Saucony is rooted in running, but the Boston-based brand will use the largest football event of the year to promote its sustainability message.
The company revealed today that it will air a commercial during Super Bowl 54 — the first time it will advertise during the big game — which will take place on Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla. The ad, according to Saucony, will reinforce “its commitment to sustainability and goodness.” The theme of the ad is simple: “One small step towards doing what’s good for our world.”
The ad, created with the help of the Arnold Worldwide agency, will run during the game on Fox’s streaming platforms, will showcase its “Run for Good” brand messaging, created to highlight the brand’s commitment to “sustainability, the environment and doing good.”
The messaging from Saucony is far different from the content that typically dominates Super Bowl advertising, which aside from a few feel good ada, features mostly features beer, food, and cars and trucks. (Based on several reports after Super Bowl 53 in 2019, some of the buzziest and best commercials during the game were delivered by Budweiser and Bud Light, Pepsi, Stella Artois, Doritos and Hyundai.)
Although the brand’s decision will certainly make headlines, one industry insider is conflicted if the financial expense is worth the reward.
“Super Bowl ads are very expensive. It seems there are more inexpensive and targeted ways to get this message out,” The NPD Group senior sports industry adviser Matt Powell told FN. “[However], Super Bowl commercials are some of the most viewed and talked about, so this campaign will stand out.”
Saucony president Anne Cavassa told FN that the company has a connection to football, even though it isn’t involved in the sport.
“We exist to empower the human spirit, and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest celebrations of the human spirit. We selected the big game to make a big statement about our ongoing commitment to sustainability and goodness,” Cavassa told FN. “Our decision to air an ad during the Super Bowl through Fox’s streaming services was a thoughtful one; it allows us to reach a connected, active and discerning audience that we believe values brands that help people change the world for the better.”
The brand said in a statement that it has seen success engaging with its target audience through connected TV and streaming platforms recently, and decided to use the event and Fox because of the potential to reach a “connected, active, discerning audience” with its messaging. (Saucony noted a 29% uptick in search volume during its previous Connected TV media buy, which the brand said created a traffic increase on Saucony.com.)
“At Saucony, we believe what we do is more important that what we say,” Saucony chief marketing officer Don Lane said in a statement. “We’re using the Super Bowl platform to make a big statement about what we are actually doing to bring goodness to the world through a bold commitment to sustainability.”
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