TFL PRO+ Exclusive: In the $396 billion-plus global sportswear market, an intriguing battle is playing out. A slew of newer and relatively smaller brands is taking on the titans in a quest for market share. Establishing a foothold as a new entrant in an industry dominated by entrenched footwear-makers like adidas, Nike, and New Balance requires strategic precision, brand clarity, relentless execution, and significant spend. The odds hardly seemed to favor a small Swiss company dreamt up by three friends, including former Swiss Ironman champion Olivier Bernhard, who reportedly pitched his idea for novel running sneaker tech to Nike, only to be turned away.
However, On – which got its start in Zurich in 2010 – has defied the odds. Since launching its first running sneakers in stores 15 years ago, On has grown at a remarkable pace, with more than three million runners wearing its products by 2017. Fast forward to 2025 and On has carved out a distinct identity, rapidly winning over athletes, lifestyle consumers, and investors, alike, with its proprietary running shoe technology, CloudTec.
On’s rise was dependent on the company doubling down on product innovation to make up for its lack of stalwart staples (“we have no archive of old stuff,” Marc Maurer, On’s co-chief executive, told the Wall Street Journal last year). At the same time, though, On has also crafted a powerful brand image that has enabled it to position itself not just as an easily-identified alternative to industry icons, but as a formidable challenger.
The literal standout element here is, of course, the appearance of its proprietary tech: A visually striking sole design, composed of hollowed-out cavities, which quickly became its most recognizable feature. “The sneaker’s sole is what you notice first,” the WaSJ wrote back in 2022. “It’s bizarre – almost alien – defined by a ring of hollowed-out blocks.”
As On’s visibility and market share have grown, including in the wake of its $746 million IPO in New York in September 2021, so, too, has the scope and intensity of its brand-building activity and retail strategy. This ranges from amassing – and enforcing – a robust arsenal of trademarks to laying out a growing network of retail stores and an expanding lineup of collaborators and ambassadors.
From defending the uniqueness of its “Cloud” marks to onboarding a range of brand ambassadors, On’s brand-centric efforts offer a revealing look at how emerging brands can build and reinforce their competitive edge in a crowded and fast-moving industry …
IP Filings & Enforcement
Trademark arsenal in a nutshell: Since its launch in 2010, On has filed 123 trademark applications for registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) (as June 22, 2025). Its trademarks generally fall into three categories: On-centric marks (ON, ON COURT, ON TRAIL, HELION, CYCLON, etc.); Cloud-centric marks (CLOUDROAM, CLOUDFLYER, CLOUDRACER, CLOUDVISTA, CLOUD PLAY, etc.); and its stylized ON and cloud logos for use on goods/services, including (but not limited to) clothing, footwear, athletic equipment, sporting goods R&D, and downloadable and recorded computer/app software for running.
Registrations: Of these 123 filings, On currently maintains 87 trademark registrations, with 21 applications currently pending before the USPTO. (Also among those filings, 15 applications/registrations that have either been cancelled or abandoned.)
> One particularly intriguing registration is for the CLOUDFOAM word mark for use on footwear, which was registered to adidas in April 2016 and transferred to On Cloud GmbH at some point between then and April 2021 when On was listed as the owner of the registration. (Interestingly, the specimen filed with the USPTO in April 2022 shows an adidas sneaker despite On being listed as the owner.)
Given that adidas and On are both actively using their respective, CLOUDFOAM and CLOUDROAM marks on similar goods, a “high-performance” running sneaker in adidas’ case and an “all-purpose, waterproof boot” in On’s, they may have entered into a co-existence agreement to avoid trademark litigation.
Oppositions: In terms of enforcement, counsel for On has been increasingly active in initiating opposition proceedings with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) in order to block the registration of “confusingly similar” marks and protect its brand identity and goodwill. The company waged its first opposition before the TTAB in 2017 and since has taken on applications for marks filed by companies like Figs, Inc. (ON-SHIFT), supermodel Claudia Schiffer (CLOUDY), and Topgolf Callaway-owned brand travisMathew (COASTAL CLOUD, CLOUD JOGGER, CLOUD SHORT, etc.), among others.
(Note: The chart below does not include pending requests for extension of time to oppose filed by On.)
> On landed on the receiving end of an opposition waged by Monster Energy in 2023. In furtherance of the still-ongoing proceedings, Monster is looking to block the registration of On’s CLOUDMONSTER mark for use on clothing and footwear, arguing that while it may have made its name in energy drinks, it “has used and continues to use its famous MONSTER Marks extensively in connection with clothing, clothing accessories, hats and other headwear, [and] shoes” for longer than On has.
Patent portfolio in a nutshell: On’s CloudTec has transformed how runners perceive comfort and performance, marking what the company has called ” a radical development in the sports industry.” At the core of CloudTec – which consists of “hollow pods on the sole of the shoe that stretch back on impact to cushion the landing and then lock to form the solid foundation required for a powerful push-off” – is a slew of patent-protected innovation and design elements.
In a portfolio that On has been building in the U.S. since at least March 2013 – when its counsel filed an application to protect a running shoe sole structure comprising an outsole and midsole, with multiple hollow elements that are closed at the front and rear (in the sole’s longitudinal direction), open at the sides, and feature spaced upper and lower inner surfaces, which absorb running forces through elastic deformation – are nearly 70 patents. These extent to inventions ranging from the design of apparel items (such as a sports bra, t-shirt, etc.) and shoe soles to a “method for producing a textile component” and “shoe production systems and method for producing a shoe.”
Litigation: Searches for trademark and/or patent infringement cases filed in the U.S. by On Clouds GmbH and On AG do not show any past or current litigation.
Advertising Activity, Ambassadors & Apparel
On has steadily expanded its global presence through strategic and well-executed advertising and marketing efforts. Since its founding, On has increased its ad spend in line with its rapid growth, and points to its roster of athlete ambassadors and high-profile collaborations as key components of On’s marketing strategy. Speaking at the end of 2024, the company’s leadership credited the “strength of [our] blockbuster partnerships with Zendaya, FKA twigs, with Roger Federer and a whole roster of young tennis players, Ben Shelton, for example, and Joao Fonseca” as helping to grow brand awareness in both performance and lifestyle segments.
Co-founder Caspar Coppetti recently highlighted the harmonization of sizing and focus on key categories like running, training, and tennis as drivers of the company’s success in the apparel segment, noting that apparel share in retail stores is “increasing, indicating strong consumer interest and potential for future growth.” (The company broke $100 million in apparel sales for the first time in Q4 2024.)
Retail Operations
Amid its efforts on the branding and marketing fronts, On operates a growing network of stores worldwide, with flagships opening in major cities around the world, including New York City, Chicago, Austin, and Los Angeles. In Europe, it has stores in London, Paris, its native Zurich, Berlin, and Milan, and its Asian flagship stores include locations in Tokyo and Jakarta.
> THE OUTLOOK: On’s most recent financial results reinforce the strength of its strategy. Its first-quarter sales rose 43 percent to 726.6 million Swiss francs ($861.4 million), beating analyst expectations thanks to some new collabs and product launches. This report follows from its FY 2024 results, which saw the company exceeded its guidance across all key metrics, with net sales reaching 2.32 million Swiss francs ($2.55 billion), up 29.4 percent on a reported basis.
From a branding perspective, On will inevitably continue to build up the robustness of its word mark-heavy portfolio in the U.S. and beyond – and maybe even seek to register the look of its well-known shoe sole, which has almost certainly amassed secondary meaning among consumers amid the company’s market rise.
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