Saucony, Inc. announced its new multi-media global brand campaign entitled Find Your Strong. The campaign, the brand's largest marketing effort to date, inspires consumers to find their personal “strong” through running. The new platform encompasses multiple touch points, including an immersive digital and social media experience and the brand's first-ever national television commercial.

The TV spot breaks nationally on Wednesday night, April 27th on ESPN.

“As runners, we know that people run for intensely personal reasons,” said Chris Lindner, chief marketing officer for Saucony. “Whether in honor of a relative, for a charity or medal, or for ourselves, running inspires the human spirit, making us stronger. At the core, this campaign is about just that; it's where and how we train and the people and moments that strengthen us. Ultimately, we're tapping into this emotional connection to create a dialog that we hope will inspire even more people to run.”

“The new campaign continues to amplify our brand mission to inspire runners every day. As we confidently emerge as a global athletic brand, we too are finding our 'strong'. Our first national television spot marks a pivotal point for Saucony, signaling a continued expansion of our marketing efforts to further drive brand awareness. The timing couldn't be better as the Kinvara 2, the campaign's featured product, was recently named Best Buy by Runner's World in their annual Summer Shoe Guide,” added Lindner.

The new campaign, developed by Mechanica of Newburyport, Massachusetts, includes the following elements:

Television

The campaign's new TV spot entitled “What is Strong?” was produced by the Emmy Award-winning creative production company Shilo, and directed by Andre Stringer.  Filmed at various locations in California's Marin Headlands, the spot depicts a composition of runners finding their “strong” as they run on roads, trails, tracks and playing fields. The diversity of runners featured conveys the premise that finding one's “strong” is an intensely personal experience.

The 30-second spot breaks nationally on April 27th with an ad flight of 5 weeks, and will be seen nationwide on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CBS College, Versus and NBC Sports.

The ads are viewable at: http://community.saucony.com/index.php?page=PressRoom&id=35

Digital

Because runners are both personally motivated and passionately united, “What Is Strong?” the campaign's online destination, allows runners to honor the people and moments that inspire them while drawing inspiration from the “strong” of others.

The innovative digital application creates a visual depiction of user-generated “strongs,” highlighting those most shared by the community. Additionally, users can share their personal “strongs” through social media channels and personalized tee shirts. To coincide with the launch of the TV spot, saucony.com/strong will go live on Wednesday, April 27th. Boston-based Beam Interactive developed the campaign's digital platform.

Print

The national and regional print campaign, shot by famed sports photographer John Huet, was launched this month in vertical running and consumer fitness magazines including Runner's World, Running Times, Men's Health, Women's Health, Fitness, ESPN Rise and the Running Network's regional publications.

In-Store

In-store elements at key national retailers include window displays, point-of-purchase, product displays and consumer brochures. A mobile video resource will reinforce the brand's new marketing platform and feature its product collection.

Event sponsorships, a national tour and a new expo booth will also support the brand's marketing platform.

The Find Your Strong campaign is planned to run throughout 2011, with several new executions for the fall. Saucony will continue to integrate the theme into upcoming marketing initiatives throughout the year.