Saucony wants to show that while running is largely an individual sport, there’s community in the activity, too.
The brand’s new campaign, “The Runners,” released Friday, is a four-minute film highlighting all the ways that people run through a city. The runners wear five different models of Saucony’s shoes, including the Endorphin Azura and ProGrid Guide 7.
The spot opens to a voicemail greeting, followed by a narrator asking “why do any of us run?” We first see a man dressed in a tie, slacks, and running shoes sprinting down the street with a bouquet of flowers after trying to catch a bus. A group of runners pass him, panning to more runners traveling across a city.
Throughout the film, powerful narration encourages the runners to keep going while sticking to their motivation. “Run a 10K, run your story, run your ritual,” says a narrator. Another narrator reminds runners of the outcome: “By the time you reach the horizon, you kind of realize the road has been carrying you the whole time, just like all the people you met along the way.”
The voiceovers were done by Saucony’s own team in Asia, EMEA, and North America.
Professional runners Sam Chelanga (who is backed by Saucony) and Hazem Miawad are featured in the spot.
The next time we see the man with the flowers, he’s running up a flight of stairs to catch a train, followed by a cycler speeding through the streets.
The spot ends with a final voiceover asking what it feels like to run. “I don’t know—suppose it feels good,” says a voice before the ad ends and encourages viewers to find their pace, people, and to “Run as One.”
The stories featured are intentionally individual while sending a greater message about community, Gus Johnston, creative director of Saucony, told ADWEEK. There are many different kinds of runners, from solo runners, running clubs, everyday people who just happen to be running, and professional runners.
“It’s telling a story about a group of people moving with intention and purpose at a pace of their choosing—that’s a deeply human story,” he said. “I think anyone could watch it—they might not be a runner in the true sense of the word—and get the emotion and that sense of community and connection.”
Johnston added that the film uses a one-shot technique to feel immersive. The decision to go long with a four-minute spot helped to build momentum in the story, he said.
