Clarks Launched Campaign Targeting Comfort Shoe Demand
The footwear company is repositioning its lifestyle sneakers to address consumer habits in walking.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Marketing
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Clarks has launched a new campaign titled Are You Wearing The Right Shoes to promote its C360 Foam technology. The initiative targets consumers who currently use running-specific footwear for everyday walking.
Why it matters
The campaign addresses a specific gap in consumer behavior where walking comfort is often sacrificed for performance-oriented running shoes. By highlighting its C360 Foam comfort technology, Clarks seeks to capture market share among exercise walkers.
Company research shows 74% of people who walk for exercise currently wear running shoes, a segment the brand is targeting with its C360 Foam comfort technology. The effort follows the 2025 introduction of the Clarks Code sneaker line from a firm operating for over 200 years.
The players
Clarks
A legacy footwear manufacturer and retailer with over two centuries of operations in the global market.
Exposure
A creative agency with international offices that developed the campaign's visual and digital strategy.
The details
The campaign utilizes a mix of social media on TikTok and Instagram alongside out-of-home, retail, and digital channels. The creative work was produced by the agency Exposure, which maintains offices in New York, London, and Paris. This effort is designed to emphasize that footwear requirements for walking differ from those of running, focusing on long-term comfort while maintaining a lifestyle aesthetic.
Timeline
The Clarks Code collection was introduced in 2025.
The marketing campaign launched in October 2026.
Market Landscape
The move follows the broader trend of the rise of lifestyle-performance hybrid footwear by positioning casual walking shoes against performance-focused running gear. This campaign reflects an industry-wide pivot to segmenting casual consumers away from highly specialized athletic products.
Operators in retail should monitor whether messaging that addresses specific activity-based needs improves conversion rates compared to general comfort claims. Brands with legacy footprints should evaluate if their current category positioning creates false competition with specialized athletic gear.
The takeaway
The campaign highlights the value of using consumer research to identify misaligned product usage in a customer base. Operators should consider auditing their own product marketing to ensure it addresses the specific functional gaps users face in their daily routines.
Further reading
For more on evolving brand positioning, see Marketing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MediaPost.
Live Poll
Do you prioritize physical comfort over style when buying your everyday footwear?
