OS1st has spent the past year looking at its brand and how it leverages its heritage of taking existing categories and applying innovation to advance products toward the needs of runners, or really anyone looking to live an active lifestyle. Since 2015 the company has expanded to complement the accessory category from compression sleeves to socks and now to add-ons like fresh snaps and toe spacers.

Now president Josh Higgins and the rest of the company decided it was time its brand story reflected that. That story is reflected in its new “Relief you can feel” campaign, which not only speaks to the physical relief or performance relief that its products provide, but also the mental relief OS1st provides retailers by being a trusted partner to run specialty.

Its Run on Purpose is a new campaign that will launch at The Running Event in Austin, TX, this month focusing on helping retailers maximize the sock category by empowering store staff through training support and educating the wider community through event support about the importance of maximizing running gear down to your socks. One key component is a redesign of its Socks with Purpose packaging to better support staff and consumers who are looking to find the best sock for their needs.

A final piece of the puzzle is the formation of a Socks with Purpose Advisory Board — a standing committee of retailers and key staff centered on maximizing their sock business and creating insights and thought starters for the industry. 

To tell the brand story in their own words, Running Insight+ caught up with Josh Higgins to find out what the brand remake is all about, where it goes from here, and what run retailers can expect out of OS1st at The Running Event this year.

Running Insight: First, please provide an “elevator pitch” on where the OS1st brand is as we close out 2024 and head into 2025.

Josh Higgins: OS1st is ready to take on 2025 in partnership with our retailers and continue our trend of record-setting growth armed with our renewed brand story, new products, and new ways to help support independent run specialty retailers.  In our 10^th year in business, we are coming to the table with a fuller picture of who we are as an essentials brand providing “relief you can feel” through our dedication to our retailers and our products to our end user. 

How do you want run specialty retailers to view OS1st in terms of product categories — socks, support, sports medicine, recovery?

We want our retailers to view us as all the above – we are a partner in curating an assortment of essentials that retailers can use to create unique recommendations for their customers. We started as a trusted innovator in compression sleeves, expanded to Socks with Purpose, and now into additional pain and performance related add-ons, all with our signature level of innovation and excellence.

Any product category examples of this?

A great example of that is our Toe Splayers we launched this year. They are neither socks or sleeves, but provide relief for functional wellness and pain. But they also complement our Socks with Purpose designed with a wide toe box for maximum toe splay. Everything we make tells a consistent story of relief for runners at all stages of their health and wellness journey. 

What prompted this deep dive into the brand’s positioning? Was it all of the new products or has the industry been asking for a more complete definition?

It is a little bit of both. For the past few years we’ve been focused on completing our line of Socks with Purpose, giving running retailers a sock wall that enhances the fit process by addressing every runner’s unique comfort, pain, or performance needs – from our plantar fasciitis sock to our wide fit and now maximum cushion sock. But, industry leaders also need help from brands simplifying and fine-tuning their offerings so they have to deal with less vendors and spend more time on what’s going to move the needle for their business. So, we wanted to ensure our brand story encompassed all our products as well as our service to retailers. 

“Relief you can feel” applies both to product and to your support of run specialty. Please explain how those two tie into together.

It was important that our brand vision included run specialty retailers. We consider it a privilege to be trusted partners and we know retailers and their staff are under increasing amounts of pressure from all sides. 

So what is your goal in this?

Our goal is for our brand to be a relief to that pressure and not only provide products that offer physical relief, like the soothing of a sock, but mental relief to our retailers with genuine partnership ethos. We do not compete with retailers for their consumers, we craft brand awareness efforts with them in mind, build strategies and programs that promote them as a part of our ecosystem, and prioritize their needs by sending inventory to retail first, maintaining MAP pricing, and utilizing independent sales reps. 

Has the dedication to run specialty always been a part of the brand’s DNA and why is that? And how are you supporting that going forward?

Yes, our dedication to run specialty is our brand DNA. Just like when we brought the first plantar fasciitis sleeve to market as our first product, our vision was to create best in class product and service programs to help build partnerships within the independent running community.  

How do you view the role of run specialty in spreading your message and how are you going to support that?

We believe in run specialty retailers’ roles as the heartbeat of healthy communities and the best way to promote individual active lifestyles. Our recommendations and solutions are designed to complement them, recognizing that relief is an integral part of enjoying a comfortable, active, healthy lifestyle. 

Can you provide some more details on the Run on Purpose campaign launching at TRE and what retailers can expect to see and learn at TRE?

Run on Purpose is how we bring “relief you can feel” to runners and run specialty stores. We see the demand on everyone’s time and we want to do something that promotes running retailers as a resource for runners

How are you accomplishing that?

We’re doing that by combining all that we already do into one cohesive, fun effort. We will offer in-person and online floor staff training, “free sock fittings” at community activations, and then merchandising that helps tie it all together. We want to take some of the pressure off our retailers and create a program that helps keep stores and their communities excited about what makes run specialty retailers so special. 

What kind and level of training are you going to be providing as part of this and what do retailers need to do to get involved?

Through our product categories, we feel we can reinforce retailers’ efforts to create unique experiences for everyone who walks through their door. We believe in the power of the add-on being a vehicle of personalization and delight. For example, we’ve seen first-hand the power of recommending a wide sock with a wide shoe to a customer who may not have had that option in-store before. Training is already a big part of what we do with our retailers, so existing retailers can reach out to their reps to schedule a visit! For new retailers, training will be a part of their onboarding. 

You mention something about new packaging for Run With Purpose products. What are some details on that and how did that come about?

Our new sock packaging will help retailers leverage our entire collection of Socks with Purpose to find the best vehicle for “relief” for their customers. We’ve added a cushion and compression meter to the front of every package and simplified our technology messaging on the back so anyone looking at their sock wall can pull a custom sock recommendation. All our socks have “all the bells and whistles,” so what we wanted to do was help go beyond and help whoever is looking at the sock wall find their sock with purpose.

Finally, please provide details on the Socks with Purpose Advisory Board and how that is going to take shape.

The Socks with Purpose Advisory Board is an initiative by OS1st, aiming to support the run specialty retail industry by addressing challenges and driving growth through sock sales training and improved customer experiences. In response to challenges such as staffing, inventory management and rising competition, the board recognizes the importance of doubling down on the in-store experience, a cornerstone of specialty retail. With feedback from retailers indicating the need for more training on selling socks rather than product pushing, OS1st is stepping up to help redefine the add-on process and elevate the fit process using socks as a practical, impactful example.

How can retailers get involved?

Retailers who are interested in joining this board can email us at [email protected] to receive an interest form and details. These members should demonstrate a commitment to improving the in-store experience and the crucial role that socks and other essentials play in shoe fit and customer satisfaction. We will review submissions and aim to hold the first meeting in early January.