Mizuno Running is supporting its “What if Everybody Ran?” campaign with its first-ever broadcast commercial. The spots are part of a $2 million advertising campaign and scheduled to air on April 21 in Boston and nationally on ESPN around the Boston Marathon event.
“The ‘What If Everybody Ran’ campaign was a big step forward for the brand and has resonated with
people across the country,” said Ahmet Abaci, Vice President of Brand Marketing and Management.
“Our belief in the transformative power of running sparked our curiosity and with the academic help
of the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, evolved into our largest marketing campaign to date.
The campaign not only speaks to our belief in the power of running, it harkens back to our overall
brand purpose and corporate philosophy which is grounded in the belief that sports have the ability
to make the world a better place.”
The campaign, conceptualized and executed by North Carolina-based McKinney, will be featured in
both print and online versions of endemic, health-oriented outlets, including Runner's World, Men's
Health and Women's Health. The television spots will air on the Boston CBS affiliate and during
Boston Marathon highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter.
The foundation of the campaign is a statistical analysis conducted by a University of North Carolina
Kenan-Flagler Business School research team that combed through volumes of data, existing
studies and U.S. Census reports to project the impact on several key areas of life health,
relationships and the economy, among other subjects if all Americans were runners. The entire
analysis results, including a downloadable white paper and “What If Everybody Ran?” poster, are
featured in detail on the campaign microsite www.ifeverybodyran.com that takes consumers on a
running journey, illuminating the potential impact of a world filled with runners. The Mizuno Running
website features the campaign anthem video and additional information about the campaign’s
charity partner Back on My Feet, a national for purpose 501(c)(3) organization that uses the
transformative power of running to elevate homeless individuals out of poverty through the discipline,
focus and determination developed via a consistent running regimen.
The next phase of the campaign will further illustrate the belief in running’s ability to influence
positive change in addition to Mizuno’s corporate brand philosophy tied to sports. The Mizuno and
Back on My Feet partnership, which started with an Atlanta chapter sponsorship in January 2014,
will extend into a three-month national fundraising effort tied to the “What If Everybody Ran”
campaign. Leveraging digital technology, the national fundraising program will drive awareness and
raise money for nationally for Back on My Feet through a shareable digital baton tracking mileage
run across the country starting May 19, 2014.
Runners and non-runners across the nation have started to share their own beliefs in the
transformative power of running through social media using #IfEverybodyRan.
Mizuno USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mizuno Corporation, one of the largest specialty
sporting goods manufacturers in the world. Mizuno USA, Inc. manufactures and distributes golf,
baseball, softball, running, track & field, and volleyball equipment, apparel, and footwear for North
America. Mizuno USA, Inc. is based in Norcross, GA.
