New Balance
New Balance was experiencing strong sales in specialty running shops, but not with big box retailers. To introduce a newly redesigned Minimus shoe, the ask was to create a campaign that would appeal to the casual wearer without alienating its strong running-enthusiast base. We didn’t cast this role to be specifically Asian, in fact we really tried to avoid the stereotype, but this guy was far and away the best and funniest actor of the bunch. I actually love how he plays an Asian Kung-Fu Master with a Canadian accent.
The second spot, "Tribe" inspired chatter in the running community about whether pigs are actually that fast and whether you can outrun them. For the record, you can't. These actors were actual Algonquins and guided the idea from a cultural standpoint. Part of the fun being that group living a tribal lifestyle supposedly cut off from civilization could instantly spot the New Balance Minimus shoe, one that had just launched, although, they do somehow have a neon New Balance sign, so, who knows?
CDs: Mike Howard/Luke Perkins
Creative: Steve Pratt (CD/AD)/Bryan Karr (writer)/Me (CD/writer)