The Rec League: New Balance parodies sports ad clichés in its winning anthem

When advertising thinks it’s onto a good thing, man does it to stick to it. Car advertising. Sports advertising. Family food advertising. Never mind that the same idea repeated dozens of times doesn’t differentiate a brand. Never mind that it’s boring. Take note that it becomes laughable. And not in a good way.

Unless someone picks up on the humour that advertising has unwittingly unleashed and runs with it. Enter The Rec League and its New Balance campaign for the FuelCell Running Shoe Line.

The Rec League is the L.A. creative and production agency, formed last year by ESPN, 72andSunny + R/GA veterans, Jack Jensen, Trent Ubben and Scott Swindler.

The campaign pokes fun at typical advertising running clichés, using a collection of fun visual devices – creative editing techniques, special effects and retro touches – to say that you don’t need long manifestos or fancy speed metaphors to know that New Balance’s athletes are fast. Ultimately, the campaign’s message is Don’t just talk about being fast. Go out and be fast.

“We wanted to stay authentic to both our New Balance athletes and everyday runners, and not fall into the same creative space that much of speed marketing tends to live,” said Jack Jensen, Head of Creative at The Rec League. “New Balance is not afraid to have its own voice and stance, and its pro athletes are no different. We don’t need to sell you on how fast Sydney McLaughlin or Trayvon Bromell is; you already know they are. And we don’t need to tell you to be fast; be fast.”

As well ads the anthem film, the campaign includes individual athlete films, OOH, in-store and social content and will run throughout the northern hemisphere summer. The global effort will run in North America, Europe, Asia, APAC and Latin America.