and New Balance has done very well.

有幾件事情需要品牌做得很好，而 New Balance 就做得非常出色。

First off, you have to have trend right product, right?

首先，必須擁有適合潮流的產品，對嗎？

If the product is not good, it's off trend, it's not exciting to the consumer, it's not going to work.

如果產品不好、不符合潮流、對消費者沒有吸引力，那就行不通。

Secondly, you have to manage supply very, very carefully.

其次，必須非常小心地管理供應量。

A big part of sneaker resale culture is this idea that people want what they can't have.

球鞋二手銷售文化中一個重要的概念就是人們會去追求得不到的東西。

New Balance has done a good job having product that is for the masses,

New Balance 在生產出適合大眾的產品方面做得很出色，

but then also having this carve out of their assortment where supply is intentionally restricted and kept below demand

但同時也限制他們產品中的一小部分產量，保持低於需求的供應量，

so that it can drive higher resale value and drive buzz and heat for the brand.

以此來推動更高的轉賣價值，並為品牌帶來關注和熱度。

This buzz isn't only seen in resale.

這種熱度不僅在二手市場上存在。

New Balance's $5.3 billion in sales in 2022 represent a 21% increase over the previous year.

New Balance 在 2022 年的 53 億美元銷售額較去年增長了 21%。

But compared to other footwear companies, New Balance is still a small fish in a big pond.

但與其他鞋類公司相比，New Balance 仍然是小巫見大巫。

In 2022, rivals like Nike and Adidas were still many times bigger than the Boston brand.

2022 年，Nike 和愛迪達等競爭對手的規模仍然是 New Balance 的許多倍。

Still, New Balance is recent popularity is helping its revenue grow faster each year than its competitors.

然而，New Balance 最近的受歡迎程度使其收入增長速度超過競爭對手每年都更快。

To fully understand the sudden popularity New Balance is experiencing right now, we need to go back to the beginning of the story.

為了充分了解 New Balance 目前突然受到歡迎的程度，我們需要從頭開始說起。

The company was founded in 1906 when William J. Riley created an arch insert inspired by the design of a chicken foot.

New Balance 成立於 1906 年，當時威廉·J·萊利設計了一種受到雞腳設計啟發的足弓支撐物。

His goal was to alleviate pain for people working on their feet all day.

他的目標是減輕人們在工作中造成的痛苦。

The arch inserts turned into a full shoe in 1938, when the brand created its first New Balance running shoe.

1938 年，New Balance 推出了首款 New Balance 跑步鞋，將足弓支撐物發展成為一雙完整的鞋子。

In 1941, New Balance began selling shoes for other sports like tennis, boxing and baseball.

1941 年，New Balance 開始銷售其他運動鞋，如網球鞋、拳擊鞋和棒球鞋。

New Balance was a top running shoe option all the way through the 1970s, the same decade that the iconic N logo was added to its line of products.

New Balanc e一直是頂級的跑步鞋選擇，一直延續到 1970 年代，與此同時，標誌性的 N 字標誌也被加到其產品線中。

But competition was on the horizon.

但競爭就在眼前。

I'd say in the 80s and 90s, that was when you saw the emergence and really the ascendance of Nike that made things difficult for New Balance and other participants in the marketplace.

大概是 1980 年代和 1990 年代，當時正是 Nike 崛起和占主導地位的時候，對 New Balance 和其他同市場度參與者造成困擾。

Nike took the footwear market by storm, and with athletes like Michael Jordan backing the brand, it quickly grew in both popularity and market share.

Nike 在鞋類市場上掀起了一場風暴，而隨著像麥可·喬丹這樣的運動員支持該品牌，Nike 迅速提高了知名度和市場佔有率。

Nike was very aggressive, very innovative.

Nike 野心勃勃又創新。

It had an impact on New Balance, and it negatively impacted the perception of the brand.

這對 New Balance 產生了影響，並對該品牌的認知產生了負面影響。

While competitors were racing to recruit stars, New Balance took a different approach.

當競爭對手競相招募明星時，New Balance 卻另闢蹊徑。

The company's "Endorsed By No One" ad campaign was designed to let its shoes speak for themselves.

New Balance 的品牌哲學「Endorsed By No One」旨在讓其鞋子為自己發聲。

It didn't believe in sponsoring athletes, right?

New Balance 不贊助運動員，對嗎？

And now it's like if you want to compete with Nike and Adidas, you have to.

但現在，如果想跟 Nike 和愛迪達競爭就必須找名人或明星當代言人。

In 2004, New Balance shook things up, releasing a collaboration with UK retailer Offspring.

2004 年，New Balance 改變了現況，與英國零售商 Offspring 合作推出了一款聯名鞋款。

The partnership was a success and in the years since, New Balance has worked with brands like Kith, Aimé Leon Dore and Joe Freshgoods.

他們的合作獲得成功，在此後的幾年裡，New Balance 與 Kith、Aimé Leon Dore 和 Joe Freshgoods 等品牌展開了合作。

These collabs have helped give New Balance a cool factor that has taken its reputation from this...

這些合作讓 New Balance 獲得了時尚稱號，提升了它的聲譽，讓其從這種形象...

I don't think New Balance's are that cool.

我不認為 New Balance 的鞋子有那麼酷。

They are pretty basic to me.

對我來說它們很基本。

They don't really stand out from the crowd.

穿著它並不會從人群中脫穎而出。

Every dad has them that he's had, I think since the 80s and he wears them with his khakis and his button down buttoned in and it feels very suburban dad.

每個爸爸都有雙 New Balance ，我想從 1980 年代起就這樣了，他會搭配卡其褲和全扣上的鈕扣襯衫，給人一種非常鄉下老爸的感覺。

To this..

變成這種形象...

I just cracked and got a new pair because New Balance is back.

我忍不住去買了一雙新的 New Balance，因為它捲土重來了。

New Balance seems cool because all the cool girls are being comfortable now instead of wearing heels to work. And I support that.

New Balance 感覺很酷，因為所有的酷女孩都穿舒適的鞋子，而不是穿高跟鞋去工作。我也認同這一點。

Around 2010, consumers began prioritizing comfort over fashion and athleisure brands benefited from this shift.

2010 年左右，比起時尚度，消費者開始著重在舒適度，並且運動休閒品牌從這種轉變中受益。

Lululemon, for example, saw its revenue double in just four years.

例如，Lululemon 的收入在短短四年內翻了一倍。

And New Balance suddenly found itself in a position to capitalize on changing consumer tastes.

同時，New Balance 突然發現自己有機會利用消費者品味的變化獲利。

When you saw the trend shift away from performance and towards casual, that was a perfect storm for New Balance.

當你看到潮流從機能轉向休閒時，這對於 New Balance 來說是一個完美的機遇。

Not only had they been doing a lot of work to build up the credibility of the brand and the fashion aspects of the brand,

他們不僅在提升品牌的可信度和時尚度方面做了很多努力，

but now this brand that was known for "the dad shoe" which is a very, very comfortable shoe, well, now all of a sudden that became in Vogue and that was a big beneficiary to New Balance.

現在被稱為「老爹鞋」穿起來很舒服的 New Balance 突然出現在《Vogue》雜誌上，這對 New Balance 來說受益很大。

And it created a halo for the rest of New Balance's assortment that has helped drive the growth that we've seen over the past 4 or 5 years.

這為 New Balance 其他系列產品創造了光環，幫助推動了我們在過去四到五年中所看到的增長。

The pivotal moment came in 2017 when French luxury fashion house Balenciaga debuted a chunky sneaker called the Triple S.

重要的轉淚點發生在 2017 年，當時法國奢侈時尚品牌巴黎世家推出了一款名為Triple S 的厚底運動鞋。

Suddenly, the dad's shoe was high fashion.

突然間，老爹鞋成了高級時尚。

What is a dad shoe?

什麼是老爹鞋？

That's a good question.

這是個好問題。

I imagine it to be something kind of ugly.

我想它是一種很醜的東西。

Usually, like all white leather, I don't know.

通常會是白色的皮革，我不確定。

You always see memes of like, people like mowing lawns or barbecuing in them.

你總是會看到有人穿著老爹鞋割草或烤肉的迷因。

New Balance was already known as a bit of a "chunky shoe."

New Balance 本身已經以「厚底鞋」而聞名。

So then when you saw high fashion runways highlighting shoes with chunky outsoles, then that probably trickled down to the athletic market as well,

所以當你看到高級時裝秀上展示了厚底鞋，那很可能也會影響到運動鞋市場，

which was another reason that New Balance gained favor with consumers.

這也是 New Balance 獲得消費者青睞的另一個原因。

While the Triple S sold for over $1,000, New Balance's similar chunky styles cost a fraction of that.

雖然 Triple S 售價超過 1000 美元，但 New Balance 類似的厚底款式只需它的一小部分價格。

As the brand's popularity picked up, it was spotted on the feet of celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Ryan Reynolds.

隨著 New Balance 的受歡迎程度提升，大家發現它出現在像海莉·比伯、坎達兒·珍娜和萊恩·雷諾斯等名人的腳上。

And it wasn't just the dad's shoe getting attention.

而且不僅僅是老爹鞋受到關注。

I think New Balance, they're more than just a dad shoe trend. They have worked to diversify the brand.

我認為 New Balance 不僅僅引領老爹鞋的潮流。 他們努力使品牌多樣化。

They've said publicly that they do over $5 billion of revenue annually.

他們公開表示他們每年的收入超過 50 億美元。

You can't do $5 billion worth of revenue of selling just "dad shoes."

僅僅銷售「老爹鞋」是不可能獲利 50 億美元的。

Over the past decade, New Balance has made a concerted effort to grow its brand, investing in partnerships with star athletes like the NBA's Kawhi Leonard and baseball's Shohei Ohtani.

在過去的十年裡，New Balance 努力擴大其品牌影響力，與明星運動員如 NBA 的 Kawhi Leonard 和棒球選手 Shohei Ohtani 建立合作關係。

And in 2021, it brought on Aimé Leon Dore founder Teddy Santis as creative director of its Made in USA line.

2021 年，它聘請 Aimé Leon Dore 創辦人 Teddy Santis 擔任美製的創意總監。

Definitely more collaborations.

肯定會有更多的合作。

Creative director definitely did an awesome job pushing interesting projects out there.

創意總監做得非常出色，推動了許多有趣的計畫。

You see New Balance ads like on NBA games and like national TV networks.

在 NBA 比賽和全國電視上可以看到 New Balance 的廣告。

Like I feel like that was never a thing before. It was only like in running magazines and things like that.

這些我覺得在以前是不可能的。New Balance 以前只會出現在跑步雜誌和類似的東西上。

New Balance has also benefited off of Gen Z's style influence and obsession with the 1990s.

New Balance 也因 Z 世代對風格的影響和對 1990 年代著迷而從中獲益。

You know, I think when you have a brand that has as long and rich a history as New Balance has, it's very easy to participate in retro trends.

我認為一個像 New Balance 這樣歷史悠久、內容豐富的品牌，非常容易迎合復古潮流。

You know, the emergence of 90s fashion, you know, coming back a brand like New Balance that clearly has been around since the 1990s and earlier.

隨著 1990 年代風格重新出現，像 New Balance 這樣從 1990 年代，甚至更早以前就存在的品牌也回歸了。

They're able to capitalize on that trend by going into the vault and either rereleasing shoes that came out back then or shoes that are inspired by the 1990s style.

他們能夠利用這一趨勢，透過重新推出當時發表的鞋款或受 1990 年代風格啟發的鞋款來獲益。

I think we're in like a very nostalgic age of fashion right now. I think ironically, the dad shoe kind of falls into that.

我覺得我們現在正處於一個非常懷舊的時尚時代。諷刺的是，「老爹鞋」正好符合這種趨勢。

Put together all of these key moments and changes have helped put New Balance in the conversation with its much bigger rivals.

所有這些關鍵時刻和變化的結合，幫助 New Balance 與其規模更大的競爭對手齊名。

The view of the New Balance brand today is drastically different than what it was ten years ago.

如今大眾對於 New Balance 品牌的看法與十年前完全不同。

They've got a much bigger lifestyle component of the brand and has a much bigger fashion aspect of the brand.

他們的品牌中注入了更多生活風格跟時尚度。

They've done collaborations with fashion designers and it's a much cooler brand today than it was ten years ago.

他們與時裝設計師合作，如今已成為一個比十年前更酷的品牌。

I think New Balance is a brand that's building itself for a long-term future and not just coasting on a trend.

我認為 New Balance 是一個為長遠的未來打造自己的品牌，而不僅僅是順應潮流。

And New Balance appears to be on the right track.

New Balance 似乎正走在正確的道路上。

CEO Joe Preston has said the company could hit $10 billion in sales over the next few years.

執行長喬·普雷斯頓表示，公司未來幾年的銷售額可能達到 100 億美元。

But no matter what happens, longtime fans like Richie will continue to support New Balance.

但無論發生什麼，像 Richie 這樣的長期粉絲會繼續支持 New Balance。

At the end of the day, New Balance will always hold on to its roots as a running brand.

最重要的是，New Balance 將始終堅守其作為跑步品牌的根基。

They will never abandon that.

他們永遠不會放棄這一點。

I always thought that was a cool and different kind of nerdy in a way, you know?

我一直都覺得 New Balance 有種很酷，很怪的感覺。

And nerdy also begins with N, and that's kind of why I liked it in the first place.

而「nerdy」也是以 N 開頭的，這就是為什麼我當初會喜歡它。

So for me, New Balance will always be in style.

所以對我來說，New Balance 永遠都很潮。