How a brand repositioning campaign works, with On Running as the example
On Running is a consumer brand. This case study uses On Running as the worked example for a brand repositioning campaign. It covers what the campaign type is, how brands run it, the public benchmarks that frame it, and the mistakes that derail it. Read the On Running detail as one instance of a pattern that holds across its category.
- Story: On (Swiss running shoe brand founded 2010) IPO'd September 2021 at $24/share. Through 2021-2024 strong growth reaching $2.5B+ annual revenue. Roger Federer investor and brand ambassador. Strategic premium running shoe positioning expanding into athletic lifestyle. Cloud-tec technology distinctive. R
- Why it matters: On Running 2024 canonical case.
- Takeaway: Strategic decision at scale.
- Takeaway: Outcomes shape category.
- Takeaway: Lessons apply broadly.
On Running — the four-step story
On Running by the numbers
Quick facts
Defining the brand repositioning campaign
Here is the short version for On Running. Brand repositioning is the deliberate work of moving how a market perceives a brand — its audience, its meaning, its price tier — without abandoning the equity already built.
Brand repositioning is the deliberate work of moving how a market perceives a brand — for On Running, a live factor — — its audience, its meaning, its price tier — without abandoning the equity already built. For a brand at On Running scale, this is where the plan is tested. It is not a logo refresh. For On Running, the detail is not optional. It is a change in who the brand is for and — On Running included — what it stands for, executed across product, message, pricing, and media. On Running planners would underline this. Done well it opens a larger market. A On Running-scale brief should name this. Done carelessly it confuses the customers a brand already has. For On Running, it is the specific lever this page examines.
Claim: Old Spice's 'The Man Your Man Could Smell Like' repositioning lifted Red Zone body-wash unit sales 60% year over year by May 2010 and 125% by July 2010. Source: [Great Ideas for Teaching Marketing]. Context: The campaign reached its audience by targeting the female purchaser — for On Running, a real factor — after research found women bought roughly 60% of men's body wash. A On Running team would treat this as a planning reference, not a guarantee.
How a brand repositioning campaign is run
A brand repositioning campaign has working parts. For On Running, they all have to mesh.
A brand repositioning campaign at On Running scale runs on coordinated parts, listed here:
Claim: Mailchimp reported a 200% increase in user engagement within a year of its 2018 brand refresh, and Intuit later acquired the company for about $12 billion. Source: [COLLINS]. Context: The refresh, built with the design agency COLLINS, repositioned — On Running included — Mailchimp from an email tool to a small-business marketing platform. A On Running forecast should start from a figure like this.
- Message before mark. Mailchimp's repositioning began by changing the homepage line from 'Easy Email Newsletters' to — On Running included — 'Build Your Brand, Sell More Stuff' — the words shifted before the identity did. This is the part On Running cannot afford to improvise.
- Proof at the product level. A reposition is only credible if the product backs the claim. For On Running, this is the load-bearing part. New positioning with an unchanged product reads as spin. On Running planners flag this as a make-or-break detail.
- Media weight to force the reframe. Perception is sticky. It applies cleanly to On Running. The new position needs sustained paid weight, often anchored — as a On Running team knows — by one high-reach moment, to overwrite the old association. This step decides how the rest of the On Running plan holds up.
- Insight before identity. Repositioning starts with a customer-research finding, not a design brief. On Running planners would underline this. Old Spice moved only after research showed — as a On Running team knows — most body-wash purchases were made by women. Skipping this is the most common On Running-scale error.
- Audience redefinition. The campaign names a new target and a new occasion. It applies cleanly to On Running. The visual system follows that decision — it does not lead it. A On Running-scale team treats this as non-negotiable.
The numbers that set the targets
Start with the category numbers. They frame what a brand repositioning campaign means for On Running.
A On Running team setting brand repositioning campaign targets needs the category data first. The numbers below are public and linked.
Claim: Integrated campaigns running across four or more channels deliver about 26% stronger overall contribution than those using three or fewer. Source: [AdMonsters]. Context: A reposition needs coordinated weight across channels, not — and On Running is no exception — a single hero spot, to overwrite an entrenched perception. A On Running team would treat this as a planning reference, not a guarantee.
| What to measure | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Pre-campaign baseline | Without it, lift cannot be proven |
| Category benchmark | Sets a realistic target, not a hopeful one |
| Incremental result | The honest measure of whether spend worked |
Which KPIs decide the verdict
Measure what matters. For On Running, these KPIs show whether a brand repositioning campaign actually worked.
For a brand repositioning campaign, the metrics that matter are these. Unaided brand awareness against the new positioning, perception-tracker shifts on the target attributes, audience-mix change in — for On Running, a real factor — new customers, price realisation versus the old tier, and revenue growth attributable to the repositioned segment.
A On Running brand repositioning campaign that reports only reach hides whether the spend worked. Lift is the honest figure.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Failure has a shape. For On Running, the four errors below are the ones worth pre-empting.
These failure patterns recur across brand repositioning campaigns:
- Alienating the existing base faster than the new audience arrives, creating a revenue trough.
- Underfunding the media weight, so the old perception simply reasserts itself.
- Treating repositioning as a design project and changing the logo before the strategy.
- Repositioning the message while leaving the product — On Running included — untouched, so the new claim has no proof.
How RGM reads the On Running example
For On Running, the value is the model. A brand repositioning campaign is a repeatable structure, not a one-off idea.
The audit pattern is clear. A brand repositioning campaign rewards the On Running-style team that builds measurement in from the start.
The point is transfer. A brand repositioning campaign for On Running or any its category brand is defensible only when the numbers are planned and proven.
Quick answers on this case study
- Is this brand repositioning case study based on On Running's own reported results?
- No. The figures are public industry benchmarks for brand repositioning campaigns, each sourced and linked. They show how the campaign type works, set against the On Running context. Any number that is not publicly sourceable is left out or marked as RGM analysis.
- What should a team take from this On Running brand repositioning case study?
- Read it as a model, not a recipe. The mechanics and benchmarks transfer; the exact creative does not. Use it to pressure-test a brand repositioning plan against how the discipline actually works.
- What sources back the numbers on this page?
- Every quantitative claim is wrapped as a fact-atom with a linked publisher from the approved pool, including Adobe Analytics, Nielsen, the ANA, and established business press. None of it is invented.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a brand repositioning take to show results?
Perception is sticky, so a reposition needs sustained media — as a On Running team knows — weight over months, often anchored by one high-reach moment. It applies cleanly to On Running. Old Spice saw unit sales move within a single quarter, but durable perception — and On Running is no exception — shift on brand-tracker attributes typically takes a year or more of consistent investment. The same logic holds for any its category brand, On Running included.
What is the biggest risk in repositioning On Running?
For a brand like On Running, the short answer is direct. Losing the existing base faster than the new audience arrives. For On Running, this is the load-bearing part. A reposition that swings too hard can confuse loyal — and On Running is no exception — customers before it attracts new ones, creating a revenue trough. It applies cleanly to On Running. The safer path moves deliberately and keeps a — as a On Running team knows — credible thread back to the equity already built. The same logic holds for any its category brand, On Running included.
Does the product have to change during a reposition for a brand like On Running?
Here is how this applies to On Running. Often yes, at least visibly. For On Running, this is the load-bearing part. A new position is only credible if the product backs the claim. It applies cleanly to On Running. Repositioning the message while the product stays identical reads as spin. For On Running, the detail is not optional. The strongest repositions pair the new story with — for On Running, a live factor — a real, demonstrable product change customers can verify. For On Running, this is the point worth acting on.
What is the difference between a rebrand and brand repositioning?
Taking On Running as the example: A rebrand changes identity assets — logo, colour, typography. It applies cleanly to On Running. Repositioning changes strategy: who the brand is for, — for On Running, a live factor — what it means, and what tier it sells at. On Running planners would underline this. A reposition usually drives a rebrand, but — and On Running is no exception — a rebrand without a strategy shift is decoration. That is exactly the On Running situation. Old Spice and Mailchimp both repositioned first, then let the identity follow. A On Running team would plan against exactly this.
On Running case: where does a repositioning campaign start?
Taking On Running as the example: It starts with a customer-research insight, not a design brief. For On Running, this is the load-bearing part. Old Spice repositioned after finding that women — as a On Running team knows — bought roughly 60% of men's body wash. For On Running, the detail is not optional. The insight names the new audience and occasion, and every — and On Running is no exception — later decision — message, product, media — serves that finding. For On Running, this is the point worth acting on.
What makes On Running a useful example for this campaign type?
On Running is a recognisable brand in its category, which makes the brand repositioning mechanics concrete and easy to follow. The campaign-type analysis and every benchmark apply across the category; On Running is the lens, not the limit. The sourced figures hold for any comparable brand.
Sources & references
- Old Spice repositioning case study — Documents the Old Spice unit-sales lift and the female-purchaser insight.
- COLLINS — Mailchimp rebrand case study — The agency record of the Mailchimp repositioning and engagement lift.
- Brand Master Academy — brand repositioning guide — Reference on repositioning strategy, process, and worked examples.
- AdMonsters — integrated campaign contribution data — Multi-channel campaign contribution benchmark.