Latest INTERSPORT campaign from We Are Pi proves that “You Never Sport Alone”
INTERSPORT continues to innovativly connect people with sporting communities
to help them stay healthy and motivated in difficult times.
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15 February. Bern, Switzerland. INTERSPORT, the world's leading sports retailer, launches a new global campaign titled “You Never Sport Alone”. It is the latest edition coming out of the “Heart of Sport” platform, created by WE ARE Pi. This campaign comes after the successful #WorkINs activation last year, that helped sporting enthusiasts around the world stay active and connected at the beginning of the pandemic.
INTERSPORT has seen online sales increase by double digits since March, with at-home training equipment seeing high double digit growth. Running equipment specifically has seen higher than usual growth, as it’s one of the few sports that is still mostly allowed in its original free form.
“You Never Sport Alone”, which focuses on the running & training categories, is both a celebration of the role of community at the heart of sport, and a declaration from INTERSPORT on its undying commitment to provide those communities the support, motivation, advice and gear they need to thrive.
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INTERSPORT’s proximity to local sporting communities have allowed the brand to see the fundamental shifts happening in running and training. Traditionally seen as solo sports, running & training have experienced a revolution fuelled by crews, teams and gyms. They’ve effectively become team sports at the grassroots level. The new campaign focuses on the imperative shift to digital and home workouts that these sport communities have adjusted to in the past year in order to stay connected and motivated.
Wherever You Take Training - You Never Sport Alone
INTERSPORT has long been aware of the role communities play at the heart of sport. The company was built neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Around the globe, its team, numbering in the tens of thousands, are deeply embedded in the communities they serve. Staff have their finger on the pulse of the beating heart of sport.
Through digital spaces like Strava, Instagram and Whatsapp, local communities are now meeting online, and the INTERSPORT staff is right there with them. On Instagram, the brand connects with sports enthusiasts through advice series, Q&A sessions, sport-specific clubs and tips and tricks, on top of the virtual workouts - ‘WorkINs’. On Strava, local staff share routes, advice, and compete in virtual events with the communities. They also help to keep sporting communities connected, motivated and up to date on the latest training techniques and gear.
Wherever You Take Running - You Never Sport Alone
INTERSPORT knows that in order to stay current, it’s important to celebrate the roles of these digital spaces in the lives of sport enthusiasts around the globe. Agency WE ARE Pi fused digital and physical worlds together to create a new approach for the brand with this campaign.
The training film, titled “One Last Rep”, follows the story of a training community of four sets of training buddies who train ‘together’. They don’t train physically together, but are connected by technology, to support and push each other through their various sessions and make it through that one ‘last rep’ that they refuse to let defeat them.
Similarly the running film follows the story of four sets of runners competing together while apart in a virtual race in various locations, styles and terrains - from trail to treadmill. Through a shared connection via their digital community and enabled by INTERSPORT products, they’re able to overcome ‘the wall’ moment of their respective races.
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The design and production of both films sees a morphing of real-life scenes and a digital/social aesthetic of bespoke INTERSPORT emojis created for a modern yet familiar look and feel - sped along through animation techniques including rotoscoping, social media language overlays, and integrating social messaging gifs into the action sequences.
As the pandemic progressed throughout 2020 and changed the ways people connected through sport, INTERSPORT also changed tactics, partnering with adidas to create a virtual racing app in Germany, in which runners were able to race each other virtually over a specified period of time for the reward of Intersport prizes and discounts. This initiative will continue and expand throughout 2021 in conjunction with the “You Never Sport Alone” campaign.
INTERSPORT International Corporation CEO Steve Evers is proud of the way the campaign focuses on one of the brands brightest differentiators, its connection to sports communities.
“Local sporting communities play a crucial role by providing invaluable support and motivation. The INTERSPORT staff in every store around the globe not only just serve these communities, but in many cases are a part of them, too. This campaign is a celebration of what these communities can achieve together, and the role INTERSPORT plays in making sure they have the product, advice and enthusiasm they need.”
Danny Marsh, strategy director at WE ARE Pi comments, “Whether people are meeting in person or online, this campaign shows INTERSPORT’s unwavering value to, and consistent support of local sporting communities.”
With retail sales of EUR 11.2 billion in 2020 and around 5’200 affiliated stores in 44 countries, INTERSPORT is one of the world's leading sporting goods retailers. In December 2012, INTERSPORT acquired the athletic specialist footwear chain, The Athlete's Foot, with around 570 stores in 33 countries and retail sales of USD 400 million in 2020. In total, the INTERSPORT Group has a turnover of EUR 11.6 billion and is represented in 58 countries on all five continents.
www.intersport.com
About WE ARE Pi
WE ARE Pi is an Amsterdam-based international Ideas Company, founded in 2011. Guided by the promise to ‘Never Settle’ WE ARE Pi deliver integrated strategies and innovative creative platforms for clients including Nike, Amazon, Heineken, INTERSPORT, Desigual, Quintet bank and Cowboy bikes. Pi won AdAge small agency of the year in 2019 and CreativePool Small Agency of the Year 2020.
