Frameworks over fixed ideas: How Hoka just did it

Hoka is not your uncle’s shoe – though he may wear one. They’re one of the fastest-growing consumer brands, whose growth is moving at start-up-like velocity. The brand has literally grown almost 500x since it first launched. Their parent company, Deckers, bought the brand in 2012 for just over a million. And they’ll close 2024 with almost $2 billion in revenue, growing 30% YoY from last year.

And they’re eating away at the big dogs, like Nike, who are seeing contraction, not growth, right now. Suffice to say Hoka is very disruptive in a category with serious legacy behemoths. But there’s a lot to learn from how they operate.

Hoka’s start-up growth velocity is a big part of them functioning like a startup. They run tight innovation cycles, they stay close to their customers, they work across their different segments and cohorts to deliver the right products, they build community, they build great activations through run clubs, and they work with unexpected influencers and brand partners (think “Dude with Sign” instead of Michael Jordan).

As a growing brand, your biggest constant will be change and your biggest weapon will be agility. If you can change quickly and deploy swiftly, that’s your best bet to take on juggernauts. Hoka is a case in point. They were servicing a VERY narrow niche with fabulous products when they launched – highly comfortable, technical shoes for technical trail runners. But they saw they could extend product, comfort, and design into other segments – all the way to the leisure fashion walker (yes, that’s a thing).

Their whole thing is to “inspire people to find joy through movement – whether running, trail exploration, or everyday lifestyle and fashion needs.” It’s a framework that has allowed the brand to go to unexpected places and revenue numbers. It has allowed them to go much farther than niche trail running (specifically in France). So when we work with start-ups, we never try to pin your brand down to a single, fixed idea. We work with you to create frameworks that unlock huge growth potential. It’s how you must operate in growth mode, if you want to run far, like really far.

Written on

1 Nov 2024

Written By

Yung Studio Strategy Team