Berlin & Back: Inspiring Running Communities Part II
3 minute read…
Back in May, during London Marathon week, I captured some of my thoughts on the running space. Fast forward 5 months and over 400kms in legs, I found myself in Berlin, soaking up the atmosphere before the 50th Anniversary Marathon. Again, I wasn’t running (we will park that thought for now) but instead I was on hand to visit brands, events and friends.
Back in May I wrote about how running is touching more aspects of culture; I wrote about a few things I had noticed in the space and formed some tips for brands as more and more people raced towards the sport. Well, I guess you can consider this a part two, this time with one benchmark and a few challenges.
Image via Bruno Laroque
Image via Highsnobiety
A Benchmark
Firstly, I found myself in Berlin due to New Balance, so shout out to them. Through my run club, Grove Lane, Harry and I were invited to the launch of their Community Clubhouse 2.0 and an evening in collaboration with Highsnobiety.
What continues to hit me about New Balances’ activities in this space is their authenticity (a word we have heard far too much, but a theme that brands should really have nailed by now). The NB Community Clubhouse 2.0 used the the Highsonbiety store, but what I really liked was the newspaper stand over the road, in collaboration with Parisian brand Paperboy, the collaboration felt very considered. The NB shakeout run began and ended at the newsstand, creating an ideal meeting point for community and an opportunity to serve up some branded merch and snacks. This is a great example of an activation, bringing together multiple brands and communities, for running related activities under a visual umbrella that made sense. NB invited participation, creating sharable moments.
Throughout the week New Balance also launched an updated version of their global ‘Run Your Way’ campaign. This time, instead of models and global celebrities, it was locals and more niche creators that ran towards the camera, through the streets or landscapes of their respective locations (check it out here). This is a continuation of a hero tagline for the global brand, executed with the same level of production, only now featuring real runners, community leads and brand advocates - who found themselves on billboards around the city, pretty cool. NB practice what we preach here, they make content relevant and real, creating ideas that resonate.
Images via Bruno Laroque
Find your Corner
The general perception in the running space is that it will keep on growing. This gives brands an opportunity to fine-tune their offering or even jump into this world fresh. How to go about that is another question, here are three things to think about:
1. Performance:
Some thoughts I heard in Berlin, regarding the opportunities, played into both accessibly and performance. There is a general feeling that brands have been a little stand-off with increased performance, and that beyond the rise of the ‘super shoe’ there is still space for brand to help the everyday athlete get quicker with more intention. Whether more technical kit, clubs focused more on performance or supplements for an extra advantage, there is a space for brands to double down on performance storytelling. But this requires an understanding of your audience and what they care about. It also requires an ability to communicate the benefit of your product or initiative effectively - in a culture of content, people want to know exactly why they should care instantly.
2. Access:
The opposite end of this is about more accessibility in the sport, as the space grows new people are intrigued, but often do not know where to start. Can we re-frame races to seem more entry-level, create more open run clubs that mix up the running format, or can brands talk directly to the beginner or the runner who does it for love, not speed. Like performance, niche brands will require a better understanding of their audience, it would be cool to see brands bringing more strategic and differentiated propositions to this space by understanding why their customer runs.
3. Tribes:
My final observation is about the distinct aesthetic, following and vibe that some of the smaller players have achieved. Beyond brands like New Balance, Nike or Adidas, the challenger brands are winning because they have found their corner. Think of the distressed rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic of Satisfy, the illusive clean-cut UVU kit or the modern, graphical Bandit runner. These niche brands win because they know who they are, they have an opinion and they back it. I’d love new brands in this space to understand this and find their own difference, unapologetically.
UVU Berlin Pop-up
Bandit x Berlin Braves Capsule Collection
Until then, here’s to more miles. If you want to enter this space, or are looking to resonate with modern day runners, we’d love to chat. We believe the saturation now leaves opportunities for brands to show up with a point of view and take it directly to running communities. If you’d like to throw an event, launch a new campaign or even just share some good Strava routes - you know where I am.
hello@unfound.studio.
