In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Roman Kirsch interviews Chris Willingham, Global Marketing Director at Brompton Bicycle. Brompton is a 50-year-old British folding bicycle company that has evolved from a functional transportation solution into a global lifestyle brand and status symbol. With 1.2 million bikes sold across 47 markets, Brompton demonstrates how legacy brands can reinvent themselves while staying true to their core DNA. Chris shares how they’re navigating the shift to electric, creating unified global messaging across diverse market use cases, and building authentic community experiences that foster unprecedented brand loyalty.

Topics Discussed:

• Building global brand consistency when use cases vary dramatically by geography

• Transitioning from product-feature marketing to benefit-led positioning

• Mapping complex customer journeys that span up to 2.5 years from awareness to purchase

• Balancing heritage authenticity with future innovation in electric mobility

• Creating premium unboxing experiences that match product quality

• Developing community-driven events that generate genuine superfan engagement

• Strategic focus through “fewer, bigger, better” resource allocation

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Map the Complete Emotional Customer Journey, Not Just Functional Touchpoints

Brompton discovered their customer journey spans up to 2.5 years from first awareness to purchase. Chris emphasizes mapping not just the functional steps (research, dealer visit, test ride) but the emotional moments – including potential embarrassment about folding the bike in public. This granular journey mapping revealed critical experience gaps like uninspiring unboxing that didn’t match the premium product quality.

Find Universal Human Truths That Bridge Geographic Differences

With vastly different use cases (functional transport in Europe vs. lifestyle accessory in Asia), Brompton needed global brand unity. Their “Life Unfolded” positioning works because it captures the universal emotional moment when the bike clicks into place – the smile, the freedom, the openness. This human truth resonates whether you’re in Shanghai or Stuttgart, allowing localized execution under unified strategy.

Apply Agency-Level Strategic Rigor to Brand-Side Thinking

Chris brought critical agency discipline to Brompton: the understanding that consumers aren’t thinking about your brand and you must work incredibly hard just to get noticed. This means being ruthlessly reductive in messaging and focusing obsessively on the single most important thing you need to communicate, rather than trying to say everything at once.

Embrace “Fewer, Bigger, Better” Resource Allocation

Brompton was spreading themselves thin across too many initiatives. Chris implemented strategic focus by either shelving or killing projects that weren’t core to brand development or commercial success. This concentration of resources allows them to execute excellently on what truly matters rather than adequately on too many things.

Leverage Superfan Communities Without Over-Managing Them

Brompton’s World Championship events reveal superfans who love the brand more intensely than typical consumer brands achieve. The key insight: don’t be overbearing. These communities have already self-organized, so the brand’s role is to nurture and provide valuable experiences rather than control or manage too heavily.

Prepare for the AI-Physical Experience Balance

As AI agents change how consumers discover and purchase products, Chris anticipates the critical importance of real-world brand experiences. While bots may handle research and transactions, authentic physical community moments become more valuable, not less. Brompton is doubling down on in-real-life events as a strategic counterbalance to digital automation.