Ep. 89 - Erin DeLong of Durango Boots

“In order to grow, you have to step out of your comfort zone.”

Growing up in a small rural community southeastern Ohio, Erin DeLong graduated with degrees in marketing and public relations, and has been the marketing division for Rocky’s western Division, Durango Boots, for over five years. Erin is a part of our COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 collaboration. Tuning in from her home state of Ohio, which is also the home base of Rocky Brands - we are excited to chat about marketing and Durango boots.

With beautiful rolling hills and a lot of outdoor activities that people from even out of the country do in Ohio, it is a great spot for their brand portfolio with Rocky Boots.

Rocky Brands has Rocky Boots and they acquired Durango Boots and Georgia boots a few years ago, creating three wholesale brands under their umbrella. Most recently, they just acquired Muck Boots as well with their division under their corporate profile.

“I feel like everyone has a pair of or knows someone with a pair of muck boots,” says Erin about the new acquisition.

Erin actually interned at Rocky before she graduated college during her senior year as it was just 20 minutes down the road from where she grew up. In fact, Erin had reached out asking for marketing with a public relations focus and there was, in fact, a chance! Erin was able to learn about the company in her niche.

“Internships I can’t speak enough about. Textbooks are great, classroom work is phenomenal - but until you are enthralled in that environment and y9ou see how those employees and departments work together or to see a product go from start to finish… I was just a sponge, networking and growing with people,” advises Erin. Working with all the divisions, Durango was her favorite and now she’s fortunate to be in that role. “I took so much of that and was able to apply that in my other classes.”

“Once you put a marketing hat on, you can’t take it off.”

“I have tried to [take off the marketing hat], and I can’t!” Says Erin with a laugh about how she analyzes every advertisement or billboard that she sees. It’s something that you always love or am looking for in everything that you do.

“The second I took my first marketing course in my undergrad years, I knew it was what I wanted to be,” says Erin, who had started college wanting to be an accountant. “I love communication, I love developing and cultivating relationships with people - which with marketing, that is at the heart of it.”

From the moment she was able to form a sentence, Erin laughs that she has always been a story teller. In fact, her mom laughs about the time that four year-old Erin had talked someone’s ear off on the phone and it turned out it wasn’t a family member and it was a telemarketer. Erin always told herself that if she didn’t find a job upon graduation that she was going to be a WalMart greeter.

The Western Lifestyle

The western lifestyle became more of a passion for Erin during her internship in not just the western persona, but also country music lifestyle as well. Growing up, Erin was in 4-H and had goats, sheep, and rabbits, but was never really interested as much as other individuals in the western industry. In the last eight years, she has grown to love the people that are like family within the industry as she grew more with the brand through her career.

Erin has one of the longest careers of all our COWGIRL 30 Under 30 nominees and she attributes it to the family aspect of Rocky Brands. When Erin graduated college, she had a couple job offers that were all out of state and, honestly, she didn’t have peace with those decisions. The Rocky Brand offer was close to home and it blossomed to something even greater. Rocky Brands and Durango have given Erin the opportunity to grow within her career.

In fact, Erin started in the sales department and worked her way to the marketing department. Right off the bat, she knew that sales wasn’t going to be forever position, so she learned as much as she could knowing that marketing was her ultimate passion. “I loved my opportunity with sales because I use some of that into my marketing now.”

Anyone that has ever been in the sales representative position knows how strenuous and cut throat. From an analytical perspective, sales and data means a lot from a negotiation standpoint when you are buying something or when someone is trying to sell you something, understanding those tactics. You may think it’s silly, but it’s a truth. Being aware of how you present yourself is also important and, in any job or position, the ability to communicate effectively is very important. All of these strengthened her confidence and skills, and her people skills to help her in the marketing world.

Day to Day or Quarter to Quarter

Every day in her role is different, requiring Erin to be flexible both in and out of the office. Erin loves the diversity of the job, never knowing who you are going to meet or converse with each day. The love of the job has made nothing seem like work for Erin and so sometimes she has to check herself if she is being too passionate and ruining her work-life balance.

Part of Erin’s task includes sponsorships, print and digital advertisements, activation at a festival, booth at a convention, events, catalogs, supporting sales representatives across the United States and so much more - that’s just the “tip of the iceberg.” Any and all kinds of tasks can come across Erin’s desk in a year.

“Within our corporate office where I work, we have nine or ten people within our pod,” says Erin, who handles the traditional marketing. “All of us synergy wise are in the sales office and can bounce ideas off of each other…. each of our brands have that as well.”

Public Relations

“I am very fortunate to have a wonderful PR firm out of Franklin, Tennessee, that I work very closely on a day-to-day even basis,” says Erin, about her efforts to be cognizant of the world and everything going on. “You want to be mindful of what is going on and how you present the brand.”

This has been a huge conversation regarding the fine line that brands are having to work through in the past few years with cancel culture. “We don’t take it lightly at all and we want to be conservative with our fan base of who we are,” says Erin. PR has had to rise to the occasion on any brand and any product, and have to be aware of how to speak to current issues.

Last year, Durango put together a campaign for the essential workers like blue-collar individuals and truck drivers to highlight them and have people nominate deserving individuals to be given new shoes.

Durango’s Rodeo Team

Paul Eaves, Luke Brown, Shane Hanchey, Lisa Lockhart and more are all on the rodeo team for Durango boots.

“A huge equity builder for our brand is building this roster - in our world, we have the best of the best with these ambassadors…. they can talk to the brand not just inside, but also outside the brand,” says Erin. The athletes are all vetted through a process that come through a high level of qualifications and are a part of the Durango family, while they are a part of theirs as well.

“I am fortunate as one of the areas of my job in getting to work with them for different meet & greet opportunities … and that they are badged and branded at events,” says Erin. Getting to chat with them about research and discovery, utilizing these athletes as a sound board, as Durango is always innovating and infusing the best technology into their product. Using their feedback, they want to know what they like and love about each of them.

Through these partnerships, some of the top notch styles have been birthed from this relationship. Listening to them and understanding where they come from and putting yourself into their boots and understand why they are wearing them and in what capacity. This in turns helps Erin with her marketing to explain who they are made for and then helps the brand grow and strengthen with the consumer base.

Thinking outside the box is also a great way to be creative and find new information. As a part of that, they’ll do onsite visits at homes where they are practicing, at jackpots where they are competing, and just having honest conversations about what people like or don’t like.

Selection Process

Partnerships have helped fuel the demand for Durango and they’re now the official boot of the National Finals Rodeo. A lot of individuals have reached out to find out what it takes to be on Team Durango. These sponsored athletes are hand selected and are evaluated from their qualifications and recent successes. Looking at the long-term, what they have done int he past and what they are going to continue to do.

From a brand standpoint, they have to fit within the brand DNA for Durango, and look from a footwear standpoint. Some of the individuals have been wearing Durango for a long time and now having a product that speaks to their capacities and roles in the western industries has helped to strengthen more.

“Our product has revolutionized in the past couples seasons and years … and we haven’t had a lot in the core rodeo segment to offer but now we do,” says Erin. Each individual event in the rodeo world has different requirements and needs.

Things You Never Knew About Boots & Marketing

Shoes are so different across brands - it isn’t always the same.

Insteps are very different based on who it is. From a technology standpoint, this was a big issue that a lot of issues that consumers had, so the Durango product team created technology on the inside seam of the boot called an “X-pand seam.” This allows additional room to get your foot into a boot, that then changes and fits back down when you get your foot into the boot. It’s now used in a variety of their products across the board.

National Finals Rode Partnership - Durango, The Official Boot

“We are thrilled, excited, humbled and honored to be a part of that and be one of the ten sponsors for thee National Finals Rodeo,” says Erin. “Last year in Texas we were very thankful that it was still on … [2021] is going to be here before we know it”

The Durango team is excited for their ProRodeo partnership and to be able to work with them boot-to-boot to strengthen and grow that partnership with Tom Glause and his team. At the 2021 NFR they will have four different booths and they are going to be really busy to sell their footwear there. The product offerings that they are going to have are going to resonate well with the consumer base that will be going to the NFR.

The American & COWGIRL 30 Under 30

The 2022 American will be their third year as a presenting sponsor of the richest weekend in professional sports. Being on stage in 2021 with the fellow sponsors, Durango made a custom pair of Durango boots with the American logo on the shaft of them with the “2021 Champion” embossed on the pull tab and insole. Presenting those on stage, looking at the check, and seeing the winners - it’s life changing!

“What Patrick and Randy are doing for the western industry and to just be a small part of that, we are jonoured and can’t wait to strengthen that partnership there as a presenting sponsor and do more with those individuals and partners,” says Erin. “It’s such a fun weekend and fun event to be at.”

A very busy weekend for Durango, they are also the boot sponsor of the COWGIRL 30 Under 30. “A big shoutout to Ken, Kallie, and Jenna - everyone on that roster - for putting that together and paying it forward for those literal trail blazers and pioneers,” says Erin. “There are some rockstar women int he western industry that deserve to be highlighted that do things behind the scenes that no one even realizes… I can’t wait to see it grow even more.”

“I was shocked and humbled when I was nominated for the [COWGIRL 30 Under 30] award,” says Erin. “To be in the same room as all of those wonderful ladies … was amazing and mind-blowing!”