2023 CAMPAIGN

The brief was to create an ad campaign around the launch of the lightest plated trail running shoe on the market—a task we didn’t take lightly.

PRINT

A print ad in Runner’s World Magazine teasing the launch of the MTL Skyfire 2.

This was the year we first launched our MTL collection of elite trail running shoes, and with it, our Same is Boring campaign.

When your brand is sitting pretty at #5 in the trail running shoe game, how do you launch the lightest shoe in the category without getting lost in the trail dust? Simple. You set out to make it the shoe with the most FKTs (Fastest Known Times) ever recorded. And for the cherry on top? You pull it off before the shoe even hits the shelves.

100 days leading up to the launch of the Skyfire 2, we sent exclusive invitations to our athletes, rallying their support for our lofty goal. Along with each invitation, we provided a pair of Skyfire 2s. The mission: bag as many FKTs in 100 days as possible.

In a gesture of sympathy for overtaking their FKTs, we extended a “Get FKT” consolation package to these athletes, including a complimentary pair of Skyfire 2s, offering them an opportunity to recapture their lost titles.

Not long after, we lit up a digital board in Nike's heartland, featuring a hit list of FKT routes held by Nike athletes that we were determined to steal out from under them. With each FKT secured by our athletes, the corresponding routes were marked off the display in real-time for the world to see.

When Nike launched their Ultrafly Trail shoe, how did we respond? We took a swipe at the swoosh by running a full spread in Nike's hometown magazine in Beaverton, Oregon.