Dive Brief:

• Athletic apparel brand On is looking to break through the noise of the category’s traditional high-intensity, win-at-all-costs marketing campaigns with a new effort that instead touts the idea of “Soft Wins,” per a press release.
• The campaign features Sesame Street’s Elmo who challenges a group of runners about the ultimate goals behind their exercising. The effort is also intended to introduce the brand’s Cloudsurfer 2 shoe.
• The “Soft Wins” campaign is the latest from an athletic brand to take a softer approach to sports, in contrast to Nike’s recent focus on the costs of winning.

Dive Insight:

Not everyone needs to take a “no pain, no gain” mindset when it comes to running, especially not a perpetually cheerful, curious and sweet monster like Elmo. On, a brand whose sales have been growing in the U.S., is looking to challenge the idea that running and “run culture” need to be intense and competitive. Rather, it can be easygoing and community-oriented, according to Alex Griffin, On’s chief marketing officer.

“Running has always been associated with pushing limits, but success isn’t just about intensity. ‘Soft Wins’ challenges the idea that winning in running has to mean suffering or chasing records — it can also be about consistency, community, and self-compassion,” Griffin said in comments shared with Marketing Dive via e-mail.

“With this campaign, On is reinforcing its role in shaping a more inclusive and personal running experience, one that supports every kind of runner, whether they’re chasing finish lines or simply running for themselves,” the executive continued.

The central component of the campaign is a commercial that depicts Elmo encountering a running group that is worn out and tired. The character observes that running looks hard, and, when he is told, “Hard wins,” he offers a different idea. He suggests running for fun and not being so hard on oneself for exercising. As the group agrees, they all engage in a game of tag.

The effort follows a Super Bowl commercial On ran in regional markets that featured Elmo and tennis star Roger Federer. In that spot, the two had a disagreement over the brand’s stylized logo, which Elmo took to look like a Q and C, rather than an O and N for “On.”

The “Soft Wins” campaign is the second from an athletic brand to take a softer approach to sports in recent weeks. Last week, Adidas launched the next phase of its “You Got This” global brand campaign with a campaign that depicts professional and amateur athletes pushing through adversity with the aid of mentors who help them believe in themselves.

The campaigns from On and Adidas are in contrast to recent campaigns by Nike, which notably returned to the Super Bowl after a 13-year absence with a commercial exhorting women athletes to “Just Win.” Recent marketing efforts by Nike have focused on the ruthlessness it takes to be a top athlete. Nike brand remains the most popular sneaker brand in the U.S.