New Balance turns a Harajuku WeWork into a five-day running pop-up
New Balance paired the launch of its SuperComp Rebel racing shoe with a five-day co-working pop-up in Harajuku, a small Promotion bet that occasion, not a shopfront, is what puts a performance shoe through its paces with the runners who would actually race in it.
New Balance Japan ran a five-day pop-up called "Run Office" at the WeWork Iceberg co-working space in Tokyo's Jingumae district from August 24 to 28, according to the company's press release. The activation paired the workspace with the launch of its new SuperComp Rebel racing shoe, which New Balance put on sale August 20 under the tagline "Stop waiting for race day."
The pop-up combined co-working access with multiple running sessions each day, shoe and apparel rentals, locker rooms, a trainers' room offering care and conditioning, and recovery drinks and coffee, New Balance said. It also arranged tie-ups with nearby shower facilities, public baths and saunas for participants who wanted to run before or after work. The venue was open 8am to 10pm, with workspace access running 10am to 6pm.
The format is a Promotion play more than a retail one -- there is no till at a WeWork -- built to put a new performance shoe through its paces with the kind of runner who would actually race in it, rather than to move volume off a shelf. The more conventional lever runs alongside it: New Balance is offering myNB members 10% off running shoes and apparel through September 7 at participating stores and online.