Saucony Introduces New TV Campaign! (Look who is in it), release, note by Larry

What Is Strong? (60 second) from Saucony on Vimeo.

Saucony is introducing a new TV ad campaign with 15, 30 and sixty second spots. Their pr agency, Mullen, sent this off to me earlier today! I like the message and love the branding campaign.

The multi-platform ad campaign is from Mechanica and the tv ads were produced by Shilo. Nice images, strong voice-over, and strong running story (and yes, they actually promote track & field!). Saucony has a print, digital and this TV portion of the campaign, titled, Find Your Strong.  

But, I, thought you would like to see something behind the scenes. The next time you hear that the shoe companies are not doing enough to support the sport (and I mean all of them), consider the story of Ryan Wilson.

Ryan Wilson ran 13.12 this year for the 110 meter hurdles. He is ranked, by Track & Field News (the bible of the sport), numero 4 in the world. That makes him numero deux in the U.S. (behind our friend, David Oliver). Two years ago, this hurdler did not have a shoe contract, now he has a sponsorship agreement with Saucony. 

Now, running for Saucony, Ryan is featured in a national commercial.
Think about that when you watch this commercial…..it is the little things that mean the most..this is how the footwear companies support our sport and the athletes that we follow.

(Some of the commercial was filmed at the College of San Mateo, with their excellent Mondo track facility).  

Saucony® Launches "Find Your Strong™" 

Multi-Media Global Brand Campaign

New platform, led by national TV ad, inspires 
and engages consumers to find 

their personal "strong" through running

LEXINGTON, MA (April 25, 2011) - Signaling a continued 
expansion of its marketing efforts, Saucony, Inc., a 
leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear 

and apparel, today announced its new multi-media global
brand campaign entitled Find Your Strong. The campaign, 
the brand's largest marketing effort to date, inspires
consumers to find their personal "strong" through
running. The new platform encompasses multiple touch
points, including an immersive digital and social
media experience and the brand's first-ever national
television commercial. The TV spot breaks nationally
on Wednesday night, April 27th on ESPN.

"As runners, we know that people run for intensely
personal reasons," said Chris Lindner, chief marketing
officer for Saucony. "Whether in honor of a relative, 
for a charity or medal, or for ourselves, running
inspires the human spirit, making us stronger. At the
core, this campaign is about just that; it's where and
how we train and the people and moments that strengthen
us. Ultimately, we're tapping into this emotional
connection to create a dialog that we hope will inspire
even more people to run."

"The new campaign continues to amplify our brand mission
 to inspire runners every day. As we confidently emerge
 as a global athletic brand, we too are finding our
'strong'. Our first national television spot marks
 a pivotal point for Saucony, signaling a continued
 expansion of our marketing efforts to further drive
 brand awareness. The timing couldn't be better as the
 Kinvara 2, the campaign's featured product, was recently
 named Best Buy by Runner's World in their annual
 Summer Shoe Guide," added Lindner.

The new campaign, developed by Mechanica of Newburyport,
Massachusetts, includes the following elements:

Television

The campaign's new TV spot entitled "What is Strong?" was
produced by the Emmy Award-winning creative production
company Shilo, and directed by Andre Stringer.  
Filmed at various locations in California's Marin
Headlands, the spot depicts a composition of runners
finding their "strong" as they run on roads, trails, 
tracks and playing fields. The diversity of runners 
featured conveys the premise that finding one's "strong"
is an intensely personal experience. 

The 30-second spot breaks nationally on April 27th with
an ad flight of 5 weeks, and will be seen nationwide
on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CBS College, Versus and NBC
Sports.

Digital
Because runners are both personally motivated and 
passionately united, "What Is Strong?" the campaign's 
online destination, allows runners to honor the people 
and moments that inspire them while drawing inspiration
from the "strong" of others.
 
The innovative digital application creates a visual 
depiction of user-generated "strongs," highlighting 
those most shared by the community. Additionally, 
users can share their personal "strongs" through 
social media channels and personalized tee shirts. 
To coincide with the launch of the TV spot,
saucony.com/strong will go live on Wednesday, 
April 27th. Boston-based Beam Interactive developed
the campaign's digital platform.
 
Print
The national and regional print campaign, shot by 
famed sports photographer John Huet, was launched 
this month in vertical running and consumer fitness
magazines including Runner's World, Running Times, 
Men's Health, Women's Health, Fitness, ESPN Rise 
and the Running Network's regional publications. 
 
In-Store
In-store elements at key national retailers include
window displays, point-of-purchase, product displays
and consumer brochures. A mobile video resource will
reinforce the brand's new marketing platform and 
feature its product collection. 
 
Event sponsorships, a national tour and a new expo 
booth will also support the brand's marketing platform. 
 
The Find Your Strong campaign is planned to run 
throughout 2011, with several new executions for 
the fall. Saucony will continue to integrate the 
theme into upcoming marketing initiatives throughout
the year.