NEW BALANCE
Challenge
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Brand Relevance & Talent Attraction: New Balance needed to enhance its industry presence while attracting young talent and fostering innovation.
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Awareness of Career Opportunities: Many young creatives were unaware of the various roles beyond sneaker design that contribute to the success of a major brand.
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Educational & Social Alignment: The company sought to reinforce its commitment to education and social empowerment in an authentic way.
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Efficient Execution: The course needed to be executed with minimal disruption to New Balance’s operations while maximizing impact.
Solution
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Utilizing an Existing Commercial Shoot: Instead of starting from scratch, the micro-course was built around a real New Balance commercial production. This provided organic, real-world insights into the brand’s creative process.
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Behind-the-Scenes Access: New Balance talent (designers, marketers, engineers, and retail experts) were interviewed on set to discuss their roles, challenges, and career paths.
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Experiential Learning Format: The course was designed as an interactive, video-based experience, making it engaging and digestible for learners.
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Minimal Time Commitment from Executives: Each New Balance executive contributed just one hour of interview time, with additional filming capturing the creative energy needed to complete the course.
Implementation
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Course Structuring:
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The course was mapped before the shoot, ensuring the key lessons and industry insights were captured efficiently.
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It was designed as an asynchronous online experience, allowing students to progress at their own pace.
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Production Execution:
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Filming took place during a real commercial shoot, integrating expert insights naturally into the content.
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Key team members were interviewed to explain their day-to-day roles and the necessary skills to succeed.
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Additional content was created to highlight the brand’s ethos, sustainability efforts, and community engagement.
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Results
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Enhanced Brand Image: The initiative positioned New Balance as an industry leader in education, creativity, and social impact.
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Talent Pipeline Development: The course attracted emerging creatives, providing New Balance with a direct pipeline of future employees and collaborators.
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Positive PR & Social Impact: The program generated media attention and reinforced New Balance’s commitment to education and empowerment.
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Efficiency & Engagement: With a four-month execution timeline, the project was successfully completed with minimal disruption to regular business operations.
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Stronger Community Ties: By demystifying industry roles, New Balance fostered deeper connections with young creatives passionate about sportswear and innovation.
Conclusion
This micro-course demonstrated a cost-effective, engaging, and impactful way to educate and inspire the next generation of sneaker industry professionals. By integrating educational content into an existing commercial production, New Balance was able to efficiently showcase career opportunities, strengthen its brand, and create real-world learning experiences for young creatives—all while reinforcing its industry leadership in innovation and empowerment.