• by Ross Fadner , October 1, 2003

A new campaign breaking later this month demonstrates the lengths media agencies are going to expand the notion of media. For this campaign, which launches Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Granola Bars and Bites, the length chosen by media shop Starcom was precisely 26.2 miles.

That, as any long-distance runner knows, is the length of a marathon, which serves as the basis of the campaign, both in terms of its imagery, as well as literally.

Since the product is aimed at busy, on-the-go professionals between the ages of 25-54 - the type of consumers who are in need of energy for their daily "morning marathon" - Starcom and its Relay Sports and Event Marketing unit, opted to make the medium the message and utilize marathons as a way of conveying the new brand's story.

On the morning of Oct. 8, during the improbable time of weekday morning commutes, Relay will stage mock marathons in high-traffic downtown locations of eight major cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Portland and Washington D.C.

Marathoners clad in business attire and Nutri-Grain race "bibs" are scheduled to take part in each race, which are the core creative concept behind a local media blitz that will run in each of the markets.

"The idea here is to literally bring the 'Morning Marathon' message to the streets of these cities, to increase local advertising presence," explains Leigh Bottiger, account executive at Relay Sports and Event Marketing.

As such, the media strategy plays off the creative campaign developed by Starcom sister agency Leo Burnett, which features 15- and 30-second TV spots of commuters in business suits and marathon bibs running intently from subways, bridges and train stations to their various work destinations, drinking coffee and eating Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Granola Bars.

The effort also utilizes outdoor, radio call-ins and bus ads that extend the marathon theme into a full-scale experiential campaign, conceived by Starcom Worldwide and coordinated by Relay Sports and Event Marketing.

The goal, says Kevin Adler, Vice President of Sponsorships and Events at Relay, is to break through the clutter. "A traditional media campaign is no longer enough to break through this clutter. Smart marketers and smart media agencies are beginning to realize this by trying to extend and broaden their base through integrated and experiential campaigns."

But how will such a large-scale experiential effort jive with morning commuters, not to mention municipal planners? Adler says, the marathons "will be experiential without being intrusive or an obstacle for commuters." The marathoners will follow the natural foot pattern of normal commuters only they will be wearing bibs and holding Nutri-Grain Granola Bars.

By doing that, he says the campaign should "create a two-way brand dialogue between the commuter and our marathoners. When they exit trains and buses on the way to work they too will be in the throes of a 'morning marathon.'"