New Balance has been around for over 100 years. The brand takes pride in its timeless design, wide range of styles, and sneakers that combine style and performance for athletes and those passionate about fashion.
It's no wonder why your favorite athletes and celebrities can be seen wearing a pair of New Balance sneakers. From Storm Reid, Coco Gauff, and Jaden Smith, New Balance has made a place in the market and continues to create and innovate its footwear.
This article will take a closer look at the New Balance brand ambassador program, get insights into who the brand partners with, and learn how the brand leverages influencer and ambassador marketing to grow a community and generate more sales.
Let's dive in and take a look at the New Balance brand ambassador program and show you how you can become a clothing brand ambassador!
What Is New Balance?
Beginning in 1906, New Balance is one of the world's top footwear brands for apparel and athletics. The brand is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and started as the New Balance Arch Support Company, designing shoes with added arch support.
The brand does billions in revenue, in 2021 earning US$4.4 billion. New Balance has 5,900 corporate employees and over 8,000 associates worldwide.
New Balance has grown to be a global phenomenon. The brand has customers all over the world and finds itself partnering with top athletes, actors, musicians, and models. The brand has adapted over the years but has kept its signature style at the core.
New Balance is as popular as ever (and only gaining traction), and you can find their footwear everywhere. From your favorite athletes to celebrities to new collections featured in Teen Vogue, New Balance has found a way to stay relevant throughout the years and has adapted to appeal to the next generation.
New Balance continues to be a notable brand. The brand is frequently featured in Footwear News*.*
Not familiar with Footwear News? Footwear News is the leading online shoe magazine. Each magazine edition will bring you the latest insights into the shoe industry. They cover trends, runway, street fashion, and influencers.
Each time there is a new drop for New Balance, they receive tons of buzz from various news outlets.
New Balance's Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Davis, has helped the brand continue to grow and be one of the top three footwear brands in the world but maintain its authentic voice. Chris Davis has leveraged influencer marketing and opted for partnerships with top athletes to continue accelerating growth for the brand.
New Balance's desire to be the best footwear brand on the market for both sport and leisure helps keep the brand on top of consumers' minds and continue to produce new styles and innovative designs.
And business has never looked better for the brand!
Inside the New Balance Brand Ambassador Program
New Balance takes a different approach to its ambassador program. New Balance leans heavily into affiliate marketing over influencer and ambassador marketing.
While the brand works with notable celebrities and some influencers, they do not have a customer-focused ambassador program at this time.
You can apply to be an affiliate. Taken from the New Balance website:
We have partnered with Impact to provide you with a market-leading performance-advertising program. It's a simple way to earn extra cash. As a New Balance affiliate, you can earn commissions on sales generated from New Balance affiliate links on your website shopping engine, email campaigns, and search listings.
You can earn a commission for each sale you make on your site. So to get the most out of the program, your goal is to get as many people as possible to purchase New Balance products using your affiliate link.
It's not a bad deal! The best part of affiliate marketing is if you get good enough at it, you can earn tons of passive income.
New Balance does have contract partnerships, but these take more work to get as the brand typically reserves paid contracts with free products for athletes, actors, and musicians.
If you want opportunities to support New Balance, head to their website to learn more.
How to Become a Member of the New Balance Family?
By now, you may be wondering if New Balance is looking for brand ambassadors. New Balance isn't actively looking for customer ambassadors, but they are always looking for new partnerships with top athletes, artists, well-known influencers, and affiliates.
If you want to be an affiliate with New Balance, head to their website to learn how to apply!
Who Are Some Notable New Balance Brand Ambassadors?
Some many notable celebrities and athletes are ambassadors for New Balance. The next generation of ambassadors are people that are deeply passionate about giving back to their communities and are masters at their craft.
In April 2022, New Balance announced that Aminé, a grammy nominated rapper, would join the New Balance family. As a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, it's natural that New Balance would pursue a partnership with him. Aminé was a perfect fit to join New Balance.
Actor Storm Reid, famous for her role in 12 years a Slave and Euphoria, has been partnering with New Balance for a few years. Storm Reid is an inspiring 19-year-old actor, and New Balance knew she would be a perfect fit for the brand and was excited to announce the partnership.
Lastly, Jaden Smith is among the most famous New Balance brand ambassadors. Jaden Smith, actor, activist, and musician, used his creativity and passion to collab on a pair of sneakers with New Balance in 2020. Smith has been partnering with the brand since 2019*,* and his collab did exceptionally well in the market.
Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow is New Balance's latest ambassador. As their newest brand ambassador, Harlow can be seen wearing New Balance sneakers on the regular. Harlow is deeply passionate about fashion and footwear and is thrilled to join the New Balance ambassador program.
What Athletes Does New Balance Sponsor?
Seeing as New Balance creates shoes for balance athletics. It is only natural that they partner with and sponsor a long list of top athletes.
Here are some of the athlete's New Balance sponsors:
- AS Roma - New Balance sponsors the Italian soccer team
- Heather MacLean - MacLean is a professional Olympic runner for New Balance
- Elle Purrier St. Pierre - St. Pierre is a professional Olympic runner for New Balance
- Kendall Ellis - Ellis is an Olympic relay and professional runner for New Balance
- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone - McLaughlin-Levrone is part of the women's Olympic team for track and field
- Sadio Mane Mane is a professional footballer of FC Bayern München Official
- Coco Gauff - Gauff is an 18-year-old professional tennis player sponsored by New Balance
- Gabby Thomas - Thomas is a 2x Olympic medalist in track and field
- Raheem Sterling - Sterling is an English professional football player and plays for the English national team
FAQ New Balance
You asked, and we answered! Here are the answers to your top New Balance questions.
What New Balance Shoe Did Steve Jobs Wear?
Steve Jobs was famous for wearing New Balance's 99x line. The line has been consistent since it was launched in 1982 and was a staple in Jobs's wardrobe. Jim Davis, New Balance chairman, claimed that Jobs created the original design concept.
Is It Easy to Become a New Balance Ambassador?
Yes, it is relatively easy to become a New Balance affiliate and start partnering with the brand! The only caveat is that you will need to add your affiliate link to your website. So make sure you have a personal website. This is a great way to support New Balance and earn extra cash.
Do Ambassadors Get Free New Balance Products?
If you are an ambassador for New Balance, you will get free merch!
Conclusion
Ready to turn your customers into your thriving crew of brand ambassadors? If so, watch the epic CrewFire demo video or get in touch with us to learn how you can drive more referrals, word-of-mouth, and user-generated content for your Shopify store.
Get in touch w/ Rony (CEO - CrewFire)