Lululemon created an experiential marketing campaign in which consumers who like to run could participate in the 8K race on one of the 15 predetermined course locations in October for 10 days.
The virtual Ghost Races required no early morning start times, nor did they have crowds cheering on the runners. The 8K races took place at the runner’s leisure at courses located in New York
City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and nine other cities across the United States.
The participants were required to record their time with a digital tracking device using the running app
Strava, which detailed the directions and maps for the runs.
SilverLine, a data analytics company, analyzed the numbers from each anonymous runner to create visual charts aimed at helping the
brand better understand the experience, as well as define some personality traits and characteristics of the runners.
Lululemon organized influencers to come out and show their support by
cheering on the runners, explains Holden Comeau, SilverLine CTO and co-founder and a “professional triathlete in another life.”
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Adhering to privacy policies, SilverLine
also pulls first-party anonymous data from its network of more than 450 sports events — website and social media data — to build psychographic and behavioral information about active
lifestyles. It appends the user profiles with additional data from eXelate, Nielsen Marketing Cloud’s mix of offline and online data. It increased the knowledge known about each active
lifestyle, increasing it by up to 2,000 attributes.
“It’s not just about the performance data, but rather how the person’s life has changed now that they committed to the
experience,” Comeau said.
He said it gives Lululemon or other brands a perspective that is “new and unique, and it’s almost like gaining a peek into the life of the consumer
that’s indirectly connected to the brand.”