Footlocker CMO on how the retailer plans to turn basketball culture into a year-round retail strategy

As basketball culture continues to stretch far beyond the court, Foot Locker is betting big on the sport as both a cultural identity and business strategy.

Earlier this month, the retailer unveiled “Hoops Lives Here,” a new year-round basketball platform and campaign featuring NBA and WNBA stars including Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Payton Pritchard, and Jewell Loyd. The campaign imagines the athletes living inside a Foot Locker store, reinforcing the idea that basketball “lives” everywhere, not just during the game.

Retail Brew caught up with Foot Locker CMO Brett O’Brien to discuss the company’s broader basketball strategy, the rise of women’s basketball sneakers, and why the retailer believes even non-basketball fans want to participate.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Tell me about how the platform will evolve throughout the year.

It’ll be an important part of our basketball communication and how we continue to talk about basketball, both within Foot Locker and outside of Foot Locker through our overall presence.

You’ll see a lot of interaction with our FLX [Footlocker’s rewards program] members and customers. There’ll be a lot of in-store theater, so to speak, with cutouts, posters, and gifts with purchase. But even beyond that, it’s store appearances. It’s bringing athletes to Foot Locker locations. It’s going outside of our Foot Locker doors into communities to create court programs and excitement around basketball and this “Hoops Lives Here” mantra.

Are you seeing measurable growth in women’s basketball-related products?

What’s amazing about what we’re seeing right now is that this crossover isn’t being sold as a women’s or a men’s basketball sneaker. When you look at people like A’ja Wilson and the Sabrina shoes [named for Sabrina Ionescu], and what’s going to come out later this year with Caitlin Clark, these are sneakers that are being sold to both men and women in equal parts. It’s not a women’s basketball shoe; it’s a basketball shoe. You may opt into that as a woman or as a man. Doesn’t matter. It’s style and performance that matter.

We’re seeing a lot of growth in that area, and that’s really important as we talk to every one of our customers. It was also important for us to bring Jewell in. I think Jewell has been a really good partner for us in the past, and she also represents something really amazing—not just her talent on the court, but who she is off the court as a spokesperson.

You’ll also start to see us play more in street basketball and real local levels, even at more junior levels. Basketball for us is 365 [days a year]. We’ve got to be there all year long. Future campaigns may dabble in some other places as well, but always reinforcing that the best in basketball lives at Foot Locker.

What about connecting with the customer that doesn’t watch or know basketball?

That’s where we really like to double down on this idea about basketball [culture], because you may never step foot on a basketball court, but you’re still really interested in things like Air Force 1s, Nike Dunks, and all kinds of court-related shoes from all our partners that resonate and make you feel like you’re part of a specific culture, whether you’re a basketball player or not. I think that’s pretty special. I also think there’s a lot about signature sneakers and true basketball footwear—on-court footwear that can also be worn off the court depending on your style and how you want to interact with it.