LOUISVILLE, Colo. (BRAIN) — Pearl Izumi is launching a new marketing campaign that promotes the idea that endurance athletes should enjoy their chosen activity — and not be a jerk about it. The company's "Endure & Enjoy" campaign is being promoted this week at the US Pro Challenge stage race, being held in Pearl Izumi's home state of Colorado. Pearl Izumi is the official merchandiser and jersey supplier to the race, which has been dominated so far by Team BMC, a Pearl Izumi-sponsored team.
The campaign includes a pact that riders are being asked to sign online and at the race. The campaign also is tied to two new cycling product collections, Pursuit and Escape, which will be released at Interbike next month.
The company said the campaign was inspired in part by the notion that "endurance sports have lost their way and Endure & Enjoy wants to remind people what it is all really about."
Geoff Shaffer, the vice president of global marketing, said, "We feel very confident that the new brand position will help connect the brand to male and female endurance athletes by celebrating a universal truth about endurance athletes and at Pearl Izumi – we find joy in pushing the limits of what's possible ... We reached out to our strategic agency partner, CP+B, that has a leading research and planning group to make sure the new position was true to the brand's core values and heritage as an authentic endurance brand. Pearl Izumi has been a leading brand in the cycling category for decades, and we see this as a turning point to re-energize the brand as we build momentum heading into 2016."
The pact can be signed at thepact.pearlizumi.com. Those who sign are being mailed an Endure & Enjoy stem cap. The campaign also is being promoted in a podcast that Pearl Izumi is producing each day at the race. The podcast is now available on iTunes.
The full pact:
I will endure.
I will enjoy.I shall only partake in this
crazy sport I love, because I love it.And I will quit when I quit loving it.
I am a representative of this sport.
As such, I will do my part to take
the “ass” out of ambassador.Article 2
No matter how goofy
somebody looks, I
shall not mock.But I will mock myself. Often.
I may even crack a smile.
I will wave at everyone I see.
When my wave is not returned,
I will not shake my head.Because I do not know
what's going on in theirs.I will be inclusive.
Article 3
I will encourage the beginner,
the professional, and everyone
in between.I will place joy above performance,
use my fingers for peace, not profanity,
and I will focus on the scenery more
than the scene.Article 4
I will not be stupid.
I understand that cars
are bigger and faster.But I also know that
cars are not my enemy.Just as I know that
I am not theirs.Article 5
Whatever my jersey may say,
I know we're all on the same team.Because we’re all on the same team.
And when I’m suffering the most, I will
remember that this is not life or death.Even if it is my life.
