Dr Martens appoints brand chief to drive £2m revenue goal

Dr Martens, the popular footwear and clothing brand, has announced the appointment of Ije Nwokorie as the chief brand officer, a newly-established role, starting from 1 February 2024.

In this position, Nwokorie will be responsible for overseeing global marketing, product development, and strategic initiatives. He will play a crucial role in defining and implementing the brand's future growth strategy, vision, and direction. As part of the global leadership team, Nwokorie will report directly to CEO Kenny Wilson.

Nwokorie has recently joined the brand from Apple Inc., where he held the position of senior director at Apple Retail starting from January 2018. Before that, he had an extensive career at Wolff Olins, a global brand consultancy, and eventually became the CEO.

With his new role as the permanent full-time brand chief, Nwokorie will be stepping down from his position on Dr Martens' board and will no longer be involved in the audit and risk, nomination, and disclosure committees.

Wilson refers to Nwokorie as a "visionary brand storyteller" and believes that creating this role is essential for Dr. Martens to achieve £2bn in revenue. Nwokorie expresses enthusiasm about joining Kenny and the team at Dr. Martens in the new year and getting to work, as the brand is known for its rebellious, authentic, and creative qualities.

Storytelling challenge

Dr Martens, in its most recent annual report, made it abundantly clear about the fundamental allure of its brand. Emphasized by Erik Zambon, the strategy director, the brand's focus on 'Rebellious Self Expression' is key.

The company is actively promoting a stronger direct-to-consumer (DTC) performance, recognizing the importance of a robust brand strategy. Their overarching strategy focuses on driving revenue growth through DTC channels by enhancing and expanding both their owned retail stores and ecommerce platforms.

Additionally, Dr Martens is dedicated to creating seamless and brand-enhancing omnichannel consumer experiences. They aim to unify marketing efforts across various regions.

In June, Wilson informed investors that the key distinction in marketing strategy between the US and European businesses resided in the allocation of media spend towards boots, a task that posed a challenge in terms of storytelling. He clarified that, as the leading brand in boots, maintaining their relevance was paramount. While the European and Japanese teams excelled in this aspect, the American team lagged behind. It is imperative for us to extract valuable insights from this discrepancy in order to progress.