• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, May 20, 2024

Most sneaker ads feature well-known athletes or ultra-fast elite runners. Brooks’ latest spot stars actor Jeremy Renner in a moving film that includes accident footage and photos of him in the hospital following the snowmobile crash that nearly killed the actor -- best known for his role as Hawkeye, a bow-and-arrow–wielding superhero in Marvel’s Avengers films.

The snowcat nearly crushed Renner, who spent days in critical condition. “I broke 38 bones, sliced a liver, popped a lung, and my eye was out of my head,” he explains in the voiceover.  

The emotional spot, “Love, Hope and Titanium,” highlights the role running played in his recovery. It follows the long, tedious rehab from the accident with touching moments from family videos like his daughter helping him as he walks with a cane and when he can finally run up his driveway.

“The only power we have as human beings is the power of our perspective and being able to change it,” the actor says in the spot. “That’s a superpower everyone possesses.”

At over three minutes, the film fits neatly into the brand’s recently launched “Let’s Run There” campaign. That effort debuted weeks ago and focuses on the many mental, emotional, and social benefits runners get from their sport beyond quicker race times.

Brooks’ in-house team created the ad, and a company spokesperson says it is running on social media, including YouTube and Instagram, as well as the company’s owned channels.

Brooks’ new campaign, its most significant push in 25 years, comes after it achieved record revenue growth in 2023, up 5% to $1.2 billion, selling more than 20 million pairs (also a record.) The company, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, has boasted a 14% compound annual growth rate since 2018. It also holds the No. 1 spot in adult performance running footwear in the U.S., with a 21% market share, according to Circana.That puts it ahead of such competitors as Nike, Hoka and On Running.