Brief:

• Saucony launched a social media campaign called "Run for Good" that aims to raise as much as $50,000 for charity. The sportswear brand is urging Instagram users to run a mile and post selfies on the image-sharing app with the #RunForGoodRelay and @Saucony tags, then challenge three friends to do the same, per an announcement.
• The campaign began on June 5, Global Running Day, as the world’s first Instagram relay race, with a goal of collectively running one full lap around the Earth, or 24,901 miles. Saucony will make a donation for every mile run to the Saucony Run for Good Foundation, Laureus Sport for Good and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).​
• Saucony created the "Run for Good" campaign with creative agency Someoddpilot. The brand's official shoe for the relay is the Ride ISO2, which retails for $120. 

Insight:

Saucony’s "Run for Good" campaign has the potential to go viral on social media, similar to other challenges that seek to raise money or awareness for charitable causes. It reflects how marketers are focused on Instagram as they look for ways to engage social media users. Research shows that younger consumers prefer Instagram as a platform for hearing from brands. Hoping to better meet marketers' needs, Instagram continues to ramp up its offering, including recently enabling brands to boost organic posts as ads. 

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is one of the most prominent examples of a viral campaign, as people urged each other to dump ice-cold buckets of water over their heads before passing on the challenge to others. People who didn't accept the challenge within 24 hours were asked to make a cash donation to charity groups seeking a cure for ALS.

Cause-driven campaigns, which are often well received by younger consumers, help to provide an emotional bond that can drive longer-term loyalty and distinguish brands from competitors. Almost two-thirds (64%) of consumers said they will buy or boycott a brand because of its social or political position on an issue, according to Edelman's most recent Earned Brand study.

Generation Z tends to feel especially connected to important causes, and more than two-thirds of the age group think brands should help them achieve those goals, PSFK research revealed. Brands like Gillette, Axe, Nike, Modcloth, Planter's, Procter & Gamble's Secret deodorant and Danone's Silk have taken up causes in their campaigns to demonstrate their social awareness and curry favor with consumers who want to feel good about their purchase decisions.

Social-media challenges and contests can give marketers widespread reach for a comparably small investment as people take up a cause and spread the word. Like Saucony, Busch, JetBlue, T.J. Maxx and the Calgary Stampede rodeo this year have run contests on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.