2XU: sportsmanship is about the heart, not hype

Compression apparel brand 2XU has unveiled Heart Not Hype, its first global branding campaign stressing the importance of the heart in terms of athlete's ability to push themselves to their limits."The Heart not Hype campaign tells the inspirational stories of athletes who truly put everything into their training, both physically and emotionally," Kirsty Hulme, director of Sure Step Asia Pacific, sole distributor of 2XU in the region, said."Rather than highlighting the hype of success or fame, the campaign champions the heart of performance, the effort it takes athletes to constantly push themselves everyday to exceed their individual boundaries and achieve what they previously thought impossible."The campaign is running in 60 markets globally, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia.Its marketing mix is heavily digital, revolving around a full-length five-minute video featuring a wide range of sports, from swimming, yoga, ballet and gymnastics to American football, tennis and rowing.Scenes from the full-length video have been edited into a shorter one-minute video as well as a series of 30-second videos focusing on particular sports such as basketball and yoga.As the main unique selling propositions of compression sports apparel are its technical qualities, the branding effort enriches the brand's image by adding emotional elements to it."The campaign provides the brand with a great opportunity to connect with fitness fans on an emotional as well as technical level," Hulme said.She believes the film captures the daily hardships faced by athletes during their training which resonates with local markets."Each athlete is shown training their hardest at what they love until a moment in the middle of the film when all the athletes stop due to exhaustion and then overcome fatigue to get up and fight on."There is something in this film for all sports lovers, and members of Hong Kong’s fitness communities will be able to find a story that resonates with their own personal experiences."YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are among the digital platforms where the full-length video has been shown.  The video has also been shared by 2XU's ambassadors, clubs and associations around the world.Traditional media is not entirely excluded, as the full-length video has been aired on Foxtel in Kuala Lumpur since 3 March leading up to the city's 13 March One FC event where the video will be screened at the stadium.Video Credits:Production company: ZoomFilmTVVideo director: Mark Toia