Pearl Izumi Stirs Up Controversy With Morbid Ad

Pearl Izumi Creates Controversy With Latest Marketing Campaign

A new print ad from Nautilus running shoe brand Pearl Izumi in the August issue of Runner’s World is being called possibly “one of the most aggressive and controversial advertising campaigns ever, ” according to CNBC’s Melissa Francis. The ad, via Crispin Porter Bogusky, runs under the header, “Ever notice how it’s always runners who find dead bodies?”  Copy reads, "If it weren’t for runners, you wonder how many of these crimes would ever get solved. Better lace’em up. Because someone, somewhere is missing.’” CNBC’s Darren Rovell reported reaction to the series of ads is "being called ‘unprecedented’ in Runner’s World magazine history.” Runner’s World Publisher Andrew Hersam: “RunnersWorld.com right now is on fire with regards to discussions about Pearl Izumi, and as a ... branding proposition, I think that’s what Pearl Izumi was looking for.”  Pearl Izumi VP/Marketing Cache Mundy said, “Probably the riskiest thing you can do is play it safe. So in taking some risk, in making a bold statement and then having a message that resonates with runners, you can accomplish some things that are far beyond the scale of our actual budgets.”  Rovell: “The folks at Pearl Izumi have done something that many brands these days can’t do: stand out from the crowd. The only question that remains is whether this will lead to a greater piece of the running shoe pie.”

REAX: Branding expert Rob Frankel said the campaign probably means a “really, really big loss, because it’s just a terrible” ad. Frankel: “What do you know about the shoe that’s going to make you want to go out and buy it? Nothing. ... This is execution for execution's sake. There’s no brand equity in the ad itself.” Ries & Ries Partner Laura Ries said the ad "is shocking just to be shocking. It lacks the powerful idea.”  Ries added the ad “is bringing great things to the ad agency and that’s what ad agencies like, people talking about their advertising. ... But what they’re not doing is talking about the brand ... and that’s a huge problem” (“On The Money,” CNBC, 7/16).  Crispin Porter Bogusky is no longer the agency for Pearl Izumi, having recently taken on Nike as a client.