Running Stories

Background

Running is the simplest way to ensure a healthy lifestyle. In 2020, the WHO advised people that running could help people cope with stress and anxiety in the pandemic as well as reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Research showed there was a neglected audience of casual, unmotivated runners, who struggled to make running a consistent habit. To make running less boring, they used entertainment apps to train. But podcasts and music apps were passive forms of entertainment.

Idea

To make running more interesting, Running Stories mixed storytelling, fitness and audio like no other platform had done before. Using real-time data, the runner became the protagonist of a gripping story.

An augmented audio narrative integrated runners with their surroundings. Plot points in the story were triggered as runners passed GPS markers and landmarks.

Shops and streets became part of the storylines. Designed for beginners or seasoned runners alike, each story was made of binge-worthy episodic dramas that kept runners hooked and motivated to head out on the road for more.

Hyper-localised custom audio tracks made every run an immersive experience and helped turn occasional runners into regular runners.

Our Thoughts

If you went out jogging while listening to “Crazy Novia”, you followed the adventures of a runaway bride. There were 12 episodes of 8.5 kilometres each. “The Followers” was an eight-part horror story in which the weather, time of day, traffic conditions and other data signals all changed the story to make it ‘in the moment’. All the usual stuff was captured too. Your average speed, heartbeat, and so on. It’s an agency demonstrating what agencies can do these days if given encouragement. And that is to do more than make ads but to design useful products and services that people will love brands for providing.

BBH hope to roll the app out to other cities soon. Happy running!