The Daily - June 9, 2022 - 11

Lowa's
1961 ad
campaign.
Upward
and Onward
As Lowa celebrates 100 years, global CEO
Alexander Nicolai shares its map to success.
Congratulations on 100
years. What are you doing
to celebrate this important
milestone?
Our 100th anniversary is of
course a great opportunity for us
to position Lowa internationally
in marketing. Our focus here is
clearly on increasing awareness
and activating our community.
We will implement large events
in Germany, such as a hut event
at our headquarters and a large
consumer event in the mountains.
For our partners around the world,
we have put together a large-scale
campaign package, so that they too
can celebrate the brand.
The outdoor footwear market
is highly competitive. What
makes your brand different?
It is the quality and the detail that
make the difference in a Lowa
product. The high-quality workmanship
and careful selection of
materials play a major role. The
same applies to the exact color and
design coordination of all optical
elements on the shoe. Our almost
100-year shoemaking tradition in
Bavaria and many years of shoemaking
in Europe ensures that we
manufacture mountain and sports
shoes that fit well and are up to
their challenges. This is appreciated
by our customers in the sporting
sector. Tradition and experience
ensure that customers always
turn to Lowa products when they
need a reliable and well-fitting
shoe. In addition, we now have
over 2,000 employees who produce
the quality that is expected. We
control almost our entire value
chain. This plays a crucial role and
is a very big success factor for us.
Why do you think Lowa
has been so well received in
the U.S.?
The Lowa team in the U.S. has
done a great job. This is a different
market than Lowa's home market
in Germany. Since we are a European
brand that manufactures its
products in Europe, we have a very
high price positioning in the U.S.
But Lowa is developing very positively
here because our U.S. team
has managed to communicate
our brand values and philosophy.
Whether it's at the local dealer or
through training or events, our fit
and love for the product has always
been well communicated in the
U.S. market.
How is Lowa confronting the
current global challenges?
It is a bit like a balancing act,
weathering two years of pandemic,
and now facing the conflict in
Ukraine-right on our doorstep in
Europe. We feel the effects every
day at Lowa. Increased prices for
materials, transport, and energy
are just three examples. These difficult
developments will inevitably
also affect our pricing.
At the same time, demand for
our shoes is higher than ever before.
While this is positive, it presents us
with enormous challenges. Currently
we are not able to meet 100% of
this increased demand with our own
production. We are in the process of
further increasing our production
capacities, but that doesn't happen
so quickly. It takes a certain lead
time to build up production-
especially when it comes to meeting
Lowa's high quality standards. And
that is an absolute must. So 2022
is not an easy year. But our gaze is
always directed forward and uphill.
What is your vision for the
next 100 years?
It will be even more important to
focus on the consumer. Marketing
as a discipline hasn't changed
that much, but the variety of
communication channels and
options is constantly increasing.
In the future, it will be less about
running large-scale advertising
campaigns with big budgets,
and more about being relevant
in your own target group
and reaching the right people
through the right channels. Especially
in the highly competitive
outdoor market, a very targeted
campaign will play an important
role. The vision is that our
customers have the best possible
outdoor experience with our
products. If we can reach them
with this feeling, then we will
have achieved our goal.
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2022 /
11
COURTESY LOWA
The Daily - June 9, 2022

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