New Balance launches “LOVE/hate. this is the new balance”

Global athletic leader New Balance debuts a new brand campaign this week that highlights running as fundamental to all sport and spotlights the runner's complex love/hate relationship with running.

The multimedia campaign utilizes television, print, and online to reach performance athletes with a primary media target of 18-29 year olds. The full campaign tag line reads "LOVE/hate. this is the new balance."

The television campaign breaks nationally 3/27 in the U.S. during the NCAA basketball tournament on CBS and will have heavy emphasis in the March-May and August-September timeframe through Fox, cable and ESPN. The campaign includes five television spots that capture the essence of the runner's love/hate struggle.

The cornerstone of the campaign is the "Anthem" spot which introduces the complex love/hate relationship with running and presents New Balance as the brand that tips the balance in favor of love. The spot also introduces the brand's visual "red world" -- representative of the runner's struggle -- filled with temptations and obstacles at the start but with an end result of euphoric accomplishment and "love."

The other four television spots highlight how the innovations of specific brand products help alleviate relationship struggles related to different runners.

Creative was developed by BBDO New York who was named New Balance's global creative AOR in October 2007.