New Balance to up its sports game with new campaign

New Balance has already carved out quite the name for itself with its wide assortiment of trainers and casual footwear. But it seems that being known for its strong sneaker range is not enough for the brand anymore. So the Boston-based brand has brought together 17 top athletes to launch its biggest global advertising campaign to date as it aims to position itself as an international, multi sport sportswear brand to rival the likes of Nike and Under Armour.

The brand recently expanded into new athletic areas, including tennis, football, baseball and cricket and as it transitions into a fully-fledged athletic brand, New Balance has introduced its new campaign to help spread the message. Led by the slogan 'Always in Beta', the campaign has been designed to help cement its new position in the US and Europe, whilst helping distance itself from its former image of a trendy footwear brand, loved by fashionista around the globe.

New Balance to take on Nike and Under Armour with new campaign 'Always in Beta'

Although many fashion brands are currently in the process of developing into lifestyle brands, Rob DeMartini, chief executive officer at New Balance is eager to make sure company's future revolves around athletic and performance wear and not just trends. "In the lifestyle business, there is a cycle to it," DeMartini said to Bloomberg. "Sometimes you're in, and sometimes you're out."

To ensure they remain in, New Balance aims to use the new campaign to leverage annual sales growth, with averaged at 15 percent over the last five years. Revenue is set to hit 4 billion dollars (2.5 billion pounds) this year according to DeMartini, suggesting the brand is growing at a faster pace than Nike and Under Armour. Even so, the brand is acutely aware of the challenges faced in repositioning the brand. "It’s an effort to position our brand up against the biggest in our category in footwear, apparel and accessories and in multiple sports," noted the CEO.

The new campaign, which includes New Balance's first television commercial in close to four years, debuted earlier this week in 70 countries around the world where the label's products are distributed. The minute long tv ad, named 'Storm', features the brand's sponsored athletes from a range of sports, including Jenny Simpson, Emma Coburn, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Aaron Ramsey and Vincent Kompany and underlines it's new tagline "to never stop pushing and to always strive for more."

"It’s not the locker room, chest-beating testosterone position that some would take," commented DeMartini on the ad. "It’s not the position that worships athletes. It’s a position that recognizes that our job is to constantly make better products to help athletes get better. It does differentiate us."