Saucony’s ‘Run as One’ Global Brand Campaign Stars Jae Tips, Vanessa Fraser — and Coffee
More than ever before, running is intersecting with culture, which served as the inspiration for Saucony’s new global brand campaign, “Run as One.”
The multifaceted effort is led by a 30-second video, which Saucony explained aims to show “the magic that happens when people come together,” which unlocks “a powerful sense of connection and shared purpose.” The brand further stated that the “Run as One” video “reinforces the idea that when we run together, we achieve more than we ever could alone.”
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“When we think about ‘Run as One,’ we wanted to make sure we elevated our ethos, that we know that running is more than a sport. It’s a culture connector,” Saucony global chief marketing officer Joy Allen-Altimare told FN. “We know that you may run, but it’s not the only thing that you do, and we know that you’re looking for community and connection. We wanted to reflect that in what we put in the universe.”
The video features long-distance runner Vanessa Fraser and the brand’s award-winning collaborator, Jae Tips.
“To the outside, it might seem like you’ve got a brand campaign. Bring in someone from lifestyle, Jae. Bring in someone from your athlete side, Vanessa. But I saw so much crossover from the beginning,” Saucony global director of energy and collaborations Jason Faustino told FN. “It always starts at Saucony with the human. People that are connected to our brand just have a similarity as far as the type of human being they are. A little bit more humble, a little bit more multidimensional.”
Aside from the video, Saucony has run club events planned globally on March 4, including a series of coffee shop residencies. These events — which will feature events with collaborators and friends of the brand — were inspired by the brand’s collaboration with Collision Run Club to create Café Vestiaire during this year’s Paris Fashion Week in January.
They will start with New York City at Ludlow Coffee Supply, which will last the entire month. During this residency, Saucony confirmed it will have exterior branding at the coffee shop, as well as custom Saucony cups and a special drink available throughout the month. Also, there will be a special punch card, and with every four coffees purchased you will receive $10 off at Saucony.com.
What’s more, all employees will have ProGrid Omni 9s on foot.
There will also be a one-day residency in Grand Rapids, Mich. at Scorpion Hearts Club, with more coffee shop residencies to follow in Boston, London, and other major cities globally.
“Run crews, run culture, running together is how people are connecting right now. That is what everyone’s doing, so we have to think about how we uniquely do it,” Allen-Altimare said. “It’s naturally where runners are meeting, but we wanted to be intentional about having a safe space for them to do that. This is how we democratize the category and make sure people start to feel like they are a part of something that they never thought they would be.”
“Run as One” was led by Saucony creative director Gus Johnston and developed with Wolverine Worldwide’s in-house creative agency, The Agency. It was produced by the company’s in-house production company, The Den, in partnership with Happy Place director Cam Hicks and photographer Will Reid.
Though Tuesday marks the launch of the campaign, looking ahead, there’s plenty more to come with “Run as One.”
“The future of ‘Run as One’ is broad. It’s the ethos that connects both our internal team and our external approach,” Allen-Altimare said. “We’re starting with broad, big awareness-building assets. Over the course of the year, you’ll see it evolve and show up in different ways, from activations as small as our coffee shop activations, to as broad as marathons and sponsored races. When we get into autumn-winter, you’ll see another articulation of it, and then in 2026 you’ll see another articulation.”
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