‘The Breakaway’ by Decathlon is a hybrid brand-owned team and marketing initiative revolving around the first ever eCycling team for prisoners.
Formed in a maximum security prison in Oudenaarde (Belgium), Decathlon’s ‘The Breakaway’ eCycling team sees prisoners riding and racing with peddlers from the outside world on the virtual cycling platform Zwift.
The initiative, part of Decathlon’s broader vision to make sport accessible for all, was created in collaboration with De Rode Antraciet VZW (a non-profit organisation promoting sport and culture within prisons), Cellmade and the Belgian Department of Justice.
The idea, which is essentially an experiment to see if virtual sport can help inmates reintegrate into the real world, sees a tea of six inmate’s race riders on the outside via Zwift.
The initiative was launched with a campaign created by BBDO Belgium which was spearheaded by a hero online video posted on 31 March which urged viewers to follow The Breakaway team via the initiative’s website at https://decathlonbreakaway.be/en
As the creative states:
They challenge themselves to go for it. To become better.
Better than other riders, and better than themselves.
Sport can free people.
Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
Sport is freedom. Even when you’re stuck between four walls.
The Breakaway was created was a team at agency BBDO Belgium which included Creative Directors Arnaud Pitz, Sebastien De Valck and Jan Dejonghe, Associate Creative Director Frederik Clarysse, Creatives Frederik Clarysse and Tom Jacobs, CCO Eva De Gendt, Account Managers Bram De Vidts and Evelyn Savels, Strategist Kim Leunen, Designers Wim Esteban De Dobbeleer, Elena Haniotakis and Jorrit Michiels, plus Copywriters Vincent Abrams, Frederik Clarysse and Debby De Ridder, with Head of RTV Patricia Van De Kerckhove, Agency Producer Loes Fierens, Editor Anton Ceuppens, Digital Project Director Wouter Has, Digital Project Manager Quentin Donckerwolcke, Front-End Developer Jerome De Boysere, Digital Development Director Jonathan Pardon and Social & Technology Advisor Matthias Andriessen.
The PR agency was Walkie Talkie PR, the production company was Fledge & BBDO productions and the sound studio was Klankwerk.
Comment:
This inventive and headline grabbing initiative not only leverages the spiking interest in virtual exercise platforms and services through the pandemic, but also adds an added social good.
Little wonder the lead video notched up 150,000 views in a month on the retailer’s own YouTube channel alone.
Prisoners on Le Tour anyone?
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