Happy Birthday To Shoe

Yesterday a birthday greeting popped into my in-box from Allbirds - it’s not my birthday but it was the birthday of my shoes.

Since I had bought them (my first pair) in Manhattan I knew immediately that this was indeed their birthday.

And it got me thinking.

Consumer brands always seem to over communicate. Allbirds not so much. Most brands have a tendency to latch onto non-personal dates (gifting or treat scenarios) which means you get a deluge of emails all of which you ignore OR get in touch on a very personal date (your birthday) when it feels like a creepy intrusion and gets lost amongst the genuinely welcome messages of ‘Happy Birthday’.

By making the purchase anniversary of the shoes the reason to get in touch was refreshing, combined with the fact there was no “ask”. The tone was light, friendly and did a good job of communicating their brand and product values by keeping it personal.

It was a communication that stayed with me throughout a busy day. I started to plan a trip to NYC and yes, I did think that I might buy another pair.

All said an example of where less is very much more and that, if you know your brand and consumer well, you don’t have to shout.

About The Author

Mark Izatt is a brand consultant living in London and founder of Mission Critical, a highly focused and curated weekly briefing for time poor and information hungry decision makers and THE FIRST, a monthly briefing containing 31 inspirational insights. Mission Critical is a digital product delivered via his Estonian Consultancy business.