Dive Brief:
- Hoka is celebrating New Yorkers’ everyday runs for a new campaign that includes a “Run Your City” challenge hosted on running app Strava, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Throughout September, Hoka is challenging runners across New York’s five boroughs to compete against one another to see which borough can log the most miles. Digital screens in Times Square, Tribeca, SoHo and Williamsburg will display weekly updates.
- Paid social, a creator program and a publisher partnership with Highsnobiety will amplify the campaign. Hoka this week also announced a global campaign with Gen Z curator Emma Rogue promoting its new Clifton UTL sneakers.
Dive Insight:
Hoka, the running shoe brand owned by Deckers Brands, is building on its existing global partnership with Strava for a challenge and accompanying campaign that celebrates New York’s running community. The effort extends the brand’s “Together We Fly Higher” platform, which launched last July with a campaign spotlighting community members, like coaches, that support runners. With “Run Your City,” Hoka is rallying additional support for runners by integrating their metrics into the creative itself.
The monthlong challenge encourages runners in New York’s five boroughs — Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island — to log their miles and see which borough will come out on top. The competition’s progress will be showcased on digital OOH screens with ticker-inspired creative that will cycle through weekly updates spanning miles logged, pace and additional stats. Paid social on TikTok and Meta will amplify the effort, while a creator program led by Collectively, a creator marketing company within The Brandtech Group, will see six creators representing the five boroughs encourage runners and document their own progress.
The challenge will culminate with a block party on Oct. 3 at McCarren Parkhouse designed to bring together participants, creators and the community. Additionally, creative that highlights the event will feature in a social media campaign in October, and a partnership with fashion and media brand Highsnobiety will include a recap. Agency Jellyfish, also owned by Brandtech Group, developed the concept for “Run Your City” and is leading creative and media planning.
Hoka’s new campaign maintains an overarching message of support for the running community that has been at the core of its marketing for years. The encouraging tone follows stumbles from competitor Nike, which in April ran — and quickly pulled — an outdoor ad that read “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.” Nike’s sluggish sales and marketing misfires have made room for competition like Hoka, On and Brooks Running, which recently linked with Cynthia Erivo, to gain favor with consumers.
Beyond the “Run Your City” effort, Hoka this week also announced a tie-up with Emma Rogue, a popular TikTok creator and founder of online vintage store Rogue, for a global campaign showcasing the Clifton UTL sneakers. For the effort, Rogue will be on the ground at New York Fashion Week runway shows and after parties while sporting the shoes. The partnership could help Hoka grow its ties to younger consumers, including Gen Z shoppers, who are increasingly shopping secondhand.
Hoka parent Deckers Brands, which also owns Ugg and Teva, topped $1 billion in Q1 revenue for the first time during its first quarter of fiscal 2027, which ended June 30. Net sales at Hoka were up almost 8% over the year-ago period. Deckers Brands expects Hoka to get a boost from new retail partnerships and maintain high-single-digit growth in the second half of the year, though some analysts question if demand will waver.
