On Tuesday, Birkenstock reportedly raised about $1.48 billion in an initial public offering, which valued the company at $8.64 billion. The company is selling 32 million shares, which it’s pricing at $46 each, and trading is expected to begin on Wednesday.
Birkenstock made $1.2 billion in revenue last year, a 21% jump from the year before thanks to a combination of factors like a pandemic-driven desire for comfortable clothes and an iconic cameo in the biggest movie of the year, “Barbie.”
One of Birkenstock’s biggest publicity moments in the last year was an appearance in the fictional Barbieland, but the footwear brand’s next big marketing push is in the real world.
Also starting on Wednesday, Birkenstock is hosting a series of IRL events across New York City which, together, the brand is calling Birkenfield. At three locations across the city — Flatiron Plaza, 410 Lafayette Street and Domino Park — Birkenstock is staging a two-day festival dedicated to health, particularly foot health. Visitors can get free foot massages, along with free food and drinks, and they can play games.
There’s merch for sale, as well, including exclusive Birkenfield hoodies not sold anywhere else.
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Jochen Gutzy, chief communications officer at Birkenstock, said the merch sales are secondary to the events’ function as a top-of-funnel marketing opportunity. The events, with their focus on foot health, are meant to introduce people to the high-level selling points of Birkenstock’s products, specifically the benefits of footwear designed to prevent foot injury.
“Foot health is at the heart of everything we do,” Gutzy said. “We created these mini experiences to draw greater attention to the importance of [taking care of] our feet while bringing our brand purpose to life through memorable moments. Each Birkenfield [location] represents one of our core values.”
He added, “IRL events create another touchpoint for us with our brand fans, while driving deeper connections in our local communities.”
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The Flatiron Plaza event focuses on health, with foot massages and educational components about walking barefoot. The Lafayette Street location will speak to the core value of quality construction, with displays showing the materials of a Birkenstock shoe, including the cork, leather and metal needed to assemble each pair. And the Domino Park location, held at the beer hall Other Half Brewing, focuses on the company’s origins in 18th-century Germany and features German beers and pretzels.
The top-of-funnel nature of these IRL events will trickle down into the brand’s performance and digital marketing channels, Gutzy said. Photographers will be on site at the events to capture images which will be part of an ongoing social campaign on the brand’s Instagram channels.
“We will feature custom content on our brand channels, both leading up to and following the Birkenfield experience, including rapid-cut video, engaging polls and interviews with attendees,” Gutzy said. “Our Birkenfield experience will come to life on social.”
Throughout 2023, there’s been a comeback for these kinds of IRL fashion marketing events. Brands like M.M.LaFleur and Krewe have had success with pop-up installations focused on an experience other than shopping as a way to drive brand awareness.
