Creating a Cult Lifestyle Brand in North America
Havaianas is a Brazilian Fashion Footwear brand launched in the US in 2006. In 2009 revenue growth had stalled and the value proposition had become unclear. I joined the company in New York to run marketing and E-commerce and my first step was to gather insights to inform the brand and marketing plan. We wanted to understand who our consumers were, how the brand was perceived and identify our future sources of revenue growth. We repositioned the brand to focus on color, fashion and fun. We redefined the marketing mix across multiple consumer channels including social media, PR, events, online & offline advertising, e-commerce and retail. We opened the first Havaianas store in Huntington Beach and the learnings were used to open another 11 stores around the country. Revenue grew by 59%, e-commerce by 95% and brand awareness from 22% to 33% (per Millward Brown brand tracking). In 2012 Fast Company named Havaianas as one of the top 100 creative brands.
Havaianas Billboard Andaz Hotel, Los Angeles