Context

New Balance was sharpening its cultural relevance while accelerating growth in key footwear franchises like Fresh Foam and FuelCell. The brand needed new ways to show independence in culture, not just measure campaigns after the fact.

Approach

I led a team to deliver a real-time experience during New York Fashion Week that used custom AI to identify and reward true individuality. Trained on weeks of street-style data, the system scanned people live and moved from identification to celebration in 1.7 seconds, flipping Fashion Week’s sameness by spotlighting those who go their own way.

Results

More than 17,000 people were analyzed, with just 0.02 percent rewarded. The campaign generated nearly 140 million impressions, earned coverage in outlets like Highsnobiety, and helped set new records for consumer search activity. Post-campaign, Fresh Foam and FuelCell footwear saw revenue growth of more than 86 percent.

Learnings

Real-time data creates advantage when it’s used to drive cultural moments, not just reporting.

Agency Partner VML