For New Balance, it starts with research. Or, more accurately, the research never stops.
There is always a focus on innovation for the brand, which is becoming increasingly relevant in the soccer space. Once an afterthought behind bigger legacy names, the company is becoming bigger with every boot. And now, with the Furon v8, they have stepped further into the space, pushing forward in areas in which others are lagging behind.
“We try and cut through the noise and kind of listen to the signal, and then once we've set the table, we've got an exceptional team that then can interpret, extract those insights and start to really craft the product,” said Rob Sheldon, Director, Product, Global Football.
Sheldon and his team are constantly tweaking. There is no such thing as a rest day or brief break. And with every boot, a specific need is highlighted, identified and addressed. With the Furon v8, it’s hyper-specific: speeding up and slowing down. The response? Design a specific type of cleat that could cope with that demand in the game.
“That led us to the Speed Ctrl Stud,” Sheldon said.
It all comes from an understanding that the game is constantly changing. There are broader tactical shifts that differ from team-to-team. Some go long, others play short. Some coaches like their players to drift and be expressive. Others demand that they stick within certain areas of the pitch. But the team found that the need for attacking players to be able to change pace is a universal constant in a chaotic sport.
“Everyone's looking to be a little bit quicker,” Sheldon said. “Everyone's wanting to control their speed, control their movement. So those things are truths within the game.”
That specific need was identified thanks to interactions with thousands of consumers, and intense studying of data. From face-time with athletes as high profile as Bukayo Saka, to the kind of grassroots footballers who lace up on a wet Wednesday night, the specific focus was honed.
Some manufacturers look at more generic areas of the game - speed, power, control - but New Balance’s focus on specific scenarios might just give them an edge.
“There was a very specific type of feedback we started to get… which started that iterative process of ‘Ok, so how do we do that?’ “ Sheldon said.
Some of these changes, of course, have to be made on the fly. Sheldon and his team might realize half way through a release cycle that something isn’t working, or that priorities have changed. And that’s when the research really comes in.
The obsession with data means that New Balance are always looking well into the future. They can’t necessarily predict what’s next, but they can identify specific needs from the old model, and apply them to the new.
They know, for example, that a hypo-knit lightweight material on the Furon v7 struck a chord with athletes - and allowed for optimum performance in controlling the ball. But for the v8, it could be further stripped down, and even lighter. Simultaneously, some things simply have to be kept the same. The off-centered lacing - an unusual feature in modern football boots - created an ideal platform for performance. That was kept.
“You’ve got to understand, at a point, do we make a change, or do we stay the course?” Sheldon said.
Of course, there are also aesthetics to consider. Boots have to look cool. Consumers want something that performs, but also looks good. Whether that means an intriguing silhouette or eye-catching color scheme, it is always front of mind.
“You want the aesthetic to elicit the attribute that it's supposed to demonstrate,” Sheldon said. “So you take the Furon, for instance. And when we talk about crafted for speed, before you've tried that on, you've scrolled, you've caught that, and you've gone, ‘There's something about that.’ “
And among all of this, the focus is on the future. There are changes in the game that can’t be predicted, and needs for athletes that can be challenging to forecast.. But using the right mix of data, research and creation, New Balance believe they can stay ahead of the curve.
“You start to think more long term - let's say into 2035,” Sheldon said. “What is the game going to look like, who's going to be playing, what are the formats of the game, the environmental condition? You look at it all.”
So, New Balance are always thinking a few steps ahead. Some boots work immediately, others need a little more time. The point here is that they are always fine tuning, tweaking, and finding further ways to ensure that their product is as hyper-specific as possible. And that’s how they stay ahead of the curve in a packed market.