Asked why New Balance partnered with Daybreaker, Chris Davis, New Balance’s VP of global marketing, told SGB, “To switch things up a bit, be disruptive, see the sunrise at Fenway and truly celebrate the ‘This is Boston’ campaign.”
Writer: Thomas J. Ryan
On the Friday before the 2017 Boston Marathon, New Balance was able to get more than 500 people out of bed for a 6 a.m. workout and dance party at Fenway Park.
The event was the result of a collaboration with Daybreaker, an organization that celebrates the benefits of being active before work. Including Boston, Daybreaker now orchestrates morning events across 16 cities.
In an interview with SGB, Chris Davis, New Balance’s VP of global marketing, said the “This is Boston” Daybreaker event kicked off the weekend on Friday morning with an up-tempo workout at the home of the Boston Red Sox. Attendees had the choice of yoga or kickboxing, taught by Team New Balance Ambassadors Aly Raymer and Eliza Shirazi. After the workouts a dance party broke out, allowing attendees “to jump into the weekend and disrupt their boring Friday workday routine,” said Davis.
Also attending the event was Red Sox Pitcher Robby Scott and Team NB Boston runners Anna Silvander and Katrina Coogan. The event drew more people than expected.
“Crowds were not light, there were lines to get into the stadium!” stated Davis.
The brand typically every April launches a campaign around the legendary marathon to celebrate both running and sport in its backyard of Boston. The Daybreaker event paired with the brand’s “This Is Boston” campaign highlighting Boston’s best athletes. Beyond the Daybreaker event and the Red Sox, the campaign incorporated famous local runners and skateboarders as well as the Boston Bruins to underscore “the positivity that sport has on our city.”
Asked why New Balance partnered with Daybreaker, Davis said, “To switch things up a bit, be disruptive, see the sunrise at Fenway and truly celebrate the ‘This is Boston’ campaign. Most importantly, we thought they would be a great collaborator to increase the energy of the weekend.”
The event particularly held appeal for younger athletic consumers. Said Davis, “We are continuously pushing boundaries to drive risk and explore new concepts to ensure that our consumer engagement is fresh, youthful and interactive. Our approach has not changed, we are always looking for new, enticing ways to reach athletes and Daybreaker is a prime example.”
Although 2018’s campaign may not feature Daybreaker, new interactive elements will be added for the coming year. Said Davis, “Any manner in which we can further entice consumers in our hometown to celebrate Boston and sports is a huge win for us.”
The greater outreach in Boston comes as the brand is just getting started on its new program to replace Asics as a principal partner, apparel provider and outfitter of the New York City Marathon and other New York Road Runners events. New Balance will become a sponsor of the New York Marathon for the first time this year, but Davis said New Balance is already coming up with similar interactive events for New York’s active crowd around its partnership.
“Athletic events are all about having fun,” said Davis. “Pre-event, during the event and post-event. We view all of our sponsored events as celebrations to engage consumers, celebrate sport and drive brand energy. We are constantly striving to improve our consumer experiences both on race day and in the digital realm. We will absolutely have some fun surprises around this year’s TCS NYC Marathon, but for now we will have to keep that a secret!”
Photos courtesy New Balance
