Sport Chek is helping the everyday athlete get what they need to get active – be that gear or the motivation to get moving.
The retailer’s latest “Find What Moves You” campaign follows a mom who, by her own admission, is “not a runner” – but is still, nonetheless, running, as she musters up the motivation to get out of bed and check off what she needs to get the most out of a morning run.
https://youtu.be/4JlYHvHlRqI
According to Eva Salem, VP of marketing at Sport Chek parent company Canadian Tire, historically, even though Sport Chek offered a product assortment for every level of athlete, Sport Chek has leaned more into the performance side of messaging and more dedicated competitive athletes. But it has evolved as a brand, given its large footprint and how wide its assortment is, to reach beyond this demo.
“We started thinking it made more sense to go bit broader with mass messaging so it’s more inclusive of all levels [of athlete]” Salem says.
That approach began when it first launched “Find What Moves You” in 2019. This new campaign takes the idea of that platform – helping Canadians lean in to whatever motivates them to live a more active lifestyle – and takes it further by building it around the “Cheklist,” a mindset for “everyday athletes” to tackle larger goals by subdividing them into digestible units, and including the benefits they are seeking as part of that list. The approach is being amplified through PR and internal comms.
Sport Chek is also expanding how a sport is defined. Participation in traditional and team sports has dropped off during the pandemic, but there was definitely opportunity to highlighting things not traditionally considered “sports,” but are broadly “active,” such as running and yoga. This allows it to be more relevant in a meaningful way, especially for a female audience.
The “Cheklist” idea is also being used in cut-downs of the main spot, along with Sport Chek’s ecommerce and sale messaging, to emphasize the one-stop-shop aspect of the brand, emphasizing that it’s a place where customers can find everything they’ll need to get started with a new hobby or fitness routine. Salem says it is not something Sport Chek has ever really directly highlighted in its messaging, but people will see more of that going forward with its work.
Despite less demand for equipment and gear in certain sports, Salem says that, if the pandemic had not occurred, the retailer still would’ve gone after a wider demo and more than just traditional sports and to highlight omnichannel convenience. What might’ve changed is, though, is the media mix. Traditionally, she says, it’s been more focused on the digital space. Layering in the mass level of TV is something that is a change, to tap into more people at home.
“Find What Moves You” is also Sport Chek’s first campaign where creative was done wholly in-house. Touche! handled the media buying the campaign, and there is also a social influencer aspects being handled through Veritas.
