I saw some ads for Reebok on the sides of bus stops. They say:
Why Hit the Wall? It Hurts. Run Easy.
Run Easy?!?!?
I must say that Reebok just lost me as a customer.
To me this Run Easy messaging means:
Don’t train so hard.
Don’t bother. It ain’t worth it.
In fact don’t even bother going to gym, just put on your comfy Reeboks and sit around.
Watch TV.
Drink some beer.
Be a sloth.
Unbelievable that Reebok would put out such a campaign. As an athletic shoe manufacturer, you want to motivate people into being more active not less.
I think back to NIKE’s campaign of Run Like There is No Finish Line. So inspirational and aspirational. It speaks of being the ultimate athlete, and also the best that you can be. Life is long and glorious and it’s a long road but you’ll be running like you were pushing hard to the finish line every single minute of every day. It speaks of living life to the maximum every moment of your life. That is why I buy NIKE stuff.
The Ironman tagline: Anything is Possible. Because it is. And, like life, it ain’t easy.
Run Easy? No way. Not for me. I live my life like there is no finish line.
4-24-07: On Sepulveda in El Segundo: Yet another winning ad slogan:
Why Run Till You Can’t Walk? Run Easy.
Running easy as the main message is just plain wrong. It should say something like Run Motivated and Smart. Running easy should be a function of your mental and physical condition, your fitness level, and whether your are energetic or recovering. Sometimes you should run easy, but sometimes you shouldn’t. But running should be about being motivated to do something, like lose weight or entering/finishing a race. And doing it smart means you should run with the appropriate exertion level when it’s the right time to do so, thereby reducing your chance for injury but getting fitness gains. You do the same thing over and over again (like running easy every time) and I guarantee you’ll get bored or see no fitness gains after a while and stop doing it…