NEW BALANCE 365 DAYS

New Balance introduced a new way of promoting their product for 2010. Giving their consumers a fesh new way of sourcing product along with updated news and sneak peeks 365 days of the year. This campaign consists of 365 short films that will help launch the Spring/Summer 2010 collection and could be viewed at New Balance 365 or by iPhone, if the app is downloaded.

Behind the scenes of the video shoot

NEW BALANCE 356 DAYS PRESS RELEASE'The project, a creative collaboration between New Balance, Swedish film director Jesper Koothoofd and New Balance Lifestyle agency of record, Mother New York, was designed to revolutionize the way New Balance connects with the consumer and creates a new method of communication with the brand’s audience. Over the course of eight days, the first 88 (of 365) films were shot in Stockholm in a truly collaborative effort. Mother, New Balance and Jesper worked collectively to build film sets, engineer the film shoot and bring the project into existence.

New Balance 365 has two central elements: A website which is both the hub and the creative workshop for all activity and an iPhone app which brings the experience of New Balance 365 to life in the form of a daily alarm clock. The New Balance 365 website, designed to become a part of people’s everyday lives, moves away from the typical transactional model to one where the brand creates fresh daily content and utilities that become a part of people’s everyday lives - thus giving people a reason to interact with the brand daily. Each film features a New Balance silhouette that will be introduced as part of New Balance’s global Spring/Summer 2010 Collection. After the film concludes, the featured style’s retail availability will appear on screen with detailed purchase information.

In an effort to extend the creative reach of the project, each film will also be available as an iPhone alarm clock application. Through interesting film and sound, the New Balance alarm clock wakes you up with something new and different every day and provides the user with a daily dose of “balance”. The app will also allow users to view their own sleep statistic and how they compare to others around the world. The iPhone application will be available for download on the New Balance 365 site.'

Press Release taken from http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/newsflash/New-Balance-365/


I love this idea and I think that New Balance have really got it right with this campaign in terms of connecting with their consumers and building a relationship. It would be interesting to see how successful the campaign was and how many consumers actually used the iPhone alarm clock app.

PROJECTION MAPPING

I've found this really interesting video showing New Balance using projection mapping within an advertising campaign where they actually project onto one of their shoes. This looks amazing and I feel really reflects the feel that New Balance wish to express to the UK, in terms of their lifestyle products.

Something like this would be perfect to portray a 'cool' but still niche brand to the UK public and would potentially appeal to both their Tier 1 and Tier 2 consumers, although it has also been used by other high profile companies such as Nike, and car manufacturers such as Toyota and SEAT.

The use of projection mapping would be perfect for an in-store environment to catch the eye of potential consumers, as currently New Balance do not have much of a store presence within the UK.

Here are some more examples of projection mapping that other companies have used:

As well as Nike Toyota and H&M have both dipped into projection mapping to help promote their brand. Toyota use it within TV advertising while H&M use it to open their new store in Amsterdam

I think this method would be really effective in terms of promoting a lifestyle brand, especially as main competitors such as Nike have already had success with it and other brands who wish to give out a 'cool' or street feel to consumers such as car brands.

HERE'S TO THE AFTER HOURS ATHLETE: PUMA

In terms of attracting a younger consumer, to their lifestyle trainers, I think that Puma have hit it on the mark here with their 'Here's to the After Hours Athlete' campaign.

Watch the TV advert to see for yourself how right Puma have got this campaign...

'Backspin on a work table under bad light. A kiss of the 8 ball a bank of the 6. Double ball on a single throw, three pints in. Picking up a spare on the final frame. Singing on key, off key and losing keys. Steady hands. Blurry eyes. Bars. Billiards. Basements. Bacon sandwiches with extra hot sauce. Surviving buzzkills, third wheels cockblocks and cabs in the ring. Flashlights drawn by dawn. 

These are the problems of the after hours athlete. 

When last call calls, don't answer. 

The night too is for sport, and they are the champions.'

I first saw any aspect of this campaign while in Berlin at the Bread & Butter Trade Show where they had print advertising everywhere and their stand was created into an ice bar offering an underground social club experience. This featured the after hours 'activities' featured in the advert, including darts, pool, table football and ping pong, that you can enjoy while having a beer.

The campaign has opened up a new side to sports brands and really communicated the lifestyle side of the company well, while still keeping the sporting side at the same time. It makes consumers feel that they can get involved and wear the brand even if they themselves are not sporty...because it is not all about what we stereotype to be sport. Puma offer an alternative product lifestyle which celebrates social activities that their consumers will relate to.

In terms of the text for the advertising (shown above) it is spoken in a language that will appeal to younger consumers by involving words and phrases that they can relate to. Also, the inclusion of disjointed sentences, with a lot of stopping and starting, starts to reflect the way that consumers will start to speak once they have had a few drinks during the 'after hours'

All in all I think this is an amazing concept....just wish that maybe we'd come up with it?

Oh well...well done Puma

NIKE MOVIE

As part of a recent campaign New Balance competitors Nike have released a viral movie called 'The Black Mamba'  featuring famous American basketball player Kobe Bryant.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez this viral uses a host of famous faces to keep consumer interest and builds a story behind this particular campaign; which will help consumers feel more involved and ultimately make them want to buy the products a lot more.

Although this kind of large scale video will not work for a understated brand like New Balance, it is good to know what other competitors are doing in terms of viral as it is a platform that will reach many of the right consumer groups.

Some kind of lower budget video would be much better for New Balance and it is obvious from what Nike and other competitors have created that a story is key when it comes to a good and successful campaign.

NIKE: FREE YOURSELF

This short video shows a variety of ordinary people in their Nike trainers doing impressive sporting tricks. This portrays the message that Nike is for the best of the best and can help you achieve your goals. The advert also involves consumers within the campaign which is a smart idea to help build consumer relationships and build a trust in the brand.

"Run. Jump. Skip. Pass. Train. Toss. Ride. Flip. Nobody Does it like you do. Whatever you're after or wherever you're going. Nike will take you there Free your stride. Free your style. Free yourself."

 -Nike

LETS MAKE EXCELLENT HAPPEN

This new advertising campaign, releasing this week, for New Balance introduces New Balance 890s; with RevLite technology.

The campaign titled 'MAKE EXCELLENT HAPPEN' is designed to motivate and inspire active consumers to reach a new level of personal performance; a new level of excellent.

The video below shows the TV campaign that will be released world wide featuring a New Balance track built at Pier 54 in New York, where New Balance athletes celebrate competition as a way to inspire themselves and others to achieve new levels of performance.

PRINT FOR LETS MAKE EXCELLENT HAPPEN:

'Excellent is built from the ground up.

Excellent proves itself every day.Excellent raises the bar, and dares us all to raise it higher.

New Balance: Lets Make Excellent Happen.'

Below are some examples of the print advertising featured for this campaign, showing New Balance's large focus on running. So while this could seem like quite an interesting campaign in terms of their running shoes; it is not very helpful for their lifestyle shoes, and in turn our brief.

CONVERSE

A collection of Advertising Campaigns that Converse have recently released to help analyse how the competition are using their advertising to its best ability. I felt it was relevant to show what converse are currently doing as they are a very popular brand within the UK market and, although their shoes are very different from New Balance, they are seen as a main competitor because of this popularity.

Here, for their 2011 Campaign, Converse shoes are shown on some kind of adventure told throughout the images of their campaigns. The use of different photo effects such as the use of black and white and giving the images almost a grainy feel go well with the story of the campaign.

GREY IS BEAUTIFUL.

New Balance 2010/11 Advertising Campaign

Current advertising used by New Balance found in …………….

“New Balance Lifestyle combines classic designs from the past with bold ideas from the future. We create shoes that celebrate heritage, craftsmanship, innovation, imagination, and our deeply held belief that grey is beautiful.” 
The text featured within the advert highlights the main values of New Balance and a black and white campaign with hints of colours on the trainers adds to the feeling of simplicity that they are trying to portray.

The “belief that grey is beautiful” shows the love of simplicity and classic looks that New Balance continuously uses for their trainers, using plain colours such as black, grey, white, blue and burgandy (which can be seen in the advert).

CLASSIC THEN. CLASSIC NOW.

New Balance 2010/11 Advertising Campaign

Current advertising used by New Balance found in …………….

This advert seems relevant for the brief, in terms of appealing to our tier 2 Opinion Former, as it is set out in a street style with graffiti in the background and the trainers placed into a street background as though they are rebelling.
It is similar to ad campaigns seen from competition such as Addidas and Converse which are seen as more established lifestyle trainer brands than New Balance. Following advertising such as this will help New Balance to establish themselves as popular lifestyle trainers within the more common tier 2 and tier 3 consumers but could also result in New Balance loosing their heritage and main feel of the brand.

The slogan used, “Classic Then. Classic Now” highlights the brands values of heritage and classic and simple designs. Current adverts such as these further highlight how any ideas developed throughout this project must not shadow or hide the brands values.
If possible I must aim to highlight these values further, but in a way that will appeal to similar consumers to my Opinion Former.