{"id":67250,"date":"2025-03-04T13:41:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T13:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/04\/saucony-shifts-strategy-to-focus-on-community-and-connection\/"},"modified":"2025-03-04T13:43:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T13:43:49","slug":"saucony-shifts-strategy-to-focus-on-community-and-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/04\/saucony-shifts-strategy-to-focus-on-community-and-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Saucony Shifts Strategy to Focus on Community and Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Again in October, Saucony\u2019s chief advertising and marketing officer (CMO) Pleasure Allen-Altimare advised ADWEEK she wanted to bridge the gap between performance and lifestyle<\/a>. Now, 5 months on, the exec is spearheading a marketing campaign that does simply that: \u201cRun as One.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The brand new initiative debuts with a fast-paced, 30-second marketing campaign movie highlighting operating as a communal expertise. It was shot in two of the model\u2019s key markets, New York Metropolis and Mexico Metropolis, and options Saucony athlete Vanessa Fraser and inventive collaborator Jae Suggestions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now have an extended historical past in operating and operating tradition, and as we begin to shift and pivot to this concept of operating and way of life, we needed a marketing campaign that demonstrated that,\u201d Allen-Altimare advised ADWEEK.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saucony\u2019s new technique follows an 18% sales year-over-year sales decrease<\/a> in 2024. The sneaker and sportswear market is turning into more and more crowded, pushed by much less discretionary spending and newer operating manufacturers like On and Hoka carving their very own lanes to snag market share from legacy brands<\/a> like Nike.<\/p>\n

Music-video-esque, \u201cRun as One\u201d was totally shot on movie and intersperses quick-changing scenes of conventional runners with frames displaying doing strange issues, like a younger man on a espresso run. The advert underscores operating as a sport in addition to a \u201ccultural connector,\u201d Gus Johnston, Saucony\u2019s inventive director advised ADWEEK. <\/p>\n

The model turned to a movie aesthetic and cityscapes to lean into the rising use of analog and point-and-shoot cameras<\/a> amongst millennials and Gen Z prospects.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom athleticism and competitors to essentially, operating is about residing [and] how we transfer by way of the world collectively,\u201d Johnston mentioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cRun as One\u201d was created by The Company, the in-house inventive store owned by Saucony\u2019s guardian firm Wolverine Worldwide. <\/p>\n

The advert was produced by The Den, its in-house manufacturing firm, together with director Cam Hicks<\/a> of inventive studio Completely satisfied Place and photographer Will Reid.<\/p>\n

It would launch with a media combine that includes out-of-home (OOH) components in addition to linked TV, on-line video, and social and show channels.<\/p>\n

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Model unity<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Allen-Altimare, who joined Saucony in 2024, mentioned her precedence as CMO was to unify Saucony\u2019s messaging.<\/p>\n

For \u201cRun as One,\u201d the model turned to exterior research, spoke to native run golf equipment, and performed inner analysis to collect insights on its goal shoppers. It discovered that there\u2019s been an uptick in loneliness since the pandemic<\/a> and that individuals need to join with others over frequent pursuits, whether or not or not it’s by way of music, journey, or sports activities.<\/p>\n

Saucony developed \u201cRun as One\u201d to bridge these findings.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur shoppers in the present day usually are not simply searching for run golf equipment, though we\u2019ve seen a spike in that, we all know that [they] are additionally searching for this concept of connection and group,\u201d Allen-Altimare mentioned. \u201cNot simply displaying up and operating and going again dwelling, however displaying up and connecting with individuals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

To additional its push to foster group, Saucony will host a collection of run membership occasions around the globe, each in-person and just about, beginning in the present day (March 4). The model will even companion with native espresso retailers in cities like New York and Grand Rapids, Mich., later increasing to Boston, London, and different main cities worldwide.<\/p>\n

The marketing campaign additionally displays the model\u2019s work tradition.<\/p>\n

Johnston mentioned that the brand new mantra has unified Saucony internally, creating \u201csynergy\u201d throughout its world product, gross sales, and distribution groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now have to stay and breathe that ethos as a lot as we imagine that the viewers and our shoppers [do] as nicely,\u201d he mentioned.<\/p>\n

Allen-Altimare added: \u201cHaving a marketing campaign that each internally unites us as a group round a central concept of how we need to present up as a model to shoppers is essential, but additionally to scale back any confusion [to consumers] about what the model stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRun as One\u201d can be ongoing. The CMO mentioned she is going to take a look at metrics like model well being, occasion turnouts, and direct-to-consumer and retail channel gross sales to tell future iterations of the marketing campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n