20Product: On Running's CPO on How to Create Emotion Through Product | Why 99% of Products Fail and How to Create Cults Around Products | The Biggest Product Mistakes On Have Made & Lessons Learned with Gérald Marolf

Marolf explains how the fragrance industry pioneered emotional product design, where packaging and experience matter more than the actual cost of ingredients. This philosophy of creating 'slight discomfort' and curiosity became his framework for physical products, though he had to completely relearn it when moving from digital to physical products where iteration is impossible.

• •Perfume taught that consumers buy emotion and packaging over the actual product (smell)
• •Great products should trigger 'slight discomfort' that makes you question if it's right for you
• •Digital products allow rapid iteration; physical products require getting it right before launch
• •The hardest part is not losing the emotional intent during the engineering process

Marolf challenges the conventional wisdom that simple is always better in product design. He argues that simplicity reduces storytelling opportunities and word-of-mouth, giving consumers less chance to become experts and explore the product. This contrasts sharply with consumer electronics where simplicity works (AirPods, trackpads).

• •Simple products result in more storytelling needs and less organic word-of-mouth
• •Complexity gives consumers opportunity to tweak, learn, explore, and give products their own life
• •Consumer electronics may be different, but footwear benefits from non-simple design
• •The bipolarity of power users vs casual users is actually beneficial (like MacBook Pro analogy)

Marolf admits On listened too much to customers about creating products that work for both sports and lifestyle. He argues the 'hybrid' persona (gym to latte in same outfit) doesn't really exist at scale, and making product compromises for this middle ground was a strategic error. Product intent should be crystal clear.

• •The sports-lifestyle hybrid market was a mistake - consumers want either pure performance or pure style
• •The 2010s New York persona (gym to coffee in same outfit) never existed at the scale believed
• •Better to have your craziest marathon shoes in Dover Street Market than compromise on product
• •Product intent must be clear - don't brief products for ambiguous use cases

When challenged on tennis being too small a market to move the needle, Marolf reveals the strategy is about Roger Federer as an entrepreneur and cultural force, not just market size. The partnership creates an athlete mindset that strives for excellence and enables the brand to move beyond running while staying rooted in sports.

• •Tennis market size alone wouldn't justify the investment - it's about Roger's influence
• •Roger meets with product teams every two weeks, driving excellence mindset across company
• •The strategy is about moving from international to global company with clear sports DNA
• •Wouldn't necessarily do tennis without Roger - brand DNA drives product strategy, not just distribution

Marolf identifies the four-hour marathon shoe as their most controversial recent product. The running community didn't understand why On would make a shoe for slower runners, even though there are valid health reasons. The lesson: they were too slow and too complicated in their approach to marathon running overall.

• •The four-hour marathon shoe confused the core running community who expect performance focus
• •On was 'too slow and maybe a little bit too complicated' entering the marathon category
• •They strive for perfection but sometimes need to ship and let consumers decide
• •Health benefits exist for slower runners, but messaging wasn't thought through from consumer mindset

The Loewe collaboration created a 'dog walking trail runner' with Japanese shibori-inspired canvas that Marolf considers one of their best products, but it didn't perform commercially. The lesson: they made the story too complete and the product too perfect, leaving nothing for the consumer to interpret or make their own.

• •Created a trail runner with Loewe using Japanese shibori towel-inspired canvas
• •Product was '90% perfect' but they should have left more for consumer interpretation
• •Came too early before the luxury sneaker trend (pre-New Balance x Miu Miu)
• •The Sopranos ending philosophy: leave something incomplete for consumers to complete themselves

Marolf disagrees with the 'price king vs feature king' binary for apparel, arguing materials make all the difference. It's not about waterproofing or zipper garages, but the holistic feel of the product. Even details like care labels matter - he calls out Sunspel's labels as inadequate for £120 t-shirts.

• •For apparel, materials trump features - it's about how the whole product feels
• •Distinction comes from material quality, not just functional features
• •Small details matter: care labels, stitching, shape, fit all contribute to premium feel
• •Spent significant time sourcing different, more premium materials (like Swiss rope for bags)

Marolf critiques Vuori as confused brand positioning (premium athleisure for 'Upper East Side moms') and calls Adidas overrated for moving too fast through trends. He praises Alo Yoga for clarity despite growth challenges, and ASICS for honest product focus even with confusing naming conventions.

• •Vuori represents confused brand positioning in the athleisure space
• •Adidas is 'going too fast' - constantly chasing newness instead of building consumer relationships
• •Alo Yoga shows brand clarity by keeping 'yoga' in the name despite expansion
• •ASICS delivers great product but naming is incomprehensible (gel, kinetic, numbers, versions)

Marolf analyzes New Balance's transformation from uncool to cultural force, crediting their hyper-local approach in key cities like Seoul and Taipei. They understood that global markets are fragmenting and succeeded by making big moves feel local to specific communities at the right time.

• •New Balance anticipated trends with unexpected products (550 basketball shoe, Teddy Santis collaboration)
• •Success came from hyper-local strategy that felt authentic to specific communities
• •Cities like Seoul and Taipei show faster subculture development and product repurposing
• •On is learning from these communities to create products 'with them, for them, in between'

In a cryptic but revealing answer, Marolf suggests consumers don't see that sports is 'the last life moment' and sportswear is only at 30% of what it can become as the uniform people wear. There's white space in capturing consumers' everyday habits beyond single-brand, single-purpose thinking.

• •Sports represents 'the last life moment' that hasn't been fully captured by brands
• •Sportswear as everyday uniform is only 30% developed from its potential
• •White space exists in how brands capture consumers' everyday habits
• •Future isn't about doing one thing with one brand - it's more holistic