lululemon running

At the time, people didn’t know the brand and those that did had a very one-dimensional view — the stretchy black pant yoga company for the wealthy, painfully perfect white women.

I led marketing strategy for lululemon running and set the foundation for launching footwear. I reset our category positioning and brought it to life through an integrated campaign driving brand and business objectives.

Running feels different.

What we uncovered was that there was a widening gap between the traditional rules, norms, and platforms propagated by running’s institutions and the identities, purposes, and challenges faced by the running community.

It was our opportunity to make running look and feel different. And in order to accomplish our goal we would need to co-create the future of running with the pioneers that were already pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules.

+200% in men’s running sales

We brought the new positioning to life through a global campaign that drove awareness and shifted brand perceptions, resulting in an unprecedented growth in men’s running sales.

Our creative and media strategy was men’s led via social (YouTube, Twitch, Instagram), audio, and podcast ads. We also reached new audiences and began to establish credibility in the running community through the evolution of our global ambassador program.

Digital media

We were rewarded by testing and building creative against Google’s messy middle theory. The theory suggests a consumer is either in an exploration or an evaluation phase and that these two tasks can happen simultaneously, or sequentially, but according to neuroscience are two distinct mental processes.

Exploration mode, expansive mindset - add brands to our consideration set
Evaluation mode, reductive exercise - narrow down our options

We created a mix of explore and evaluate content to fuel our media plan. The ‘explore’ films hooked consumers with a docu-style approach that invited guests to join our ambassadors on a run. The ‘evaluate’ films were product marketing retargeting videos or ambassador led product reviews that humanized what makes our distraction free running products different.

Earned media. Introducing Mirna Valerio:

As part of the campaign, we announced our newest ambassador, Mirna Valerio, a runner, author, and trailblazer who has completed 19 ultramarathons.

We were inspired by Mirna’s passion for inviting everyone to step outside in pursuit of joy. Together we would celebrate the diversity of running and advocate for further inclusion in the running community.

Motion

Running feels different (in lululemon).

“I remember the moment when I stepped on this treadmill and I was like, this is gonna be awful. I just knew that running would bring me back, however slowly, to where I needed to be, physically and mentally. And it did.”

Mirna Valerio, ultramarathoner, trailblazer, & author.

On the road to Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics

Additionally, we created a long form piece of content with one of our hometown heroes, Tasha Wodak, 2x Olympian and Canadian marathon record holder (2:23:12). The film celebrated our new elite race day kit which was a pivotal step forward in driving credibility with the running community.

Product films

Retargeting films that showcased the breadth of our assortment and celebrated how impossibly lightweight and distraction free our gear is — with a special nod to our hidden pockets.