Ecco has never been a bargain brand, and this in fact is why we are not badly affected by the financial crisis. We are consistent in our offering no matter what is happening with the economy, so we do well in a good economy and we also do quite well in a slow economy. We stay steady, because even in a slow economy there are golfers who are prepared to pay for quality.
Where does the UK fit into that European picture?
The UK has been pretty good for us. The UK is a traditional, established market, and it tends to be very price-sensitive, so it is a challenge when you consider that we produce premium products. But there are always people out there who understand they have to pay premium prices for genuine, quality products like our golf shoes. Our Classic golf shoe has done very well in the UK. It is a very traditional shoe and that is what the UK market wants.
It sounds like Ecco’s strategy for dealing with a recession is to stick to its guns. Is that the case?
Exactly. Those four dots we use in our logo represent quality, comfort, personality and style, and that is what we follow. Those four dots represent our core message, and the last thing we want to be seen as is a bargain shoe. Ecco will never do anything to compromise our high level of quality. Some brands might resort to making their shoes with a lower grade of leather in order to sell more shoes, but we would never do that. Never.
We are a strong, global company and we know the business, and the core message must be: product, product, product.
What figures can you share relating to sales or market share?
I would like to keep the figures confidential, but we have certainly not lost any market share this year. Remember that we are not looking to be the most successful golf shoe in the world, but it is extremely important for us to be the best. We are convinced that if we make our shoes in the right way the success will definitely follow.
This sounds great, but is Ecco Golf profitable at the moment?
Yes, Ecco Golf is profitable in its own right. It is profits from Ecco Golf that have been invested in marketing initiatives like signing up the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples, Aaron Baddeley and Stuart Appleby. This marketing is good for Ecco Golf but it also boosts the Ecco brand beyond golf.
Does the Ecco offering vary much between global markets?
The different tastes of international markets seem to be coming gradually closer together. Perhaps this is due to the advent of the internet and satellite TV. Special regional tastes are less common, but the Asian market goes crazy for the bright colours and the highly technical shoes. The Ultra Performance does very well in Asia.
What are Ecco Golf’s targets for 2010?
Our main target in golf is to surprise our customers, every year. We always want to make sure there is at least one section to our product range that consumers never expected to see from Ecco. In 2008 we launched the Ultra Performance, which was our first golf shoe with such a highly technical message.
In 2010 our surprise package is the Golf Street range, which incorporates very colourful men’s and women’s shoes that are made without spikes. Surprising products like these make people curious about the brand and when shop customers see the shoes they will want to touch them. This is great, because they are made from very high quality leather. Not all men will want to play golf in these shoes, but they are ’24-hour’ shoes – they could be worn on the golf course and off.
