Thanks to our partners at Athleta and Experience Life Magazine, our print ads where seen by millions in both the mail order catalogs of Athleta (20M readership) and with full-page ads in the magazine (3M readership). Our street teams of healthy, happy young women where out in force in the weeks leading up to events sharing free T-shirts, posters and postcards with influencers. Storefront displays at the Athleta brick and mortar stores nationwide also pushed the brand and women started to learn more about it and share it with their friends through social media posts and digital marketing. As event dates came near, race participants received tees early and were seen everywhere. We encouraged them to invite their friends to either run their first 5K with them, or to simply party at the Bubbly Bar after the race. Women fell in love with the Athleta Esprit de She brand and starting to become brand ambassadors for it, sharing our message for us.
In the summer of 2012, Life Time – The Healthy Way of Life Company decided to create an entirely new race series, just for women. The directive was to create a brand that was feminine but strong, not girly and specifically “no pink.”
And the first race would be in 10 months.
And so was born Athleta Esprit de She—The Spirit of Her Race Series. A nationwide, women-only series, offering 13 events including runs, cycle tours, duathlons and triathlons. Our team was tasked with creating the entire brand from ground up, including the name, tagline, identity, apparel, web design, race day tactics and all marketing pieces. Before even one race was held, national women’s retailer Athleta signed on as title sponsor of all events for at least the first two years.
We created a high-energy identity, full of color, movement, patterns and textures. All materials carry a consistent look and feel, differentiated across event types through the use of color. We chose colors that were consistent with the Life Time brand colors, but we softened them slightly to be more feminine. In a space dominated with pinks, purples and pastels, we landed on a warm, inviting yellow that is full of energy, that resonates with women and differentiates Athleta Esprit de She in the marketplace. After just one year, EdS owns this yellow in the marketplace.
Our client was very excited with how the brand came together and was pleased at how we were able to create a brand that balanced being both feminine and strong/empowering.
The results were amazing. Nearly 10,000 women headed to the starting lines in 2013, making the first year a success and, more impressively, over 5,500 have already pre-registered for this summer’s events. Athleta Esprit de She was quickly and easily able to build up a sponsorship base before the first event even started because of the brand we helped create. As the second year begins, that momentum continues to grow. Our client was thrilled with the work and excited about the response the brand received across the nation.
