NIKE'S SPRINT
TOWARDS TRAIL
UTMB has turned Chamonix into a hyper-potent hub for world-class brand activations. What can Nike's big decamp to the mountains teach us about the art of cutting through?
‘Find the gap’ is both a tactic and a mentality in running. It’s one used by city workers commuting home on foot as they weave through pedestrian traffic and busy roads; it’s also used by marathon runners intent on passing big pace groups. Successful execution requires identifying an opportunity, creating the space for oneself and immaculate timing. If achieved, the runner can harmoniously get to their desired destination.
This was the approach that Nike took for its reintroduction to trail running; we saw it showing up at the Ultra Marathon de Mont Blanc in Chamonix this summer. The picturesque mountain town in the French Alps has become the symbolic home of technical outdoor apparel, with UTMB now the pinnacle of European trail running. The Studio Beyond team were on the ground for the duration of the six-day event this August. Tens of thousands of hydration-vest wearing runners, enthusiasts and brands descend; we met professional athletes, thought leaders and race attendees from all over the world. Chamonix becomes a hyper-potent microcosm of trail culture and tourism. It’s where community, both professional and personal, flourishes in real-time.
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UTMB’s 100-mile course is not for the faint-hearted. It hits 10,000 metres in elevation. As such, its runners are accustomed to walking a lot during races, with slow and steady being the name of the game. Nike—associated with tracks, tarmac, speed and super shoes—appears an outlier among this wildlands community. How does a brand that is known for one thing break through into another?
For starters, by going to Chamonix. The town has become, in the last couple of years, the place to launch outdoor gear. Strategically, Nike’s presence at UTMB makes sense in re-establishing its credibility in a space where it had taken its foot off the gas. Trail is a fast-growing category within running, so there is additional brand equity and a booming market to capture. Trail is also another opportunity for Nike to continue to push its footwear innovation. Against the backdrop of these stunning mountain vistas, global brands both big and small anchor their hero launches around this six-day ultra marathon. It’s a big ticket moment backed (typically) by big marketing spends. Pop-up shops, sunrise runs and sales abound.
The spectacle at Chamonix has gotten bigger in the past couple of years. And this summer in particular, the true immersion of the event was like falling down a rabbit hole into trail wonderland. We felt like it was among the best environments for a brand showcase in the world.
"Nike distilled what it’s good at—speed—and made that appropriate for the trail"
Hoka, the primary sponsor, took over the town—no-one could miss its bright blue branded banners. Beyond its store, Hoka activated a full schedule of programming designed to foster customer interaction beyond the trails. There was a Hoka cafe, morning yoga, a meet and greet with its athletes as well as workshops, footwear demonstrations and live broadcasts. This multi-day, jam-packed schedule has now become an expected format for major brands sponsoring major running events.
Others in Chamonix tempered their offering. Norda, the Canadian footwear brand, reopened its concept store for the third year running. Maurten and New Balance both had stalls in the town. Vibram opted to offer a resoling service out of a van, called the Soul Factor truck, and it was the most sold out activation of the entire event. The weather had changed, and runners were panicking that they didn’t have the right shoes; the Vibram truck offered to strip sneakers of their existing soles and replace them with Vibram ones. It was experiential—a perfect test case of a brand activating in a way that truly speaks to the company DNA, and which equally serves the community.
Today, brand sponsors don’t have dominance over events any more, which forces creative exploration and differentiation. The more brands that show up with a unique point of view, the more 360-degree the experience becomes for visitors.
Satisfy did something different, too. It hired out a destination chalet in the mountains, which served as both its store, its HQ and its hotel. Inside, guests could wear-test its debut shoe, The Rocker, shop its limited-edition UTMB merch, and sip on Satisfy-branded peach tea. The HQ was a purist expression of its brand identity; the world of Satisfy is continually amplified by elements like its Spotify playlists, its Possessed newspapers and its ability to put a Satisfy spin on everything it touches, like peach tea—which was delicious. This has contributed to Satisfy’s enormous cut-through in both running and in fashion. Its rather inconveniently located mountain chalet didn’t chase UTMB customers—the message was, Satisfy is worth trekking to. It was a refreshing stand against the era of convenience we are in.
"In this online world, it’s never been more important for brands to get their physical activations right."
Nike needed to find its cut-through, too. The brand has the monopoly on road running, but in trail, the dominants are Hoka, Salomon, Altra and Brooks. Nike needed to decamp to France in order to gain credibility with lifelong trail runners. It created noise by not just releasing a new trail shoe, but by wear-testing a new trail shoe under the relaunched ACG line. An acronym for All Conditions Gear, this is the third iteration of the outdoor range, which was discontinued in the Nineties and then again in the 2010s. ACG had become known in the Noughties as a fashion-led technical line fit for the city; its reboot at UTMB, via apparel and a new trail shoe, takes it back to its original intention. But its positioning still leans heavily on its brand hype and fashionability within streetwear circles.
The relaunch of ACG appeals to Nike’s urban following, especially newer road runners who are just-now discovering trails—a fast-growing demographic. The apparel was distinctly rebellious. A streetwear-inspired white mesh top made from a fabric innovation called Radical Airflow, which looks edgy enough to be worn in the city. It was also an antidote to the more traditional mountain aesthetic for which UTMB is known. Nike saw and seized this sartorial gap. The Nike ACG Ultra Trail shoe was equally headline-worthy. With a Vibram outsole and a split nylon plate, it’s a Nike “trail-tuned supershoe”. As the most tested trail shoe in Nike’s history, with over 30,000 miles and 13 rounds of long-term wear testing under its belt, the ACG Ultra offers 85% energy return. Signature Nike innovation; signature Nike messaging. Tick, tick, tick.
Nike held onto its urban DNA in other ways. In past years, Nike has resisted being a primary sponsor for big races; instead, it’s focused its energies on amplifying around the fringes. It supported grassroots clubs rather than major marathons. It activated guerilla events instead of big budget spectacles. Its presence in Chamonix aligned with this original Nike ethos. While other brands were hosting casual run clubs, Nike enlisted a tiny team of athletes to run a hill sprints-based race. It captured the essence of what it’s good at—speed—and made that appropriate for the mountains.
Nike also embraced technology within its Chamonix pop-up store. Guests could wear-test the new Nike x Hyperice recovery boot, bringing its holistic vision to the trail experience that was another ‘in-the-know’ signal. Trail events have typically been slower to align with the commercial innovations within the health and wellness sector, but brand activations within cities often tap into this. By combining these elements, Nike proved that there’s room for even the most traditional industries to broaden their hospitality and experiences. It also shows the importance of adjacencies. Like-minded brands can find new traction and new customers through in-person partnerships.
In this increasingly online world, it’s never been more important for brands to get their physical activations right. The number of brands in Chamonix shows just how much choice a customer has today, and holding their attention is paramount. Creating meaningful events that truly tell a brand’s story, and which over-deliver on the experience, are key. Brands shouldn’t be afraid to focus. Vibram’s Sole Factor Truck stuck with us because it was an activation that had both soul and soles. It worked because it had the mission of getting its hero technology onto the feet, and into the lives, of many more runners to prove efficacy. Vibram wasn’t about selling new products, but about bettering existing ones for a very particular demographic. It wasn’t just fun and immersive, it was useful.
So too is creating an event that is contextualised within the environment. Make it make sense. No matter the product launch, we left Chamonix with a view that the purest expression of a product or a brand was what cut-through today. We ratified our vision that world class brand activations involve a rule of three— Environment; Community; Product. Think: what is the biggest value add we can bring here? That’s what leaves a lasting impression, and creates a legacy.
By Grace Cook, Nicola Strange and Ben Gallagher.
This piece has been informed and inspired by conversations we had in Chamonix with Charlie Keller (Innovation, ACG), Rich Gill (@richtrails; runner and videographer; The North Face), Imogen Boddy (athlete; trail), Chris Marley (videographer; Hoka), Tommy Leeming (sports photographer; filmmaker), Andy Caine (Founder of @createyourzero).
Image credits: @acgdaily