The Shanghai Marathon (上海马拉松) is growing in prestige. This year saw a record 356,589 pre-signups and talk of candidacy for a place in the Abbott World Marathon Majors – basically a roll call of the highest-status marathons worldwide. Hoka found a smart way to tie itself to the rising star of the Shanghai Marathon. They turned the volume high on a pop-up that took over an entire street.
The Fly and Run Park (HOKA 飞跑公园) functioned on four bases across Shanghai’s Yongyuan Road for two weeks in the build-up to the marathon. Each base offering something essential to runners: warm-ups, gear and number-bib pick-up, casual hangout areas before and after the race.
Hoka also pulled local business into the mix, arranging discounts and perks for marathon runners at cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. Once the race was over they threw a party where merch giveaways took place alongside run-recovery pop-ups and music. By doing all this they plugged an angle they’re always keen to highlight: lifestyle.
In China’s sportswear industry, brands with high-price tags like Hoka are positioned as luxury items. To sell this position, a lifestyle angle helps. With it, Hoka becomes a shoe for the urban cosmo-elite, not just for runners.
Hoka have been big on this outside the Shanghai Marathon too. At the latest Shanghai Sports Expo, the brand turned up with the HOKA LAB for pro-level gait and fitness testing, an extension of the services offered at their ‘global brand experience centre’ in Xintiandi, one of Shanghai’s high-end shopping districts.
Stores like this tap into another core element of the Chinese shopping experience: experience itself. Increasingly brands look to draw customers in by offering a shop that has more than just stock on the shelves.
The Fly and Run Park allows Hoka to run two races at once. They’ve linked experience and lifestyle, all while tying themselves to a key event in the sports calendar, and one that matches the prestige Hoka wants to project.
