Sports Authority CMO & Senior VP Paul Okimoto indicated that the company on Sunday will roll out its first national TV campaign in several years, featuring "imagery of real amateur athletes highlighting holiday gifts in the footwear, apparel and team sports categories," according to Meredith Derby Berg of AD AGE. Okimoto said, "We saw a chance to run counter to the technology and inspire people to unplug and give a more meaningful gift of the gift of sports." Berg reports Sports Authority partnered with Factory Design Labs, Denver, on the campaign, the first since the agency landed the retailer's business in July. The ad's tagline is, "All Things Sporting Good." Sports Authority "has not had a strong TV presence in many years aside from partnering with vendors for promotional content." Kantar Media data shows that the company only spent $4M on TV advertising in '12. Okimoto said that 15- and 30-second spots of the ad "will run through six weeks." On-air radio, print, circulars and online efforts "will complement the TV ads." Variations of the spot with the same theme "will 'evolve the campaign' into the first quarter." Okimoto said that in total, the spot "launches a new three-year vision for the brand, and he expects it to help reinvigorate the Sports Authority brand in the eyes of consumers" in '14. Outtakes will be released from "shoots with the amateur athletes in the first evolution of the campaign" (ADAGE.com, 11/14).
