Show Notes
What if staying private is one of New Balance’s biggest competitive advantages?
In Episode 3 of A Different Take, host Linda Boff explores how New Balance’s independence allowed the 100-year-old brand to think differently—playing the long game, building meaningful collaborations, and creating cultural relevance without chasing every trend.
New Balance CMO Chris Davis joins creative visionary and New Balance collaborator Ronnie Fieg, alongside Complex Associate Editor Matt Welty, offering an outside perspective on the brand’s evolution, collaborations, and culture.
A Different Take is hosted by Linda Boff.
0:00 Introduction
1:02 Private Ownership
2:23 The Long Game
4:45 Ronnie Fieg
7:11 The Product Has a Memory
8:38 Scarcity Without The Hype Machine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from A Different Take with Linda Boff
New Balance has gone from “dad shoe” to global cultural force. But how do you stay authentic once you've made it?
What makes an athlete choose one brand over another?
A Different Take — Season 2 launches with the story of New Balance’s remarkable transformation from “dad shoe” to one of the hottest brands in sports and culture.
Episode 2: Was Coca-Cola's campaign a defining test case for whether AI can serve as a creative collaborator rather than a replacement for human talent? Secret Level founder Jason Zada explores how one of the world’s most iconic brands balanced innovation with consumer expectations, what it means to introduce AI at scale, and how creative leadership evaluates when emerging technology enhances—not diminishes—the craft of storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 4: Did Coca-Cola’s AI campaign herald a new golden age of marketing? We talk with Silverside founder PJ Periera about how brands can use AI to reimagine iconic assets and blend nostalgia with new forms of storytelling, while navigating the risks that come with touching deeply familiar cultural symbols. The conversation explores whether this marks a true turning point for marketing, how AI is redefining creative excellence, and what separates meaningful brand reinvention from content that is merely faster and cheaper to produce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices