Foot Locker and official partner ASICS’ ‘Real Lives, Real Runners’ campaign around the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon culminated with the on-air, in-race airing of the winning film ‘The Push’.
‘The Push’ beat out four other short listed entries in the campaign which was launched back in June in partnership with MOFILM and invited aspiring directors to create short films ahead of the race focusing on how running personally effects their lives.
The winning film, by Evan Kelman, focuses on a US Army veteran in NYC who runs every day as a homage to his brothers in arms.
After the initial entry phase a shortlist was created and then the public was invited to vote after watching the submissions on Foot Locker’s YouTube page today.
The short list also included:
‘Road Warrior’, by Carlos Gutierrez, stars cancer patient Brian Thomas who started a foundation called Road Warriors that is dedicated to raising awareness for cancer by running great distances.
‘Dear Mom’, helmed by Michael Medoway and Dean Chapman, explores the story of a single mom who worked two jobs to support her family who’s dedication inspires the lead to always push for better.
Joshua Traywick’s ‘I Run for a New Beginning’ revolves around an ex-con who began running when he was in prison for 10 years where running was an escape from life inside.
‘The Streak’, entered by Corrin Hodgson and Dan Ringey, features Sam Cahn who has run for more than 1,200 days in a row and who’s commitment to running followed his discovery of his late father’s journal which detailed all the routes he took on a four-year running streak.
After the fan voting, the creators of the three spots with the most YouTube views were flown to New York City for an exclusive screening event hosted by Foot Locker and ASICS on 26 October where the overall winner was announced by a panel of judges that included elite runners (such as Olympic medalist and American marathon record holder Deena Kastor and New York Road Runners Chairman of the Board George Hirsch), professional TV professionals and film makers (like ESPN sports business analyst Darren Rovell) and celebrities.
The winning spot aired nationwide on Sunday, 1 November during the telecast of the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon on ESPN2.
The winner also scooped a cash prize from MOFILM, as well as a VIP trip to Las Vegas for the annual MOFILM Awards.
‘The contestants of this year’s ‘Real Lives. Real Runners.’ campaign have truly gone above and beyond detailing the positive effects that running has on so many people and in capturing Foot Locker and ASICS’ shared belief that running is a sport for all to enjoy, especially with the right gear,’ added Foot Locker’s marketing EVP Stacy Cunningham.
‘We’re excited to share these amazing stories with the public and we’re excited that ‘The Push’ will be our official spot during the New York City Marathon broadcast, celebrating the great sport of running.’
‘We’re always looking to capture the true essence of running that Foot Locker and ASICS share,’ added Shannon Scott, ASICS America Corporation senior director of marketing.
‘Out of all the inspirational videos, ‘The Push’ did an amazing job at showcasing what running means to people from all walks of life.’
ASICS and Foot Locker are among the core partners of the New York City Marathon (alongside the title sponsor Tata Consultancy services, plus AirBnB, ABC, ESPN, United and The Rudin Family).
Foot Locker, a brand connected to championing running for more than four decades, also activated its official 2015 TCS New York City Marathon sponsorship by celebrating five inspiring runners who have used running to overcome personal trials and tribulations as a part of the annual ‘Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge’ (see https://www.facebook.com/FootLockerFiveBoroughChallenge/).
Comment
All five shortlist films are inspirational, powerful and touching and they gained some solid online traction.
The winning film racked up 84,000 YouTube views in taking first place, while the others received 58,000, 66,000, 67,000 and 76,000 views respectively (according to the order listed in the case study).
Links
Foot Locker ‘Real Lives. Real Runners’:
footlocker.com/reallivesrealrunners
Foot Locker Website:
Foot Locker Instagram:
Foot Locker Twitter:
Foot Locker YouTube:
Foot Locker Blog:
Foot Locker:
ASICS Website:
ASICS Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ASICSamerica
@ASICSamerica
ASICS Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ASICSAmerica
ASICS Instagram:
ASICS YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/asicsamerica/asics
MOFILM Website:
mofilm.com
MOFILM Facebook:
MOFILM Twitter:
MOFILM Instagram:
MOFILM: YouTube:
TCS New York City Marathon Website:
TCS New York City Marathon YouTube:
