On - The OAC Run for each other (2022) :90 (Germany)

As the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, takes place this week, a new campaign by Swiss sportswear company, On, celebrates the transformative power of team spirit, shared values and fellowship - even for athletes who compete as individuals. The campaign is led by a 90-second film that captures the journey of mutual trust between eleven elite track runners and members of acclaimed professional running club On Athletics Club (OAC), ahead of their solo races at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. 

‘Run for Each Other’ represents the gritty determination and formidable team spirit of the track runners competing at the World Athletics this year. “No matter how good a runner you are, you will always be better with a team”.

The behind-the-scenes story written by Los Angeles-based Creative Director Oliver DeVitre, and directed by Mischa Meyer, a German director also based in LA. The campaign is made by On in collaboration with Levity Creative, and Berlin production company AKKURAT Studios.

Shot on 35MM and with multiple vintage cameras and film formats was a conscious decision to capture a more nostalgic and human look that helps embody the spirit behind these athletes, who although compete individually on their path to success as runners, they are on their journey together.

“We wanted the film’s texture to echo the human spirit of a team that competes in the world of performance sports. Running in a team gives our young athletes a competitive edge that can’t be matched with artificial means, just like the analog quality of film sets us apart from the sheer technical perfection of other polished works out there.”  says Oliver DeVitre, creative director

By using multiple film formats versus shooting on digital or using VFX, we wanted to convey the emotional bond between the young OAC athletes and capture the humanity in their approach to performance running. Because On is as much about technology in running shoes as it is about the human spirit of those who run”. 

The On Athletics Club is an all-star team of 11 determined middle-distance athletes recruited and coached by three-time Olymoisan Dathan Ritzenhein. Based ata full-time training facility located in Boulder, Colorado - they eat, sleep and breathe running. Each athlete with their own outstanding history of titles, awards and wins, but on a collective mission to succeed as a team.

Client: On

Executive Producer & Head of Global Sports Marketing: Feliciano Robayna

Producer & Global Sports Marketing Activation Specialist: Gessica Giullini

Director: Mischa Meyer

Prod. Company: AKKURAT Studios, HPLA

Executive Producer: Rocco Kopecny, Ryan Hahn

Producer: Abi Perl

Agency: Levity Creative

Executive Producer/CD: Colin Leary

Creative Director: Oliver DeVitre

DOP: Maz Makhani

Stills Photographer: Jason Houston

Edit: Cabin Edit

Editor: Mischa Meyer

Music: RWDY Music

Composers: Matthias Biermann & Sebastian Pille