New Balance

Meg Johnson, North America Marketing Director
Andrew Merle, Marketing Lead, North America Performance Business
Ashley Bertschmann, Channel Marketing Manager

VML *Lead Agency

Amy Winger, Chief Strategy Officer
Tomas Gonsorcik, Managing Director, Integrated Strategy
Mike Wente, North American Chief Creative Officer
Miriam Raisner, Planning Director
Harsh Kapadia, Group Creative Director
Brian Musich, Creative Director
Becka Vigorito, Group Director

PGR Media

HYFN

How do you sell an athletic “performance” shoe to women who don’t see themselves as athletes? For New Balance, a traditionally male-skewing brand that had seen declines in the North American mass market, a lot was riding on the answer. Instead of moving away from the idea of performance (a big part of the brand’s DNA), we challenged its traditional category definition and reframed it around women’s everyday active lives. As a result, the brand gained significant market share, and new back-to-school sales growth, all without compromising its athletic philosophy.