2023 NYC Marathon
Content Strategy + Partnership Management + Creative Direction
Summary
For the 2023 NYC Marathon, our goal was to show up on-the-ground at the biggest marathon in the world in a fun/creative way to further authenticate UA in the run space and engage with the Run community/ fans of the sport. Our tactics to achieve this were four-fold:
1. Share the story of UA Pro Runner and defending NYC Marathon champion, Sharon Lokedi and build hype around her attempt to defend her title
2. Partner with an established Track & Field media outlet
3. Sponsor and kit out a prominent nonprofit for the race
4. Collaborate with popular influencers endemic to the space
These tactics were established with the goals in mind to 1) build credibility for UA as a brand for runners, with an emphasis on high performance, 2) demonstrate UA’s investment in the sport, 3) reach new audiences endemic to the Run space, and 4) put our brand front and center in highly consumed content during a major energy moment for the sport.
Original Programming
In 2023, we approached the NYC Marathon as both an athlete story and a pop culture moment for the brand.
Outside of Sharon highlights, we created content that was timely to NYC Marathon conversations (i.e. 1989 Sharon’s Version, marathon sign round-up, and man-on-the-street content).
We partnered with North America Regional Lead on influencer content to amplify our messaging (influencers who were relevant to young target audience - i.e. reality tv personalities).
We highlighted product as a lead-in to drive lower funnel engagements (i.e. Sharon Lokedi Starter Pack, race kit laydown).
We promoted the event and all of our UA activations throughout the weekend with live IG Story coverage (over 60 IG Story tiles).
Content Summary
Total Posts: 14
IG Reels: 6
IG Static Posts: 7
YouTube Videos: 1
All posts performed above the benchmarks for our channels.
Citius Partnership
CITIUS is one of the leading media outlets for Running and Track & Field. They are part commentary and analysis, part media personalities and storytellers. They are experts in Track &Field/Run content creation including social, video, podcasts, articles, and newsletters. Aligning our brand with them for the 2023 NYC Marathon helped us get our brand in front of new audiences during a high-vis moment for the sport.
Content Summary
Total Posts: 5
IG Reels: 3
IG Static Posts: 2
They also posted 60+ IG Stories and released two editions of their newsletter in partnership with our brand.
Release Recovery Partnership
The Release Recovery Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships for substance use disorder and mental health treatment to those who need it but can’t afford it. They host community runs and have become a large part of the NYC running community. Their co-founder, Zac Clark, gained a ton of notoriety by winning his season of the Bachelorette. He is a very recognizable face with fans of pop culture.
Content Summary
Total Posts: 11
IG Reels: 6
IG Static Posts: 5
All 11 posts performed well above the benchmark metrics for our channels.