New Balance HK's new campaign redefines sustainability with local dream chasers

Sportswear brand New Balance has partnered with GroupM to redefine sustainability through the promotion of positive transformation journeys in Hong Kong, with the launch of its latest 574 Green sneakers.

To encouraging people contribute to this common cause, New Balance Hong Kong has invited Ruby Lau, lifestyle reporter and influencer, to explore three groups of ordinary people in the city who had transformed their lives during lockdown and share their personal stories of how they discovered a life of “new balance” on social media.

Interviewees such as a local artist, barista and indie band, were featured with their positive changes to the city’s culture, nature and soul. To further engage with every consumer, the brand has enhanced the campaign with exclusive offers on eCommerce.

In the first video, local barista Ah Yat was seen brewing coffee and exploring Peng Chau in New Balance’s newest 574 sneakers and shirt, elaborating his passion for coffee and his dream of being a barista. At the end of the video ad, he encouraged HongKongers to break their boundaries and pursue their own passion.

In the second video, local artist Wai Wai was featured depicting the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, stating that she wished to act as a bridge to recall the collective memory for HongKongers.

Commenting on the campaign, Vivien Yau, general manager of New Balance HK and Yoki Cheng, head of marketing of New Balance HK, said: "We wanted to acknowledge the great effort of GroupM and New Balance Hong Kong for harnessing the opportunity to empower people in pursuit of their passions, supporting the spirit of perseverance and creating positive changes in the community.”

“We were thrilled to partner with GroupM in Hong Kong, who led the way on this campaign, providing a platform for these truly inspiring transformation stories, as well as an integrated consumer experience that tapped into our understanding of Hong Kong," Yau said.

She added that despite the campaign being a "small budget online campaign", the execution garnered approximately 15.4 million impressions, 95,000 clicks and 172,000 views, while helping to raise the sales of the 574 Green sneaker by 15% in just two weeks.

Clay Sen, who led the campaign and is responsible for the group’s SEO, CRO and Content functions in Hong Kong, added: "We were honoured to partner with New Balance on their 574 Green campaign. From the moment we were briefed, we demonstrated not only our understanding of the unique nuances of Hong Kong, but also the versatility of our product offerings and talent at GroupM – this was a truly omnichannel campaign that compromised of the very best in content, creative, search, eCommerce, media and strategy, all of which worked harmoniously together to connect with the city.”

Caroline Chan, CEO of GroupM Hong Kong, said the campaign perfectly encapsulates of GroupM's evolution from media partner to New Balance’s fully integrated, end-to-end growth partner. "The work also highlighted the team’s finesse for pairing New Balance’s business challenges with consumer insights to create innovative solutions that fused our high-quality media strategy with content and creative production capabilities, closing the consumer loop and delivering conversions - a true evolution for media agencies," Chan added.

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