New Balance Unveils ‘All Roads Lead to NYC’ Campaign

New Balance unveiled the All Roads Lead to NYC campaign via social media and out-of-home advertising to mark its first year as the footwear and apparel sponsor of the TCS NYC Marathon.

The full 360 campaign includes official footwear, apparel and accessories, out-of-home advertising, experiential consumer activations, digital and social engagements, on-course block party and a pop-up shop.

“We are excited to celebrate our first year as a NYRR foundation partner and help host this incredible event,” said Tom Carleo, New Balance vice president of running. “Participants travel different roads, from all corners of the world, but what they all have in common is they all cross the same finish line in NY.  We look forward to celebrating that moment with them.”

The All Roads Lead to NYC campaign celebrates the emotional journey of the runner and the sense of accomplishment a marathon runner feels getting to the starting line in New York, but especially the unforgettable feeling of crossing the finish line. The 2017 campaign features hero images from real runners as they came across the finish line in 2016. The images capture authentic runners throwing their hands in the air, becoming a human “Y” to celebrate the hard work and dedication it took to cross that finish line.

“Our relationship with New Balance reached full engagement this year, and we are thrilled about all of the incredible opportunities they are providing for our local and global running community,” said Sarah Cummins, head of business development and strategic partnerships at New York Road Runners. “The ‘All Roads Lead to NYC’ campaign is inspirational and heroic – a true embodiment of TCS New York City Marathon day for our 50,000 runners. We look forward to continuing to bring our partnership with New Balance to life in innovative and inspiring ways.”

To further celebrate the finish line emotion, New Balance will have several NYC VictoryPose locations throughout the city. Each location will have life size “N” and “C” letters inviting visitors to become the “Y” in NYC and showcase how they would celebrate reaching their finish line on social media using the brand’s official marathon hashtag #RoadToNYC. The NYC VictoryPose kicked off on October 29 at the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion and roll out to other locations including the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance, Sheraton New York Times Square, NYRR RUNCENTER Featuring the New Balance Run Hub, New Balance Flatiron store, Paragon Sports and select DSW stores.

In addition, the brand will launch the New Balance Run Club pop-up, located in the And&And space at 353 West 12^th Street in the heart of the West Village. The New Balance Run Club will offer three days of programming starting on Thursday, November 2 through Saturday, November 4, with each day focusing on a new theme. Day one (Thursday) will focus on the rhythm of distance running with musical guests, day two (Friday) will focus on performance with a Team New Balance athlete panel and day three (Saturday) will explore fuel for marathon runners. All three days offer visitors an escape from the city and a chance to interact with New Balance while enjoying food, drinks, daily runs and limited-edition merchandise.

As another dimension of the All Roads Lead to NYC campaign New Balance will also offer the New Balance Run Concierge, providing a variety of services to runners and their support crews. The Run Concierge will have four locations, each one with a different theme. At the NYRR RUNCENTER Featuring the New Balance Run Hub visitors can participate in the New Balance Test Drive, which allows them to check out a pair of New Balance running footwear for free and unlock a surprise gift bag. At the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion any visitor who purchases a marathon badged top can receive free customization; allowing runners and non-runners to personalize their gear. Other locations for the Run Concierge are New Balance Flatiron store and the New Balance Run Club. The Run Concierge will be available from November 2 to November 4 at the NYRR RUNCENTER Featuring the New Balance Run Hub, New Balance Flatiron store and the New Balance Run Club location, then October 29 through November 3 at the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion.

To further excite New Yorkers, New Balance has commissioned local artists to create murals in each of the five boroughs that will celebrate the marathon through the lens of that borough. The artwork of David Park in Staten Island (827 Castleton Avenue), Doves in Queens (30^th Avenue and Wellington Court), Wayne in the Bronx (Bruckner Blvd and Lincoln Avenue), Ron English in Manhattan (1^st Avenue and St. Marks) and AvOne in Brooklyn (307 McKibbin St) will entice visitors to step into the artwork and share on their social handles tagging @newbalance and using #RoadToNYC.

For race day, New Balance is helping runners punch through the proverbial “wall” by creating the New Balance Mile 20 Block Party, often the most difficult part of the race for a marathoner. The New Balance Mile 20 Block Party will have live music by Bronx DJ’s, a large interactive digital screen and encouraging words from fellow New Yorkers, while Daybreaker will curate a cheer zone.

Finally, New Balance will blanket the city in the Road to NYC creative with out-of-home advertising starting October 9. This includes digital billboards in Times Square, subway takeovers at the new digital 34^th Street-Hudson Yard, a total domination at Columbus Circle near the finish line, taxi TV videos and local and national broadcast spots. The New Balance TCS New York City Marathon Collection launched on September 15 and is available at select retailers, including the NYRR RUNCENTER Featuring the New Balance Run Hub, New Balance 5th Avenue and newbalance.com.