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Episode Overview
In this episode of the Marketing Remix, we sit down with Brianna Showell, VP of Marketing at Reef, whose career spans powerhouse brands like Nike and prAna. Brianna brings sharp insight and a fresh vision as Reef evolves beyond seasonal sandals into year-round innovation. We’ll unpack her approach to brand storytelling, full-funnel strategy, and how she's building a performance-driven, emotionally resonant brand. Let’s dive in.
- Getting to Reef
- Marketing to the Surf Community
- Current Landscape
- Entering in the Casual Shoe Space
- Reef's Cross-Channel Narrative
- Executing Innovative Ideas
- Creating Cohesive Strategy Across the Funnel
- Fostering Community
- Turning Consumer Research into Creative Decisions
- Commitment to Sustainability
- What's Next for Reef?
- Career Advice for Fellow Marketers
Episode Transcript
Reid Carr: Brianna, thanks for joining us.
Brianna Showell: It's so good to be here. Thank you for having me. It's always fun to spend time with you. You always have good, thoughtful conversations and questions always, so it's my pleasure.
What Lead you to Reef?
Reid Carr: Well, thank you very much. Well, we got some good ones for you here today and I'm excited for your answers. One of the things I wanted to start off with kind of level set with the audience is just you've led marketing at brands like Nike and Prana. What throughline connects those roles and then what led you to Reef?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I mean, the thing about Nike is that even though it's one brand, you get the chance to work for multiple brands, if you will. If you think about the categories as brands, so global football, basketball, Nike Kids, Nike Swim, and so what I love about the thing that I do is understanding, I love sport and I love consumers, and so the through line from Nike to Reef to Prana is really just getting to understand new consumers, what they do from rock climbing to basketball to now learning the surf culture is just understanding what makes them tick and how to really reach them where they are.
What surprised you about marketing to surfers?
Reid Carr: So evolving, you talk about surf culture. What's surprised you about that culture that might be, I mean, it's obviously innately surf, but it's different.
Brianna Showell: Every sport or subculture has its own nuances. What surprised me about surf? I wouldn't say anything has surprised me necessarily, just delighted me. Just understanding the personalities and the interconnectedness through people and brands and history. It's a really exciting, it's an exciting landscape.
Reid Carr: Yeah, it's always beautiful out there.
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I know. A joyful sport for sure.
What makes this an exciting time to be a market leader in this space?
Reid Carr: Yeah. Okay, so to get to the business side, I mean, Reef's doubled its business since 2019 after VF Corp sold the brand to Rockport Group. What makes this moment where we are now such a powerful inflection point for the brand and then you as its marketing leader?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I know it's so exciting. It is a really exciting time to be with Reef. It's always great when you're putting up positive numbers, and I think, I can't really speak to the before having just joined in seven months time, but what I can say is that the leadership that was put into place post acquisition is extraordinarily strategic, thoughtful, and just the sophistication of the work that we do and the thought that's put into the strategies and the planning is I would say unlike anything I've seen before, it's extraordinary. And so the moment in time that we're at is that the team has really worked on getting the product amazing, has worked on making sure that we're firing on all cylinders as it relates to performance marketing and sourcing and supply chain. And now it's really time to put investment in people and resource around building the brand. And so I think that's why they brought in me as a brand builder, somebody who loves brands and wants to kind of bring them a life emotionally with the consumers. And so that's where we're at.
Reid Carr: Yeah, yeah, I mean, you got to start with a great product. I mean, they say nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising.
For longevity, if you build a great brand, I mean, you want to make sure the product supports the brand.
Brianna Showell: And they really have, I mean, we talk about Reef being ridiculously comfortable, but it truly is a source of differentiation and the team has just the best in the business making sure that the product's amazing. And so my job makes my job so easy to be like, yes, this is amazing product. Let's do something with it.
How did Reef enter the casual shoe market?
Reid Carr: Yeah. Well, so that's interesting. I mean, making it ridiculously comfortable, Reef is breaking out of its four month a year mold, getting beyond just the summer sandals and entered the casual shoe market. How has Reef authentically made that shift? I mean comfortable as important all points of the year?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, it started, like I said, early with deep, deep consumer research and strategy. And really what happened was when we took a look at the total addressable market for footwear in general, shoes is a lot bigger than sandals way, way bigger. And so the team was like, where do we have permission to be in this space? And so through consumer research and planning kind of found that space in that comfortable casual footwear space and slowly dripped out some shoes and the consumers reacted incredibly well to it with little to no marketing to begin with. And so once we understood the areas where we had permission, we're starting to really double down and then behave like a shoe brand.
Reid Carr: Yeah. You think that was the strategy, was the drip just like, let's see how this goes. Let's not invest in product obviously, but not necessarily invest in marketing that product. The focus was on the core customer at that point. You had to have been pretty loyal at that point to discover the shoes, I'm assuming.
Brianna Showell: That's right. That's right. And so it's like how do we take our consumer who we already have and already loves our brand, they're obviously buying shoes as well, so how do we make footwear that will serve their needs outside of the times when they're wearing sandals?
Reid Carr: Yeah, that's interesting. Then that means they're probably, you are being authentic if the people who are your core buyers are the ones buying it and then coming back and buying more, we found our lane.
Brianna Showell: Yeah, definitely.
What is Reef's narrative and how does it play across channels?
Reid Carr: Yeah, so that's interesting. Now then, so is as you evolve, you are trying to grow the business, not just the core customers. You're trying to broaden that, I'm assuming to some degree. So what's Reef's consumer narrative now and how does that play out across the various channels you're in?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I mean one of the jobs that was kind of job one when I came in was how do we set up our brand foundation? We've been around for 40 years and everybody knows Reef as a surf brand, but how do we take the things that we're known for and just build out from there the things where it's coastal, casual, comfortable, surf, sunshine, ocean, how do we take that base and really just start to build some concentric circles outside of that? And as a part of that was a consumer segmentation study, and so it's really just taking who we are at our core and building out from there.
How have you executed your innovative ideas?
Reid Carr: Well, so then that moves into innovation. So from you got late a sneakers, the expanded fanning line, that's pretty notable from the flip flops that we have had. Am I saying that flip flops? Are we good to say that? Yeah, we love flippy floppies. So product innovation stands out. I mean, how did these innovations evolve from the insight that you had to the execution where we are today?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, this team is always thinking, and I think what is amazing about being at a brand this size is that nobody's afraid to say, why not? And let's pull it up and let's test it at D2C. And so I mean, weekly, monthly, we are always having products that show up into our seasons that weren't planned for that season because the team was able to get over to Asia, pull it together, and it's so good that you have to bring it in earlier. So I think this team operates with an innovation-first mindset and is crazy about footwear, and so we're making some good stuff.
How do you connect full-funnel tactics to create a cohesive strategy?
Reid Carr: Yeah, well, I mean, again, it comes back down to product and that now authenticity. I think building that up to the top of funnel activities, so bringing that out authentically, meeting new people, new buyers, how you take, you've got the top of funnel initiatives like your surf sponsorships, and then you've also got bottom of funnel DTC efforts. How do you connect those tactics into one cohesive strategy?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, that's a huge part of what I'm trying to figure out as a new leader is when I came, the performance tactics are so finely tuned and are very successful, but had been missing that upper funnel narrative brand piece. And so as we launched Fanning, that was really our first exercise at connecting the two. So how do we take a well-loved sandal that is now becoming a shoe and pull at some emotional heartstrings? And in this case it was with humor. And so I think what we did with this was kind of prove out that you can take a commercially viable product that we want to get out in front of people, execute on all of the performance things with precision and fine tune, but then also tell the story and put it in new spots. And so that's what we've done with Fanning.
Reid Carr: So for the audience, the Fanning Shoe map, probably not everybody's familiar with it if you say it that way, Fanning Shoe, but they probably have seen it. It's the one with the bottle cap on the bottom.
Brianna Showell: Yeah, yeah, it's a fun one. I mean, when we were in the creative briefing room and coming up with ideas, we're like, guys, let's not make this too crazy. The insight is it's a shoe with a bottle opener on the bottom period. I mean, it's just fun and ridiculous, but it also has that what we're saying is ridiculously comfort built into it. And so that's where across our performance channels, how do we say, get through the humor, get through the fun of it, and then go, but also this is a legit lifestyle shoe that you should wear.
Reid Carr: Yeah, I mean, as you know, it's one of those things that stands out. People are familiar with it. It's polarizing to some degree, but that's how people become fans and they're excited about it. So it's cool to see how it kind of bridged over to the shoes and supporting the overall strategy, the business.
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I was just going to add, one of the things that was so fun about that campaign in general is that because it was serving as a test case, if you will, to move up the funnel, we tried a lot of things. We tried podcasts, we were all over Reddit. We did a lot of OLV, and in doing those tests and being able to test the incrementality, we're seeing like, oh, it's working, moving up the funnel. When you have really good insight and a really good story, it works. And so it was a great test case.
How does the Encinitas HQ foster a personal connection to the brand?
Reid Carr: Well, and then the data story behind all that too is you have to have the infrastructure to say, have the measurements, have the expectations, but also have the infrastructure to say, yeah, this is working. So obviously you guys have that in place. So its first US store in Encinitas a couple years ago. How does this location here in our own backyard connect with consumers in a more personal and immersive way?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I mean, I think that through that shop was really a test shop. I think they put it up as a, what do they call it, popup, and then people loved it, and so we kept it going. And so it's a great touch point for us to be in our own backyard and have a place to activate, have a place to test things, talk to consumers in real time. So we love having that in our backyard.
Reid Carr: Then the marketing team, do you guys spend time in that store as an opportunity to spend face-to-face with the consumer?
Brianna Showell: Yes. We always want to spend more time there, but we have a great crew of folks that work there and they're always feeding us insights from what people are picking up, what are people asking about, and then we typically have a one or two days a year where we go and work in the store. And so that's always a fun thing to do as well.
Reid Carr: That's one of the things I tell all of our clients, you have to spend time with the consumer. And even in the cases of where you do have retail opportunities is getting out there and actually selling to consumers. I know I think there's a lot of times people feel, I'm getting on a soapbox here, but they feel like they're above that in some way. And if you don't spend time with the consumer, you don't hear their objection, you don't hear what they're excited about, you're really missing an opportunity. So effectively that is probably the best form of consumer research you get because you're also selling product. So it actually, it's research that immediately pays for itself and then comes back.
Brianna Showell: Totally. I mean, my first job was really in retail, even though I wasn't selling with Nike where we were, I was kind of the frontline with the people who are selling the products, and it's the best job I ever had because you do, you get to interface with customers and just see why are they picking it up? How are they picking it up? What are they saying to the store associates when they're doing it? So I typically like to hire people who have worked retail in my line of work and find that it's such a valuable skill to always stay curious about the consumer.
Reid Carr: Yeah, well, it's like us as a service provider, people who have restaurant experience.
Brianna Showell: Yes,
Reid Carr: Totally. You deal with an environment like that. I mean, it's not too hard as an agency and customer service.
Brianna Showell: Hospitality.
How do you turn consumer research into creative decisions?
Reid Carr: Well, so going—that speaks into then how do you leverage, outside of that particular type of research, consumer research in general? How do you turn the insights that you do get out of this environment or other forms of research into smart creative decisions?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, I have a funny story about this. When I was interviewing for the role, the president was telling me that they just did a consumer segmentation study and that they had this really great consumer insights. And I was like, okay, we'll see what we got. And when I got in and got a chance to really take part in it and understand it, I could not believe how rich and deep and amazing that study was. And so one, kudos to a brand who will invest in consumer research and consumer segmentation strategies, but two, we use it every day—the way that we brief, the way that we plan the media. We have a really solid segmentation strategy and are always coming back to it to see: Are these still solid? Do we need to tweak any of this? But yeah, I'm a big fan of solid consumer research.
How do you market Reef's commitment to sustainability?
Reid Carr: A lot of companies, they can't afford to do it. They just kind of make some guesses. But at that point in which it can be pretty transformative—and particularly for what I get from you guys as being built on product innovation—you really do have to have the voice of the consumer at the table. And I think that, speaking of voice of the consumer, the other part of it's sustainability. I mean, Reef is a champion of sustainability. How do you turn that legacy into something modern, meaningful, and marketable in the environment that we're in?
Brianna Showell: Yeah, sustainability has just so many angles. And I think for us, the way that we look at it is that we craft products that will last. And we even did a story about people who have had the same Fanning sandals for 20 years. We’re like, wow, maybe it’s time to get a new pair. But it goes to show well-made products can last a long time. And that’s really the way that we make sure that we’re continuing to serve the consumer with a sustainable answer.
What's the next opportunity for Reef that you are most excited about?
Reid Carr: That is a challenge for any brand. You bring something particularly durable, that’s what consumers want. And you have to articulate value, particularly when they’re comparing against maybe other products that are not as well made. But again, I think holding true to those values is such a critical part of not just the business and its values, but then obviously to the legacy that ultimately you leave. So then speaking of that legacy—then looking at where you’re going—what opportunity are you most excited to chase next for Reef and actually for you personally?
Brianna Showell: For Reef, I would say one of the things that I’ve loved so much when I’ve come into this brand is that it’s a brand that people love. They have happy memories of their childhood or when they get into it anew, they’re like, this is a cool brand. Look—it’s sunshine, it’s ocean, it’s sandals. It makes them think about happy, nostalgic things. And so when I think about where we want to go as a brand, there’s such opportunity for us to tell stories and be more meaningful to people and how they interact with our brand. And so as we test some more of these tactics, whether it’s the video using humor as a way to communicate our values, I’m just excited to push into some of the things that we’ve started and go bigger and better on those.
Are there other brands that inspire your work?
Reid Carr: So I assume you take inspiration from talking about humor or other areas—inspiration from other brands, not just ones you’ve worked on, not just ones in category. Are there brands that you admire that are outside of your category that you think are of great influence on where you want to go and what you want to do with Reef?
Brianna Showell: I call them brand crushes. I have crushes on many brands. Being a brand person, we have an Instagram channel that we have for our team where we just put inspiration and things. And every day it’s like four or five posts of: “Look at this brand doing this,” “Look at this brand doing that.” So I have mad respect for all kinds of brands, but one I’ll speak to—a couple I’ll bring up specifically. I think Béis is doing amazing things. The travel and luggage brand—they have such an irreverent but cool way of doing content. And I think specifically on their paid social, they are courageous and they do things that maybe are somewhat outside of the box. On the more luxury side, I think Jacquemus is always doing something great. I think they just nail it. They have a little Wes Anderson vibe that always is comedic, but also super luxury and beautiful. And the product is the hero—always—in the story. And I mean, I could go on with 10 different brands, so either way there’s just so many things that you can take from your peers and the people that are doing interesting things out there. I love it.
Reid Carr: Yeah, it’s interesting you talk about the product being the hero in this, because I think that sometimes can get lost—particularly when you are actually selling a product. I think there’s a lot of folks who get out there and think of branding as “I’m just trying to show this story with our logo,” and people are like, “Well, at the end of the day—show the product. Is it cool? Is it something I see myself in?” And so it is a hard thing to do—to do that well, to show the product, because you remember you’re selling something and then wrap it around what that brand stands for.
Brianna Showell: Yeah, it’s a fun brief. How do you give this brand a personality? And I think that’s what we tried to do with the Fanning Shoe—is how do you make this shoe the kind of guy that you want to go to a party with? And we have a couple briefs coming up for Spring ’26 where we’re just doing just that, but on the women’s side.
Brianna Showell: It’ll be fun. I’m really excited to dig into that and get that done on the women’s side, because it’s slightly different and it’ll come with a different nuance. But that’s the exciting part of the challenge.
What do you recommend for people who are seeking a similar career path to yours?
Reid Carr: Yeah. Well, and obviously all of us can feel your energy and passion for what you’re doing, and I’m sure there are so many people who’d be so envious to be in your spot. I mean, maybe end this with just telling—what do you recommend to people who want to be in your spot? How did you get to this point in your career such that others can follow in your footsteps?
Brianna Showell: Yeah. I feel like my career has been just a series of one, fortunate events—but two, just pulling at the thread of things. And when I see something that I’m curious about and interested in, I truly do kind of pull at the thread and find out more and learn more and get as immersed as I can in that, and then it leads me to another opportunity. And so while my career hasn’t been completely linear, that’s probably why. I started my career in product. And so I was at Nike as a product—they call it PLM, Product Line Manager—and spent, I think, the first seven or eight years of my life really understanding how product was made and going to factories and understanding molds and tooling and costs and FOB. And I started to really have an interest in how these products are coming to the consumer. How are consumers interacting with them and communicating with the brand? And so that curiosity led me to pursue a career in brand marketing—which is a jump. Not a lot of people go from product into brand. And so I think it’s just staying interested and curious in things and following it with action.
Reid Carr: Interest. Yeah. Well, I mean, what I know about you—I mean, there’s the curiosity. I mean, how many times has that come up? So you’re always out there willing to learn. And then courageous, right? You’re willing to then go there and figure it out. And like you said, making that jump can be scary, but knowing and believing in yourself that you can do it. And that takes courage.
Brianna Showell: And boldness. Yeah, for sure.
Reid Carr: Exactly. So with that, I mean, I hope that everyone here that was listening to us can take a little curiosity—or you're listening to this because you're probably curious and want to learn—and then obviously have the courage to see this through. So Brianna, thanks so much for joining us and for educating our listeners. I think it’s fantastic you do this.
Brianna Showell: It’s my pleasure. Always.
Reid Carr: Be sure to check out show notes from this episode and more at reddoor.biz/learn. And as always, subscribe to the Marketing Remix and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.