At the conclusion of this journey, his team sat down with Converse designers and shared the collective feedback. Cottrill said the resulting assignment was not an easy one: Change everything,
yet don’t change anything.
Change everything, yet don’t change anything. In other words, don’t mess with what the public loves about the sneaker; just make it high-quality and more durable. Largely, this was achieved by tapping into the technology of Nike, the global powerhouse that purchased Converse in 2003. For the footbed, Nike’s Lunarlon foam cushioning upped the ante, and extra arch support lent added comfort. At the same time, the sneaker’s recognizable rubber toe and other signature elements were untouched. “If you set it next to the original, you can’t tell a lot of difference,” Cottrill said. “But if you pick it up and you wear it for a couple of hours, you notice a definite difference in the way it feels and fits on your foot.” Early reviews and sales have been encouraging. More importantly, Cottrill believes all the hard work his team undertook to update the sneaker demonstrates what’s possible when a brand listens to consumer insights and makes decisions accordingly.
Being consumer-focused is “the thing I learned the most and learned most consistently” since he completed his studies at FSU and gained traction in the marketing world. That ascent started in 1986 at Procter & Gamble, where, for a decade, he worked in sales on a number of product lines. At Coca-Cola, Cottrill spent nine years as group director of the Entertainment Marketing Division. Just before landing at Converse, he was in a prominent position at Starbucks as the vice president of global product marketing, where he oversaw its music label. For the Tampa native, the job not only made sense from a business perspective; it also allowed him to harmonize his career with a subject that he’s loved as long as Chuck Taylors — music. In fact, music is the focus of one of his most popular Converse initiatives: Rubber Tracks. Six years ago, Cottrill’s marketing staff focused on how critical musicians are to the Converse brand. Rather than trying to get these artists to profess their love of the company’s sneakers through ads, Converse decided to thank them. “The idea was simple: Open a recording studio,” Cottrill said. “We’d help them at a stage of their career when they weren’t yet signed or didn’t have a record contract and wanted to pursue their dream.”
Top row (left to right): The Chuck Taylor All Star II was unveiled in July 2015 as the first update to the Chucks in 100 years. Geoff Cottrill, chief marketing officer at Converse. The control room of Converse Rubber Tracks’ 1,100-square-foot studio in Boston, one of several Converse studios for emerging artists. Opposite center: Converse opened its new world headquarters on Boston’s Lovejoy Wharf in May 2015. Opposite bottom: An array of high-top Chuck IIs, which were updated for comfort, maintain the sneaker’s classic appeal. Photos courtesy of Converse except Cottrill
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In the four years since, Converse has opened permanent recording studios in Boston and Brooklyn, as well as São Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, the project has incorporated 50 pop-up studios. That is, Converse takes over an established studio for a week or two and allows artists to record free of charge. Upward of 1,000 have taken advantage so far. In September, 10 famed recording studios around the world, such as the one used by the Beatles at Abbey Road, temporarily opened up their doors for Converse’s cause.