As the Official Vehicle of the TCS New York City Marathon, Volvo launched a multi-strand activation programme – spanning audio experiences, a safety initiative and a car competition – based around the Coid-19 enforced cancellation of the event and its subsequent switch to a virtual marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is not being held as a physical event this due to the pandemic, so thousands of runners around the world won’t have the chance to participate in the unique challenge and experience the atmosphere of running New York’s famous streets.
The New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the Mayor’s Office of the City of New York cancelled the in-person gathering of the TCS New York City Marathon in 2020 and instead the event will be held virtually: giving runners across the USA and around the globe the opportunity to run their 26.2 miles anytime, anywhere between 17 October and 1 November.
So keep them motivated and inspired during training and then virtual marathon itself, auto brand Volvo has created a custom playlist using genuine audio from the streets of the city.
Working with agency Grey New York, the playlist allows runners to immerse themselves in the sounds of the 13 neighbourhoods through which the traditional NYC Marathon route runs – from Staten Island to Central Park.
This New York City Marathon experience takes the form of an audio poem: an ode to the city and its iconic marathon.
The immersive audio experience is hosted by New York City and Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi (the only person to win the New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon and an Olympic medal) and a group of local music artists.
A further strand of Volvo 2020 Virtual TCS NYC Marathon activation will see the car company put one lucky runner in their dream car via the ‘Run For Volvo Cars Sweepstakes’.
This competition offers any runner participating in the virtual marathon a chance to enter the contest to win the Volvo car of their dreams.
The mechanics are simple: runners simply register for the virtual marathon at nyrr.org and then visit www.RunforVolvoCars.com where they are asked to design a new 2021 Volvo (including colour and trim) and submit a unique configuration code as an entry (between 1 September and 30 November).
One lucky winner will be randomly selected to win a car like the one they designed.
Another activation elements sees Volvo and NYRR work together to help protect the health and safety of all participants by connecting the running community virtually via an initiative called ‘NYRR Volvo Virtual Racing Powered by Strava’.
“Safety is at the core of everything we do at Volvo. As we find ourselves in a time where health and safety are at the forefront of our thoughts, it’s critical we lend our support to ensure a safe marathon experience for all,” said Rick Byrant, Sales Operations, Volvo Car Americas Region. “With this program, we hope to provide a safe escape and added incentive for this passionate community of runners.”
“The New York tri-state area has been home to Volvo Cars in the US for decades,” said Anders Gustafsson, president and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “It’s our honour to salute the city and the spirit of those with the determination to run the New York City Marathon.”
“As the official vehicle and strategic sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon, Volvo Cars wanted to support runners everywhere. So in partnership with Heard City, we brought the marathon route to life through ambient sound and music, available exclusively on Spotify”, said Nick Kaplan, executive creative director of Grey New York. “This is really an audio poem written from Volvo Cars to the marathon and the city of New York. It brings the joy of the race and the personality of each neighbourhood to life through sound.”
The campaign was created for Volvo by a team at creative agency Grey New York which included Worldwide Chief Creative Officer John Patroulis, Chief Creative Officer Justine Armour,, Executive Creative Director Nick Kaplan, Associate Creative Director/Art Director Lillian O’Connor, Associate Creative Director/Writer Brett Simone, Art Director Cara Resnick, Writer Joey Chiarulli, Executive Creative Directo (Design) Han Lin, Creative Director (Design) Brian Lai, Designers Nicole Garcia and Samantha Kim, SVP/Account Director Debbie Hirschfield, Account Executive Katey Bishop and Project Manager Lyndsey Noland.
Production was handled by Heard City and executive production by GPS with EVP & Head Of Integrated Production James McPherson, VP & Music Producer Dave Lapinsky, Integrated Producer Lizzy Auwaerter and Content Creator Kelechi Mpamaugo.
Comment:
Volvo, of course, has long focused on safety as its core value, reflected over the decades in innovation vehicle technology and world-first inventions such as the three-point safety belt.
There are echoes here of other audio marathon activations: including Virgin Money London Marathon’ recent 2020 Mo Farah Playlist (see case study) and the TCS-backed 2020 Official London Marathon App which enabled virtual participants to relive the sounds of the traditional live event whilst they run (see case study).
Links:
Volvo
http://www.runforvolvocars.com/
https://www.youtube.com/volvocarsus
https://www.facebook.com/VolvoCarUSA
https://www.instagram.com/volvocarUSA/
https://twitter.com/VolvoCarsUS
http://www.media.volvocars.com/us
Grey New York
https://www.grey.com/en/new-york
TCS NYC Marathon
https://www.nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon
https://www.facebook.com/nycmarathon/
https://www.instagram.com/nycmarathon/
https://twitter.com/nycmarathon
https://www.strava.com/clubs/209437
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