New Balance recently launched “Always in Beta,” its first global campaign, including its first television commercials in about four years. Reaching across 70 countries, the youth-oriented campaign is expected to be twice as large as any in the brand’s 109-year history and features 17 athletes in various sports around the world.
“Always in Beta is our brand’s promise to relentlessly improve, to never stop pushing and to always strive for more,” Hilary Keates, director, global marketing and brand management, told Sports Executive Weekly. “At the same time, it highlights our focus on inspiring athletes around the world, both professional and every day, to reach for and achieve their goals, and then reset them towards even greater athletic accomplishments.”
Keates said the Always in Beta platform targets two distinct global audiences that represent evolved marketing targets for the brand: the 24-34 year old who runs but also participates in a variety of fitness activities/sports; and late teen consumer, dedicated to their chosen sport. She adds, ”Collectively, they possess similar traits: being an athlete is a major part of their identity, it motivates them physically and emotionally; and they are driven to improve to constantly reach new levels; they don’t rest – they are always pushing themselves.”
The cornerstone of the “Always in Beta” campaign is “The Storm” brand television commercial that follows the story of a woman on a run who reaches her limit. Struggling to regain her mojo, she digs deep, and with the encouragement of the sudden appearance of a few hundred athletes both professional and amateur – she finds the motivation to push forward.
The video stands out for featuring 17 of the brand’s sponsored global professional athletes across the sports of running, baseball, tennis, soccer and triathlon. Faces of the campaign include Jenny Simpson, Emma Coburn, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Milos Raonic, Aaron Ramsey, Vincent Kompany and Sebastian Kienle, among others.
It marks a continuing shift for New Balance, which had a reputation of eschewing athletic endorsements in the past. But Keates said New Balance’s message has remained the same.
“We continue to focus on “real” athletes at the professional and every day level,” she said. “We are proud to work with the 17 world-class athletes featured in the campaign as well as hundreds of others world-wide who help us as we continually innovate our footwear and apparel product lines and work to develop new ways to support athletes of all abilities in achieving their goals.”
The campaign highlights key global product introductions Vazee running footwear and the Made for Movement apparel collection. It is also timed around the launch of the brand’s inaugural soccer footwear line and its 4040v3 baseball shoe.
The global push heralds New Balance’s move in February 2015 to enter the soccer market. The brand basically took over the soccer sponsorships of Warrior Sports, a sister brand, including clubs such as Liverpool, Club Sport Emelec, Stoke City, Porto, Sevilla, Celtic and Bury F.C, the national teams of Costa Rica and Panama as well as star players such as Vincent Kompany, Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill. In March 2015, New Balance’s first-ever soccer campaign debuted.
Global is particularly expected to fuel growth in the years ahead with the company’s top-line regaining momentum since Robert DeMartini joined New Balance as CEO in 2007. New Balance's worldwide sales reached $3.3 billion in 2014. That represented a 12.6 percent gain from sales of $2.93 billion achieved in worldwide sales in 2013 and follows on a steady streak of double-digit gains since the start of the decade. Sales were $2.39 billion in 2012, $2.04 billion in 2011 and $1.78 billion in 2010.
“Since 2010, we have nearly doubled our sales globally, partnered with high-caliber athletes around the world, and entered the global football market and remain committed to our roots and strengths as a performance running brand,” said Keates. “We are proud of the success we’ve achieved in the baseball market in the U.S. in recent years and in the great reception we are seeing for the brand globally with our entry into soccer earlier this year.”
