The run up to the London Marathon is a perfect opportunity to connect with runners as they focus on fine-tuning performance before race day. Our goal was to make On’s pop-up London Lab a destination for runners, media and influencers as the 2021 event approached and showcase the brand’s pioneering CloudTec footwear technology.
Bringing CloudTec innovation to life
On was born with a mission to revolutionise running, and over the last decade the brand has become a leader in the sports and footwear performance space.
At the forefront of this mission is CloudTec innovation. On has specifically engineered CloudTec to deliver a soft landing followed by an explosive take-off.
The London Lab was created by On in Shoreditch, East London, in the run up to the London Marathon 2021 to connect with runners, inspire them to learn about CloudTec and unlock their true potential.
Aspire was tasked with creating an earned online and offline media campaign to create awareness and build buzz around the London Lab, as well as implementing a media partnerships programme. Our goal was to elevate reach, broaden audience engagement and join forces with carefully selected and curated partners.
By day, the London Lab would be a place where runners could test CloudTec first-hand via the brand’s biomechanical running analysis technology – RunScan and SizeScan.
By night, the space could transform into a social, informal and informative place for guest speaker events and invitational happenings for media, clubs, crews and partners – both existing and new to the On community.
“The lab provides fantastic running technique statistics, measures your feet and pinpoints your running style.”
Creating a cool and engaging destination
To build credibility for the London Lab and On’s CloudTec campaign, we quickly got to work to implement our earned media strategy and launch the lab with a real buzz.
Aspire worked closely with On to organise and deliver a media and influencer launch event for 50 guests who gathered to hear from an expert panel sharing guidance and advice on how to unlock your true potential – from the food consumed to the technology to help us.
The panel discussion was a real point of difference. With the original plan to use personnel from On HQ unable to come to fruition, Aspire led a change in tactic and crafted a session that saw the talented UK Tech Team positioned as the On voice of running.
The event brought together brand experts with key talent in sports psychology and sports nutrition. The discussion was led by influential broadcasting personality and authentic run fan, Charlie Webster,and the panel included Marthe Solberg (On Tech Team and biomechanics expert) and Charlie Unwin (Sports Psychologist).
Guests included media from run, tri, tech, and health and fitness titles such as Stuff, T3, Hearst Media, Women’s Running plus a selection of running and fitness influencers.
The event format was simple, informative and engaging. Attendees had the chance to experience a live demonstration of the RunScan and SizeScan technology followed by the panel discussion. The launch also served as a great opportunity to introduce media to the new Cloudstratus running shoes unveiled the same day.
By generating coverage via the press and social media we wanted to spread the message about the London Lab with runners during the build-up to the
London Marathon and inspire people to learn more about improving their running performance.
To further gain exposure, we organised 15 one-to-one appointments for media guests with the On Tech Team. Attendees included Marie Claire, The Evening Standard, Stylist Strong Women and The Daily Telegraph.
Raising awareness through media partnerships
We also established media partnerships with The Running Channel and Like the Wind to support the London Lab pop-up activity, generate coverage and provide evening events to drive footfall to the Lab.
The Running Channel partnership involved social media campaigns focusing on the lab, its technology and an invitation to runners to book places at expert Q&A sessions. Aspire recruited and managed the guest speakers for the evening events and worked closely with The Running Channel team to execute each session.
Our Like the Wind partnership included the sharing of an On brand booklet and a private screening of the Untethered documentary at the London Lab. Like the Wind founder, Simon Freeman hosted the session and interviewed Olly Laws and two representatives from The Running Channel.
Connecting with the running community
69.6m
online readership
164k
estimated coverage views
461k
total influencer reach
Elevating On in the performance running space
The London Lab was a real success in communicating On’s core performance and brand DNA. It was a chance to connect with runners and offered first-hand experiences of CloudTec in action.
We increased engagement with runners, media, influencers and the general public. The London Lab earned coverage in a broad range of running, fashion and lifestyle titles including The Evening Standard, Yahoo!, T3, Fashion United, Sports Edit, Ultrarunner and Women’s Running. Our activity generated 13 online pieces with an online readership of 69.9 million, 164k estimated coverage views and a total reach of 115k. Out of the 190 guests who attended the screening and launch events, 27 were influencers who drove a buzz of 35 social mentions and a reach of 461k.
The Running Channel campaign video delivered an overall 360,000 impressions and 3,394 clicks, and 100 guests signed up for tickets to the 3 evening events.
The high attendance at the events at the London Lab provided a genuine way to deepen the relationship On has with runners, media and influencers. The evening events brought the brand to life, created a real sense of runner community and capitalised on the London Marathon build-up to focus attention on CloudTec and the new Cloudstratus performance shoes.
From the whole London Lab experience through to the brand partnerships, we helped to elevate On further in the performance running space.
