When Cleveland-based online retailer FitBeyond® selected The Bloodhound Group to launch its new website, the assignment came with a bonus opportunity. FitBeyond holds the U.S. marketing rights for YDA shoes, an Italian athletic shoe scientifically engineered for active lifestyles. The company also wanted BHG’s help positioning the brand for the U.S. market.
Vision of a former college athlete
FitBeyond founder Mike Sotak played college football and has maintained an active lifestyle ever since, supported by special orthotic braces that give him the confidence to continue enjoying sports he loves without injury. As part of his 25+ years of manufacturing and retail experience with healthcare companies, he helped market products to meet the needs of orthotic and prosthetic professionals. This led him to create an online retail platform to make quality products available directly to consumers.
“FitBeyond offers specialized, high-quality products that, in many cases, deliver clinical benefits to anyone with a passion to stay active,” says Sotak. “Many of our brands are evaluated and specified by practitioners for patient rehabilitation or therapy. So you can buy with confidence, knowing you will receive a dependable, long-lasting product that really works.”
YDA (Your Daily Activity) shoes were a perfect fit with the product line, combining a casual look with technical features designed for stability, performance and overall wearer well-being.
Sotak notes, “YDA improves posture, stimulates microcirculation, reactivates muscles, acts on cellulite and swelling and stabilizes your stride to offer a unique, dynamic experience. Moreover, YDA prevents the most common foot inflammations as well as diabetes-related conditions.”
The Bloodhound Group will be developing a digital marketing strategy for YDA that will include both organic and paid social media as well as programmatic targeting.
In addition to YDA shoes, the FitBeyond website features medi® wrist, elbow and knee braces, TheraSport® arm and leg sleeves and compression socks, EpiPoint® elbow straps and A-Wave® orthotic foot supports.
The right brand marketing partner
“We chose The Bloodhound Group for their branding expertise and integrated marketing capabilities,” says Sotak. “But even more important to us is their ability to optimize and measure performance across the media channels needed to deliver the best financial results.”
To find out more about FitBeyond and its line of active lifestyle products visit fitbeyond.com. Learn more about YDA brand shoes at YDA.it.