Saucony is launching a new initiative, Run It Local, to support speciality running retailers.
‘[A] significant brand investment will see the campaign run from July to September with various activities across Saucony’s EMEA territories.’
Beginning with a drive to access runner-reach, a geo-targeted social media burst and digital ads will highlight the benefits of choosing a running shoe from a speciality store. This will be followed by a seasonal running-lifestyle advertising campaign to raise awareness of the Saucony brand.
Local initiatives will also take place across Saucony’s EMEA partners, including running shoe trials, city pop-ups and retailer recognition programmes.
A variety of promotional materials and seasonal POS (point of sale) will be available for speciality running retailers to help bring the brand to life in-store. According to the company, this is… ‘Further aiming to position Saucony as a brand for me amongst new and existing runners.’
Guido Geilenkirchen, Vice President & GM at Saucony EMEA, said “It’s been a difficult year for bricks and mortar retailers because of Covid-19. We want to demonstrate our commitment, as a major player in the industry, to speciality outlets – and our Run It Local campaign is the perfect way to highlight their importance to runners, as well as giving retailers a helping hand in-store.
“We’re dedicated to encouraging runners at all levels to achieve their goals. Whether that is completing their first 5k or working hard to be on a global stage. A correctly-fitted shoe can go a long way and running stores offer a bespoke service to help shoppers find the right product for their running journey.
“E-commerce has of course boomed in the past few months, but we wanted to make clear to our partners across Europe that speciality retail is a major part of our growth strategy for the years ahead. We hope this activity will encourage consumers to visit their local shop and get running.”
