Saucony

Saucony is a venerated shoe brand that needed a new platform amid an increasingly crowded marketplace. Flanked by slick global competitors on one side and nimble up-and-comers on the other, it had a unique wind at its back: incontrovertible authenticity based on its 125+ year relationship with runners. Rod Dixon won the New York City Marathon in 1983 wearing Saucony trainers that he designed himself. From the hardcore enthusiast to the weekend warrior, Saucony was a legitimate long-term partner — with the heritage to back it up.

So the team at Someoddpilot and I drilled down into that history to unearth a foundational truth. Running creates “good” in the world — the good performance, good health and good community represented by the three circles in the brand’s logo. (Inspired by the Saucony Creek in Kutztown, PA, where the company began, and where the water coursed around three iconic boulders.)

How could Saucony communicate that it owned running? A simple call-to-action:
Run for Good.

It was down-to-Earth. Real. Achievable. And its pure ethos defied the daunting culture of running apps and data, timings and mileage, races and medals. “Run for Good” means something more integral than boasting a new personal best on socials. It means good friends. Good runs. Good products. A way of life. An outlook that wields positivity for its own sake.

Following a brand refresh, SOP worked with Saucony to weave the new platform throughout, using heritage imagery and street-style photography to amplify authenticity, and the color red to unify elements across communications.

Talk about good: brand awareness on social media ballooned 23%. E-commerce sales exploded by a whopping 37%, driving 21% sales growth year-on-year. And now, Saucony is back in the race.