You know that moment when you see something for the first time and think, “What in the world is that about?” That was me when I first spotted someone wearing Salomon XT-6 trail shoes — with jeans. JEANS. My brain couldn’t computeOpens in new tab. Trail shoes are for trail running, not street style, right?

But then, the plot thickened.

The slow seduction of familiarity

At first, I dismissed the trend. But Salomon XT-6s started popping up everywhere. My TikTok feed transformed into a runway of trail-shoe fashionistas. Colleagues (looking at you, Simon and Dan) were rocking them at the office. Bit by bit, something strange happened: my “WTF” started softening into “Hmm, okay, maybe there’s something here.” 👀

This is what we call Future Demand — the big 95% of people who aren’t ready to buy yet. I was firmly in that camp. But here’s the thing: with every TikTok, every office sighting, and every stylish cool human moment, Salomon XT-6 was building familiarity and emotional closeness with me.

I still wasn’t ready to buy, but I was being primed for it.

When functionality meets familiarity

Fast forward to me planning a trip back to New Zealand. I needed sneakers that could do it all: stylish enough for the office, rugged enough for the outdoors, maybe even a wildcard for the golf course. That’s when the 95% flipped into the 5% — the part of the market that’s ready to buy right now.

Suddenly, I was shopping. My brain did what most brains do when making a purchase: it considered 2–3 brands. Salomon, Asics, and New Balance made the cut (psst, did you know: Tracksuit data shows that 92% of people only consider 2–3 brands).

Here’s where familiarity kicked in. Salomon wasn’t just in my consideration set—it was leading it. Why? Because we gravitate towards things that we’re more familiar with, even if another product is objectively better (I’m not saying that I did a full analysis on product features, I didn’t even know that you were supposed to tuck the lace into the tongue pocket).

As we’ve said before, familiarity most often comes in the form of exposure. The more we see something, the more we’re aware of it, the more we know about it, and the more likely we are to seek it out.

And while we’re here, a few words on saliency… you can’t be familiar with a brand that isn’t mentally or physically available to you.

Bang. Bang.

The Solomon XT-6 were mentally available. ✅

The Solomon XY-6 were physically available. ✅

I could find and purchase the Solomon XT-6 anywhere.

Boom: I’m the proud owner of black Salomon XT-6s

Despite scrolling through Black Friday deals, I bought the Salomons at full price. Why? Because they checked all my functional boxes (versatile, comfy, stylish) and ticked an emotional one: I want to be down with the cool kids.

The marketing principles behind my purchase

1. Our reptilian brains love familiarity. When we see something new, our initial reaction is often NOPE (the Jaguar rebrand comes to mind). But with repeated exposure, the brain relaxes, and curiosity replaces skepticism (thanks, James Hurman!)
2. 95-5: Two types of demand exist. The 95% aren’t ready to buy, so you need to build familiarity. The 5% are ready to buy — and they’ll likely gravitate to the brands they’re familiar or trust.
3. Emotional and rational messaging work hand-in-hand. To build future demand and harvest existing demand. The role of brand and performance marketing.
4. Strong brands reduce price sensitivity. Salomon wasn’t on sale, but that didn’t stop me. Strong brands can command premium pricing because they build emotional loyalty.

What we can learn from the road to purchasing my Salomon’s

If you’re building a brand, think long-term. Winning the 95% doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s how you dominate when the 5% are ready to buy. Familiarity, emotional connection, and trust are the secret weapons that put your brand in the lead.

And let’s not forget: a little bit of TikTok influence never hurts.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some trail-to-office looks to plan with my new kicks.