New Balance: Love / Hate

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In these ads, New Balance takes a literal translation of their brand name. The balance they refer to is the love/hate relationship that people share with running. The clever part about it is that they personify "running" and give it a role in your life. BBDO New York is responsible for the campaign.

Here's the cornerstone ad's voice over that explains the basic premise of the new global campaign:

"You were in a relationship with running. A love/hate relationship. Running kicks you out of a warm cozy bed and into a cold hard world. Running calls you at all hours of the night. Running gets you up at the crack of dawn and keeps you at practice long after play has left the building. Every day with running is a question of your commitment. And running’s not afraid to ask. Yes, my friend it is a complex and torrid affair. It is a constant balance... a balance between joy and pain, work and play, a balance between love and hate. Everything we do is geared toward tipping the balance. This is the new balance."

For runners, much of this hits very close to home. I think these ads will be effective in terms of generating sales because they have a very inclusive tone to them, almost as if being in a love/hate relationship with running is like being in an exclusive club of some sort. People will flock to the idea of sharing this unique relationship (love) because it is not a very difficult thing to do- until they realize how much commitment it really takes (hate). These ads will persuade people to go out and buy themselves a pair of NewBies and to set their clocks early, leaving time for a morning run. They'll feel healthy, productive, and overall satisfied (love) until they get athlete's foot and start falling asleep at work (hate). But by then you've already spent the money and bought the shoes. The new balance? The one in your checkbook.