Inspired by the marketing men

A line from an advert has me out running even after the indulgence of Easter Sunday

A still from the Soar advert.

I saw a lovely quote about running this week, one that seemed to capture the spirit of the pursuit of running perfectly. A friend shared it on Strava, so I looked it up, and I was slightly disappointed to find out that it came from an advert.

But then, sometimes adverts catch things just right. I mean, they get a team of professional writers, with a nose for a line that resonates, and they pay them a bag of dosh to come up with something good. If they occasionally succeed, and it catches your attention as intended, then what’s wrong with that?

Thinking back, I’ve been inspired by adverts in the past. I loved a Nike line from the 1980s that said simply: “In my mind, I’m a Kenyan.” Another TV advert I remember, as a young man living in London, featured a guy running through a crowded city. I’d always been slightly annoyed by city running up until that point, people getting in the way, traffic lights, having to run on the roads next to the cars, and since moving to London I’d longed for my old countryside runs. But that advert made urban running look cool, and fun, and for a while I pictured it in my mind’s eye each time I set off on a run.

Not all adverts get it right, of course. I saw this week that Nike have put some up on the London Underground to coincide with the upcoming London marathon, and one line they came up with was: “Hate every second, love every mile.” Another said: “Chaffing never felt so good.”

I don’t know about you, but the first one just confuses me, and the second one just makes me wince and think someone forgot their Vaseline and that’s really stupid. Neither is exactly a line to inspire any joy in running. Unlike the line I saw on my friend’s Strava.

Sorry? What was the line? Oh, yeah, I guess I should share those pearls of corporate-funded wisdom with you.