I’m pretty open to advertising creative. I really am. In fact, I went to school for it. Studied 3 years, and made my career out of it. Ok, so I fell into the media area, outside of the actual creative side of things, but I still think I have a pretty good understanding of creative objectives & strategies. However, I won’t say I am the be all and end all when it comes to judging a company’s creative.
I’ll leave that to my readers.
Today, I came home and found in my mailbox the latest edition of Canadian Running Magazine. I truly love this magazine for the articles and awesome in depth knowledge for all running related topics.
Then I saw an ad on page 7.
Google it! It is a picture of a runner giving CPR to a dog.
The Copy Reads as follows :
“Run Longer Project E:MOTION isn’t for the faint of heart.* That’s because our new midsole design forces your stride into fluid submission. This undeniable smoothness translates into less work for your legs, so you get into your zone faster and feel like your could stay there forever. Sure, not everyone will appreciate your increased efficiency, but, ironically, not everyone was born to run like an animal.”
pearlizumi.com/projectemotion
As a reader, my first reaction was utter shock. From an advertising perspective I thought it was negative. I didn’t get it. I wanted to know more, so I went to the link above to investigate. This new shoe is apparently so awesome that as a runner, you will run faster, quieter, longer, farther and smoother. However, because of this, there will also be a negative side to running. The website calls these the ‘downsides of efficiency’. There are videos illustrating these downsides in short videos, called Runner’s Pulse. For example, you’ll outrun your dog to the point you will have to perform cpr. You may be attacked by wildlife if you don’t make noise during your run as the shoes are so quiet, animals may not be startled by your presence. You’ll run so far, you’ll run out of food and starve to death or eat a plant in the wilderness that could kill you. Or finally, because your gait has improved you might be confused for a deer and be shot by a hunter.
Obviously, now that I am seeing the videos, it’s obvious the advertiser is taking a stab at humour. I won’t judge.
I’ll leave that to you.
Any additional thoughts welcome.
Urban Running Girl 