Steve Lesnard understands the sports industry and sees the big picture of what consumers want and how to bring a brand to its full potential. Lesnard knows what a person is looking for when they are shopping for athletic gear.
During his decades in the sector and at the helm of one of the biggest sportswear brands, Lesnard has changed the consumer landscape. He has presided over the ways that big data and digital marketing shaped consumer culture. But Lesnard’s knowledge did not come from the world of business alone; it also sprung from his early experiences and personal growth.
Early Life
Lesnard grew up in a family of three siblings, splitting his life between Paris and Corsica and reaping the benefits of both a city and outdoor lifestyle. Sports were an early childhood influence and continued to play a role throughout Lesnard’s life. Apart from childhood fun, participation in sports helped him develop permanent skills such as persistence and leadership. Lesnard grew up in a family of working parents, understanding from an early age the value of hard work and integrity.
Lesnard and Sports Fashion
After completing his studies, Steve Lesnard moved to New York City to work for the luxury fashion brand Wolford. As the company’s marketing director, Lesnard led campaigns to expand the brand’s stores across North America. But only a year into this position, Lesnard left the company to work in the sports industry.
Lesnard’s first role was in product management and global sports marketing. He was in charge of line planning and seasonal product creation. He also contracted winter Olympic athletes; among them were the first two snowboard medalists at the Nagano Winter Olympics. Lesnard realized that the true consumers for his brands were elite winter athletes.
Lesnard then moved on from marketing to product development, which he believes is the key to success for any brand. “I then went [on] to develop products for elite and everyday athletes, which was a great learning experience on how you bring a concept into a physical product that consumers will use,” Lesnard said. “And that led me to a brand and general management career, and I worked across many different areas.”
During his decades in the sports industry, Lesnard led prominent Olympics-related campaigns. He also took over running sports products and women’s sports. “Throughout my career, I had the opportunity to lead high-profile business growth, launching industry-changing products and directing some of the most iconic brand campaigns,” said Lesnard. “I have a strong track record as an innovative marketing executive with a deep product, digital, and consumer expertise, along with successful general management experience driving a P&L in excess of $5 billion in revenues.”
For Lesnard, working in the sports clothing business was much more than just a job. He sees it as an inspirational experience and a source of personal growth, noting that “it was really inspiring to bring the power of sports into people’s lives.”
Big Data and Technology-Driven Marketing
McKinsey Global Institute released recent findings on the effect of data-driven marketing. The researchers noted that data-driven companies and organizations were 23 times more likely to acquire new customers and 6 times as likely to retain customers. Lesnard has also noticed the power of data research and its impact on successful marketing.
The key to success lies in understanding the consumer’s needs. Lesnard believes that big data can really deliver in this aspect. “You always want to know your consumer, and you always want to be able to predict what your consumer would want,” he says. “And we’ve never been in a better position to actually have more access to data to actually be able to predict or be closer to delivering real personal and meaningful services to consumers.”
Big data pairs up with artificial intelligence to bring an even more efficient marketing effort and elevate a brand to the next level. This novel approach is evolving quickly and becoming mainstream, allowing marketers to sift through vast collections of data, noticing patterns and potential approaches to bring products to consumers.
“I think that the brand landscape is evolving really fast by bringing data through artificial intelligence and a bunch of other ways to actually help marketers and help brand market data and insights to deliver meaningful services,” Lesnard stated. “And I think that brands and profiles will be able to leverage these data to actually craft clear and simple consumer benefits to break through in people’s lives.”
Lesnard sees big data and AI as ways to measure how consumer demand is shifting based on last-decade consumer habits. The drive for wellness and daily movement is one of those trends, and consumers are realizing that a sedentary lifestyle needs to be remedied. “You know, as people are leading more sedentary lives, they realize how activity [and] movement is going to become a core part of their daily routine, from mindfulness to recovery to even athletic activities,” Lesnard noted.
Lesnard believes that sports brands should focus on how they can bring value and improve the lives of consumers directly. “Just thinking [about] these… macro trends, I think, is going to be a super dynamic and exciting time to find new ways to provide meaningful solutions and services to consumers,” he said.
Consumers are in charge, concludes Lesnard, and to be successful, any marketing campaign needs to put them at the center of its efforts with a clear message about how their lives can improve.
Listen to Steve Lesnard’s recent podcast: https://danielbudzinski.com/podcast/the-art-of-success-podcast/steve-lesnard/attachment/steve-lesnard-instagram-story-8/
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