Converse Mission Statement Analysis

Company: Converse
CEO: John Donahoe II
Year founded: 1908
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Number of Employees: 5,300
Type: Publicly-Owned Subsidiary
Ticker Symbol: NKE (under Nike Inc.)
Annual Revenue (2024): $2 Billion

Products & Services: Footwear | Apparel | Accessories

Did you know? Converse All Stars was the official training shoe of the US military during World War II.

Converse is an American lifestyle brand founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse. The Boston-based brand offers footwear, apparel, and accessories. Nike Inc., the world’s largest sneaker maker, acquired Converse in 2003 for $309 million and expanded its distribution network. In 2024, Converse generated around $2 billion in annual revenue. The brand has posted significant growth under Nike. [1]

Converse owns Chuck Taylor All-Stars, Cons, Jack Purcell, One Star, and The Weapon. The brand is known for its Chucks with the iconic star. It also offers tees, tops, socks, hoodies, pants, sweatshirts, shorts, skirts, vests, dresses, sandals, and accessories like hats and laces. In 2024, Converse was the third most popular sneaker brand in the US, with 44%. It was only outperformed by Nike with 66% and Adidas with 58%. [2]

Checkout: Largest Global Footwear Companies by Market Cap

To understand Converse’s success drivers, here is a comprehensive analysis of its mission statement, principles,values, and sustainability goals:

Converse’s Mission Statement

Empowering today’s daring spirit of youth by celebrating freedom of expression through individuals and their movements. [3]

Here is an in-depth analysis of Converse’s mission statement:

1. Youth empowerment

Converse seeks to help youths achieve their dreams and aspirations. The company works toward this mission through initiatives, partnerships, and community-based programs. For example, Converse launched its #kickthedebt campaign, the South Africa edition, in 2021. The sneaker brand pledged R1 million to help South African undergraduates reduce their student debts. This campaign reduces financial burdens, ensuring the students focused on their studies and pursue their career goals. [4]

2. Daring spirit

Converse seeks to inspire youths and nurture future professionals. The brand leads by example by trying new concepts and designs. It also uses its products to fuel the daring spirit in each customer. In 2019, Converse released its Renew sneakers featuring the message “Life’s too short to waste.” These words inspire the wearer to live productively and sustainably. The brand also mentors students to activate their daring spirits. [5]

3. Celebrate freedom of expression

Converse embraces and encourages individuality. The brand celebrates freedom of expression through individuals and its products. For example, Converse dropped its 10^th anniversary Pride collection in May 2024, ahead of Pride Month. The “Proud to Be” set features festive colors of Converse’s classic Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes and nods to the blue-and-pink transgender flag. Converse’s LGBTQIA+ employees and allies designed the collection to support freedom of expression during Pride Month. [6]

4. Enable movements

Converse strives to design stylish, comfortable, and functional shoes to cater to all consumers. The brand offers practical sneakers to “give motion to movements.” Its 2024 gym shoes align with the company’s mission. They blend style, functionality, and comfortable fit, perfect for sneaker enthusiasts and fitness lovers. [7]

Converse’s Values

Converse’s values drive its culture and reinforce its mission. They help the brand, employees, and customers create, win, and celebrate as a team. [8]

Here is a breakdown of Converse’s values:

1. Serve youth

Converse is committed to its core customer base. The brand understands its target audience and gives them a voice to authentically express themselves. Its dedicated employees focus on what motivates the next generation and inject those driving factors into their work. This approach ensures all Converse business operations fulfill customers’ needs. Serving the youth goes beyond designing stylish sneakers. It also includes helping students realize their dreams. For example, Converse’s Social Impact team hosts undergraduates for mentorships and sneaker customization exercises. These sessions instill hands-on experience and nurture future designers. [9]

2. Dare greatly

Converse stands for creativity, rebellion, and daring spirit. The brand urges its employees and customers to leave their comfort zones and challenge themselves on the job and in their lives. Success comes to those who think outside the box. Converse’s design teams apply this principle to deliver unique, innovative sneakers. [10]

3. Spark progress

Converse is committed to helping its employees turn their creativity and curiosity into real-world ideas and products. This value goes beyond Converse sneakers and apparel. It also includes interaction and impact on the streets. For example, the brand offers tours, mentorship programs, and workshops for students to spark progress in their studies and career journeys. Its design team brainstorms to ignite creativity and deliver better products. Sparking progress is also about inspiring new ideas or ways to overcome work or personal challenges. [11]

4. Do the right thing

Converse values ethical business conduct and integrity. It understands that being a valuable brand is more than selling products. It’s also about serving people and their communities, prioritizing diversity and inclusion, and defending the vulnerable. For example, Converse supports Pride and the LGBTQIA+. The brand believes that doing the right thing is always in style. [12]

5. Win together

Converse believes that teamwork makes everything possible. This value encourages employees to collaborate and celebrate with their colleagues. For example, each Converse product requires teamwork between design, merchandise, and marketing teams to reach the market on time. Create as a team and celebrate wins together. This value extends beyond the company’s walls. Converse collaborates with artists to create custom shoes and partners with communities and organizations on several initiatives. [13]

Checkout: Largest Footwear Companies in the world by Market Cap

Converse’s Culture

Converse has nurtured an excellent culture since its founding. The brand prioritizes diversity, inclusion, social impact, teamwork, and employee empowerment. These shared attitudes and practices define and guide Converse’s operations.

Here is our analysis of Converse’s culture:

1. Diversity and inclusion

Converse is committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce by recruiting more inclusively. For example, the brand leverages its Diversity Sourcing and Programs Center of Excellence to attract diverse candidate slates. Converse is also committed to creating a culture of inclusion where all employees can share their personal experiences, unique perspectives, and opinions. The brand invests in its teams, ensures pay equity, and holds its leaders accountable to diversity standards. For example, Comcast trains its managers on diversity and inclusion issues with Amplify and Xcelerate programs. [14]

2. Social impact

Converse is committed to supporting communities where employees live and work. The brand celebrates culture by engaging its communities and using its products to enable social commitments. This commitment also includes improving the environment. Social impact is a fundamental part of Converse’s culture. [15]

3. Teamwork

Converse lives by the slogan, “Together, We Can.” The brand values teamwork and collaboration at work and beyond company walls. For example, Converse partners with its employees through its Give Your Best program to initiate change. Converse has several impressive collaborations with artists, cartoon and gaming franchises, and fashion houses like Comme Des Garcon, Missoni, Rick Owens, and Maison Margiela. In May 2023, the brand released the Converse x Rick Owens DRKSHDW, a hot pink Chuck 70 laceless sneaker with 100% premium cotton canvas. [16]

4. Employee empowerment

Converse celebrates, elevates, and empowers employees’ unique traits and differences. The brand has five employee-formed and managed communities, including the Converse Diversity Network, Women of Converse, and Abilities Network. Each network supports employee empowerment and development. [17]

Converse’s Sustainability Goals

Converse shares sustainability goals with its parent company, Nike Inc., and its sister sneaker brand, Jordan. They launched the Move to Zero initiative to reduce their carbon footprint, use more environmentally friendly materials, and minimize waste. In 2021, around 78% of Nike, Jordan, and Converse products had recycled material. The parent company and its brands aim to increase that number. This move is crucial because about 70% of their carbon footprint is attributed to raw materials. Nike and its subsidiaries aim to transition to 100% certified organic, recycled, or Better Cotton-sourced cotton for apparel. They seek to increase the percentage of cotton, polyester, leather, and rubber in their shoes by 50%. [18]

Nike and its brands seek to reduce their carbon footprint by 63% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. They aim to divert 100% of supply chain waste from landfills, recycle and reuse at least 80%, and decrease fresh water usage by 25%/kg in textile dyeing and finishing. Converse is committed to meeting these sustainability goals.

Converse has several in-house sustainability goals separate from Nike Inc.’s. The company is working to reduce its packaging waste and involve more young people in its sustainability efforts. Over 80% of employees stationed at Converse’s headquarters commute to work by walking, biking, or public transit. In 2019, Converse launched the Renew brand to design shoes from sustainable materials. The brand seeks to eliminate hazardous chemicals from its production process by 2025. [19]

References

Tighe, D. (2024, Aug 2). Revenue of Converse worldwide 2010-2024. Statista
Consumer Insights (2024, Mar 23). Sneakers brands ranked. Statista
Converse: About Us. Converse.com
Lebogang, A. (2021, Feb 15). Converse launches student debt relief campaign #Kickthedebt. Youth News Online
Public Inc. Converse: Life’s too short to waste. PublicInc.com
Yglesias, A. (2024, May 16). Converse unveils the “Proud to Be” Pride 2024 Collection with Western-style details. Footwear News
POIZON (2024 Aug 8). Top 10 Converse Gym Shoes for 2024: Style Meets Comfort. POIZON.com
Take a closer look inside Converse. Converse.com
Arianna, J. Our Values Make a Difference Every Day. Converse.com
Converse Values: Dare Greatly. Converse.com
Converse Values: Spark Progress. Converse.com
Converse Values: Do the Right Thing. Converse.com
Converse Values: Win Together. Converse.com
Converse: Diversity and Inclusion. Converse.com
Converse: Social Impact. Converse.com
Ayoud, A. (2023, Dec 12). Converse’s Most Iconic Collaborations: From Maison Margiela to the Simpsons. Footwear News
Jocelyn, B. Social Impact Begins With Even the Smallest Efforts. Converse.com
Nike Inc. (2021, Sep 3). Move to Zero: 2025 and Beyond. Nike.com
SR Staff (2024, Feb 15). Is Converse a Sustainable Brand? Evaluating Their Environmental and Ethical Practices. Sustainable Review
Featured Image by Mitchel Lensink

Converse Mission Statement Analysis