AssignmentHelp New Balance activate its new sponsorship of the NYC Marathon.
challengeWe needed to get at the emotional core of the marathon to avoid being another name in a sea of sponsor logos.
approachFocus on the euphoric moment of crossing the finish line and turn “N-Y-C” into a symbol of everything it took to get there.
You don’t have to win the NYC Marathon to win the NYC Marathon.
When New Balance became the official sponsor of the NYC Marathon, it joined a crowded field of brands all vying for attention, meaning that simply showing up wouldn’t be enough. And as a first-time sponsor, they had only one chance to prove to the running community that they belonged.
So when New Balance asked us to help them activate their sponsorship, we knew we needed to make the brand connect on a deeper level. We needed to put the brand next to the race’s emotional core.
We focused on the one moment every runner shares: crossing the finish line.
No matter where you come from, your age, or your pace, the final stretch brings the same moment of euphoria. So we built the campaign around that universal feeling by turning “NYC”—letters already synonymous with grit and determination—into an iconic design celebrating the blood, sweat, and tears it took to reach this moment of personal victory.
Crossing the finish line doesn’t just mean you ran the race. It means you earned those three letters.