Context

New Balance aimed to grow women’s running and move beyond functional product marketing. Awareness was strong, but the brand lacked cultural relevance with female runners as women’s sport gained momentum.

Approach

I shaped “Start a Riot” as a culture-led launch that used sport and music to bring women together. The campaign united four elite female runners with an emerging female punk band to create an original anthem, launched around a live global Grand Prix racing moment. We distributed it across major music platforms, broadcast it during the event on NBC Sports, and amplified it through social, video, and athlete channels to reach beyond core running audiences.

Results

The anthem reached more than 65 million viewers globally and earned coverage across outlets including Rolling Stone, NBC Sports, Adweek, and Ad Age. The work helped reposition New Balance as culturally relevant for women in running, supporting growth in the women’s business and the path toward a $1B running franchise.

Learnings

Conviction-led cultural storytelling can expand reach and accelerate growth when it gives women a real platform.

Agency Partner VML