Whenever nostalgia strikes, one of the more entertaining (and embarrassing) things I do is scroll back through my portfolio from over a decade ago. I was a young, hungry copywriter - a phrase people used to say with a straight face, and this idea, like most of what I cooked up back then, felt like a guaranteed Cannes Gold Lion winner.
Spoiler: It wasn’t.
The concept was a speculative guerrilla campaign for Brooks, the running shoe and apparel brand.
The brief & the idea
The brief: Drive sales and establish brand authority around matching the right shoe to foot ergonomics.
Turn a busy train station into a running track, set up cameras along the platform, and film commuters sprinting for their lives to catch the train before the doors close. The moment they step onto the train, a Brooks rep pops out, shows them video footage of their sprint on a screen, and pitches them the exact shoe fitted for their gait.
Sounds fast, cheeky, “guerrilla.”
Today, looking back with a bit more mileage, I mostly just wince.
What 2013-me missed
The reality of the location: Converting an operational train station into a branded track costs a fortune. Safety permits, late-night buildouts, shoot days, and operational logistics resembling the set of Waterworld—all for a brand with a modest marketing budget.
Why would Israel Railways agree? Heavy, risk-averse public institutions don’t jump into bed with commercial brands. There’s zero incentive for them, unless you frame it around a genuine public good—like promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Disruption vs. Harassment: The creative landscape back then worshipped “Disruption.” But there’s a thin line between creative disruption and straight-up annoyance. Someone who almost missed their train doesn’t need a salesperson with an iPad jumping out to explain that their stride is misaligned.
What I’d do differently today
Transparency over ambush: A clearly marked starting line letting commuters know a camera is analyzing their gait, backed by the promise of free shoes for participants. Move away from catching people at their most chaotic, making it an organized, off-peak experience.
Reciprocity: Build a partnership that delivers actual value to the transit authority, like an annual station-to-station sprint promoting wellness and public transit.
Running Influencers: Onboard respected creators in the running community to test the track first and challenge their followers to show up.
Mouthful of AI: Run the entire production through AI to drop costs to near zero. Why build a track in a train station when you can run on the rings of Saturn? JK, Skip the AI entirely. No need to force it into a concept where it doesn’t belong just because it’s Tuesday.
The payoff for Brooks stays the same: positioning the brand as a sharp, creative authority meeting its audience in unexpected places. Only this time, without annoying potential customers.