Sport Chek is on the run. On Monday, the retailer launched the second phase of its “All Sweat Is Equal” campaign with new creative that celebrates the culture of running.
The centrepiece of the campaign is a 30-second manifesto about running that frames it as a universal activity linked to the human condition. As the ad’s voiceover says: “There’s a reason why the bottom of your foot is called a ‘sole.’ Running’s part of who we are.”
Though the first phase of the campaign was created by Sid Lee, this new work is by Rethink Communications. Sid Lee was previously AOR on the account, but it and Sport Chek have parted ways and the retailer is now working with a number of agencies on a project basis.
Like the first ad Sport Chek released under its “All Sweat Is Equal” positioning, the new spot features a montage of athletes in training set to an emotive script. Each of the athletes stars in their own individual ad, too. At campaign launch, Sport Chek released three videos that each tell the story of an individual athlete and what running means to them. In the coming weeks, it will release two similar spots.
One of the most compelling ads in the series stars Nicholini Tickner, an athlete from Vancouver. In addition to running in marathons and triathlons, Tickner is a visual guide who trains with blind runners. The first 40 seconds of the ad show Tickner running through a forest before the camera pans back to reveal Rose, a visually impaired woman who’s jogging alongside him.
Rob Daintree, senior manager of brand and campaign marketing at Sport Chek, said each of the athletes was chosen for their story. All of the athletes Sport Chek is working with for the campaign have overcome adversity in some way, allowing the brand to draw links between drive and the act of running.
“Our brand, who we are, is about inspiring Canadians to be active. The stories we want to tell are ones we find really inspirational and that we think Canadians will find inspirational as well,” Daintree said.
For Sport Chek, running is a huge category. Unlike many sports, it’s a year-round activity. It also has an extremely wide appeal. While communications that focus on a single sport have a strong niche appeal, Sport Chek is using running as its anchor to reach the largest number of athletes possible.
As part of the campaign, Sport Chek is asking customers to submit selfies of them after their workout when they’re covered in sweat (and calling them “Swealfies”). Instead of running a traditional contest, Daintree said it’s working with its PR agency, North Strategic, on a surprise and delight campaign, offering rewards to standout posts with the #SweatForThis hashtag. North is also seeding the video with bloggers as part of an influencer campaign.
The media buy, handled by Touché, includes digital, OOH, paid social and TV. On broadcast, the ads are running on specialty networks, including TSN and Sportsnet.
