Celebrating 25 Years of Mizuno at the Amsterdam Marathon

Mizuno enlisted Balans Social to execute an organic social media campaign and an influencer campaign leading up to the marathon weekend. Together, these efforts aimed to:

• Engage the running community.
• Boost Mizuno’s brand presence.
• Highlight the innovative features of Mizuno’s new running shoes.

Influencer Campaign Highlights

Balans Social collaborated with two running influencers: Lisa and Gabriel to amplify the campaign's reach. Both influencers travelled to Amsterdam for the marathon weekend, where they experienced a FORM Running Analysis at the Marathon Expo and learned about the story behind the shoes they would wear on race day.

Lisa’s Story

Lisa, a Dutch fitness and running influencer, had a particularly personal connection to the event. Just a year prior, she completed her first half marathon in Amsterdam. In this campaign, she shared her preparation journey leading up to the Mizuno Half Marathon, delivering content filled with excitement and authenticity. Her posts on Instagram (14.5K followers) and TikTok (28.8K fans) highlighted her training, race-day preparations, and even her new personal best—achieved wearing the Wave Rider 28. The personal and relatable nature of her content resonated deeply with her audience, resulting in strong engagement across both platforms.

Gabriel’s Impact

Gabriel, a UK-based marathon runner with a personal record of 2:29, showcased the Wave Rebellion Pro Beta in action. His content focused on the shoe’s high-performance features, reaching over 90,000 viewers and underlining Mizuno’s commitment to innovation. His posts not only appealed to seasoned runners but also reinforced Mizuno’s reputation as a leader in running gear.

Overall, the influencer campaign successfully engaged the target demographic of 18-34-year-olds, strengthening Mizuno’s connection with a younger, dynamic audience.

Organic Social Media Highlights

Running parallel to the influencer campaign, Mizuno’s organic social media strategy spanned Instagram and Facebook during the two-month lead-up to the marathon. Here’s how it performed:

Instagram Highlights

• Focused on authentic, user-generated content (UGC), such as unboxing videos and behind-the-scenes moments.
• Achieved an average engagement rate of 3.92% and attracted 2,366 new followers.
• Top-performing posts included a giveaway for the Wave Rider 28 Amsterdam Marathon Edition and a teaser for the Wave Rebellion Pro Beta, both of which resonated with the younger audience.

Facebook Highlights

• Emphasized polished, product-focused videos that appealed to a broader audience.
• A standout piece of content was the unboxing video for the Wave Rider 28, which generated significant engagement.

Looking Ahead

Mizuno’s 25th-anniversary campaign at the Amsterdam Marathon celebrated not only their rich history but also their forward-looking vision. By blending authenticity and innovation, the campaign showcased Mizuno’s ability to inspire runners worldwide. Balans Social is proud to have contributed to this success and looks forward to future collaborations with Mizuno as they continue to push boundaries in the world of running.

‍