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When it comes to the “transformational power of the run,” zombies might not be the first thing that comes to mind.
But Brooks Running is unveiling a new global campaign meant to communicate the positive impact running has on a person’s life - and they’re choosing to use - yes - zombies to highlight it.
On Saturday, during the Olympic Marathon Trials on NBC TV, the company will broadcast its first ever television commercial entitled The Rundead.
The Rundead represents a new and unexpected evolution of the company’s inspirational approach to running, Brooks said in a release.
The ad shows zombies chasing an individual across a barren, post-apocalyptic town. They trap the man in a shoe store, where he huddles behind a wall of display shoes.
But instead of devouring the man - that’s what zombies do, after all - they get distracted by the shoes, ultimately trying them on.
“We wanted to tap into that universal understanding that runners share," said Jon Wyville, EVP, executive creative director at Leo Burnett Chicago.
“The visual progression from stumbling zombie to clear-eyed, happy runner in the TV spot will resonate with runners of any experience level and remind them of the joy running can provide.”
Ironically, as fans of zombie films are well aware, the 2004 walking dead classic, Dawn of the Dead, was set in a shopping mall and widely viewed as a critique of empty consumerist culture.
With the new Brooks campaign, however, pop culture seems to have come around full circle.
Anne Cavassa, chief customer experience officer at Brooks, said the company’s new “Live the way you run. Run happy” campaign captures the passion and energy of the sport and is a “call-to-action to inspire happiness and positivity through running.”
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