Doc Martens Makes Strides around the World
Got a pair of Doc Martens in your closet? Maybe you're wearing them now. Perhaps you're wearing a pair of classic 1460 boots or a twin-strap sandal. Maybe your best friend is wearing a pair of guys' Grip Trax boots or even some wingtips. You're probably familiar with the distinctive yellow stitching, heel loop, and two-tone soles of Docs. The color names are pretty amazing, too-Bark Grizzly, Tan Analine, Aztec Crazy, Black Greasy. Even if you can't tell what colors these really are, you get curious. You scroll through the offerings online; you try on a pair in a shoe store. They look pretty clunky, but the Docs fit.
When you walk around in them, your feet are really comfortable. Doc Martens, or Docs or DMs, as they are often known, are officially named Dr. Martens, after their German inventor Dr. Klaus Maertens. Maertens, a physician in the German Army during World War II, injured his ankle on a ski trip to the Bavarian Alps in 1945. He'd been skiing in his uncomfortable army boots, and as he was recovering from his ankle injury, he spent a lot of time thinking about how to improve the boots. He came up with a design for a boot made of soft leather with airpadded soles. Half a century later, consumers everywhere swear by their Docs.
Now available in more than 250 styles of boots, sandals, and shoes, Doc Martens are worn by men, women, and children around the world. Madonna wears them, and so did Pope John Paul II, who had his own exclusive line in pure white. Police officers and postal carriers, construction and factory workers, students and supermodels all wear them. Docs are sold in 78 countries, with two-thirds of them bought by American consumers. The firm has offices in such diverse places as Australia, Poland, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, the United States, and the Ukraine.
Even the United Arab Emirates boasts an office for Docs. People can buy them at retail stores or online from just about anywhere in the world. Unless you are stationed in Antarctica or climbing Mt. Everest, you can probably get a pair of Docs. Since 1960, Doc Martens have been manufactured by R. Griggs, one of the two largest shoemakers in the United Kingdom (the other one is C&J Clark, maker of the Clarks brand). Despite its size, however, Griggs faces serious competition from other designer shoe manufacturers, as well as sports shoemakers such as Nike and Reebok.
Because of fierce competition and uncertain economic conditions that have affected sales in the shoe industry in general, Griggs made the painful decision to move all of its manufacturing to China several years ago. Many companies in Europe have experienced similar pressures. Chinese manufacturers can produce goods cheaper than European facilities can.
Since China is now considered a global trade power, having surpassed Taiwan and South Korea as the largest exporter of sport shoes to the United States, footwear companies everywhere are feeling the pinch. But Griggs marketers believe that the move was critical to the survival of its Dr. Martens brand. In addition, the marketers behind the Doc Martens brand have changed their entire global strategy, rescinding foreign licenses and focusing more on marketing the brand than on manufacturing the boots. Now, all marketing and sales efforts are overseen from the firm's UK headquarters. When Docs were allowed to return to South Africa, for example, it was under a stricter agreement than the one that was previously in force.
"We are importing the Doc Martens-we don't manufacture them," explains Stewart Franks, international brand director for South Africa's Jordan Footwear. "That will ensure that there is standard uniformity in the quality of the shoes themselves." Perhaps the most innovative effort by Docs' marketers is the firm's current Web site. The site not only provides all the usual information and access to styles, but it also introduces "VEER: A Series of Documentaries," a program in conjunction with Sports Illustrated that is currently touring college campuses. Described as "6 films about people taking a different direction," the project focuses on six individuals who form the cutting edge of art, music, and other fields.
Visitors to the site can click on each one of the films, download it, and watch it. They can follow Janette as she struggles to make it as a DJ or John, Adam, Mark, Whylee, or Ndidi as they make their way in various pursuits. The films have an edgy quality, as does the site itself, which features black-and-white photography. After 50 years, Doc Martens are cool again, on the feet of a new generation. You could say they are walking tall, around the world and back again.
Question
1. Dr. Martens are now manufactured in China. Should the company also market its shoes directly to Chinese shoppers?
2. Marketers for Doc Martens are using Internet technology to reach consumers via the documentaries presented on the Web site. Describe other creative ways they could use Internet technology to attract consumers.
3. Does the move to China affect Dr. Martens' image and risk exposure?
4. Do you think it was a good idea for Dr. Martens to rescind foreign licenses for its products at this time? Why or why not?