Sport Chek campaign pushes customers to invest in themselves

Sport Chek is encouraging consumers to unapologetically invest in themselves and their fitness.

The retail outlet’s new campaign, which was developed in partnership with agency Cartier, is titled “Invest in yourself, no apologies necessary.” It includes three 15-second spots, which were launched on March 7. They feature people turning down distractions such as phone calls and notifications in favour of completing their workouts either at home or in the gym. Each spot finishes with a sarcastic “sorry,” clearly indicating an unapologetic tone

“Invest in yourself, no apologies necessary,” drives home Sport Chek’s message that sports and exercise are a form of self-care.

“We know our customers desire to be active, and we’re also very well aware of the pressures on consumer spending right now,” says Stephanie Wall, Sport Chek’s VP of marketing. “These insights reinforce that putting yourself first through exercise, self-care and mental health strategies isn’t something you need to apologize for. And it doesn’t need to be an expensive boutique gym – it could mean lifting weights in your basement.”

Each spot was created with a range of Sport Chek customers in mind, including a man and woman in their late-30s, and a younger woman.

“We have the opportunity to democratize sport because our customers range from more intense athletes to family-friendly fun seekers, wellness optimizers and everything in between,” Wall says.

“We considered different customer mindsets, but with the commonality of wanting to put themselves and their desire to be active ahead of everything else. We wanted to appeal to every life stage so we could find a way, as a national retailer, to use broad, universal insights, that feature slight tweaks that appeal to different demographics.”

Launched with a 360-degree marketing campaign, “Invest in yourself, no apologies necessary” includes extensions across TV, digital, eCommerce and organic social, with added support from PR programming, in-store promotional events and flyers.