Oakley Admits Running Sucks. But Runners Don’t

Ok I’m a sucker for an ad that seems to ‘get me’. And with the launch of their new running eyewear, Oakley has done just that with a new film: Running Sucks, Runners Don’t.

I’ll be honest. I love running. But at times it’s tough. The very thought of trudging around my local park this evening in the cold, performing a cumbersome and hard-to-remember workout doesn’t fill me with a whole lot of joy. But I’m building momentum in my training plan so will do it anyway. I’ll fend off the cold. I’ll ignore the blister I got from a gruelling half marathon at the weekend. I’ll mentally punish myself for not having drunk enough water today. Running really does suck. But in admitting this, Oakley is celebrating the regiment and the consistency of the runner.

On their website Oakley say: “they take blisters, cramp, and oncoming traffic in stride because the after run is what it’s all about. Yeah, sometimes running kind of sucks, but the global running community is awesome” and I 100% feel that.

Typically, good advertising has a little tension in it’s message. Marmite’s “Love it or hate it” is perhaps the best example of this. Even Nike’s ‘Just do it’ implies there is a little bit of doubt in the mind of the athlete. So, in a marketing landscape that is often too unrealistically aspirational or illogically loaded with purpose, it’s comforting to see a brand that faces up to the realities of the space they’re in, even if they are doing so in a fun and light-hearted way.

Personally, I would love to be on the brand team coming up with ways they could take this idea further.