Brand globali dall’anima locale, la nuova partita si gioca sotto casa

New York city is in the midst of a unique competition: not among horses, but running shoes. The race is being held within its five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island. Footwear brand Hoka, known for its trail-running shoes, is expanding its reach beyond the niche market, aiming to capture the global market.

To achieve this, Hoka has launched a campaign called Run Your City, in partnership with Strava and Jellyfish. The campaign encourages New Yorkers to run, with each kilometer logged contributing to their borough's score. Almost 40,000 New Yorkers have participated, marking the start of a new era of hyper-local competition.

The initiative is a testament to the power of local influence, even for global brands. It illustrates a shift from scale and audience to proximity. The marketing world is evolving, with brands like Coca-Cola and Nike now focusing on local communities. The trend is towards "nearconomy," where consumption patterns shift from city centers to residential areas, and smart working arrangements allow people to shop and live closer to home.

This proximity brings a sense of accessibility, familiarity, personal recommendation, and trust, a human aspect to an increasingly automated and intermediated retail sector. Even in Italy, the trend is gaining momentum. American Express has relaunched Shop Small, a program encouraging local businesses to gain attention. The campaign includes a guide on independent businesses transforming Milan.

The restaurant industry is also embracing this trend, with hyper-local dining on the rise. National Geographic highlighted a conversion of a deserted bowling alley in Manchester into an urban farm, cafe, and community hub. The farm produces over a tonne of fresh food daily, sold and consumed on-site, reducing distance to the source.

In Berlino, Rewe, the German supermarket chain, has developed Green Farming Market in Lankwitz, integrating vertical farming within the building. The concept of 'Smaller is smarter' suggests that influence now comes from being relatable and local, rather than being the biggest.