AdMiration feature: Skechers’ “Scary Fast​​”

For this week’s AdMiration feature, we looked at consumer response to Skechers’ “Scary Fast​​” ad, which promotes the brand's new AERO Burst sneaker with slip-in technology.

Read on to get our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection) and learn how their ad was received based on our data.

The ad opens to a group of teens hanging around at a plaza outside, when a group of zombies suddenly approaches them. One of the teen girls yells, “Zombies, run!” and they sprint off, leaving the zombies far behind and looking defeated. 

The zombies are then shown standing before a Skechers store, where they’re introduced to their new AERO Burst sneaker. The store employee describes them as “The first running shoe designed with aerodynamics in mind. Plus, they come in hands free Skechers slip ons…They’re fast.” 

The zombies are shown testing them out by trying them on around the store, running in place to get a feel and stretching (with one zombie losing part of his leg in the process). 

Donning their new AERO Burst sneakers, the group of zombies approach the teens again, who heckle them, laughing and sneeringly say, “Good luck catching us!” But the zombies give an eerie smile and quickly charge them in their new sneakers at high speed, causing one of the teens to shout, “Oh sh—!” before cutting to an image of the AERO Burst sneaker changing colors as the words “New Skechers AERO Burst. Scary fast.” are narrated and appear on screen.       

3 facts

• This was a solid ad from Skechers, landing in the top 20% of US ads in ability to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 83) and brand equity over the longer term (Brand Impact: 79), and was even higher among people 45+ (Sales Impact: 95, Brand Impact: 92).

• This spot does a great job at entertaining everyone. Regardless of age group, viewers thoroughly enjoy the spot (Enjoyment: 4.2 vs. 3.9 norm) and find it to be very humorous (Laughter: 25% vs. 7% norm) with some sharing: "I thought the ad was funny with the zombies” and "I like how it plays with the joke/idea of zombies and slowness and how once they get the shoes they're ‘scary fast.’” 

• The ad excellently communicates the key attributes for the brand, with 67% of viewers agreeing that Skechers help them run faster and 57% agreeing that Skechers are comfortable, for instance: “I liked the slip on concept and thick support for running” and "I like the colors of the shoes and how they explained the shoes clearly."

2 learnings

• You can demo your product in an ad and still entertain your audience. In this case, Skechers did a wonderful job at not only incorporating their product into the story, but having a full demo moment (the majority of the spot takes place in the Skechers store) with the Skechers store employee that was still entertaining as it cut to scenes of the zombies trying out the shoes in a hilarious manner. People of all ages found the ad very funny (Laughter: 25% vs. 7% norm) with the spot having multiple moments of laughter throughout.

• Even your product can become a distinctive brand asset (DBA) if done well. In this case, not only did the spot elicit high recall scores for the brand overall (Unaided Brand Recall: 75% vs. 70% norm) — which was even higher for ages 45+ who have an incredibly high brand recall of 92%! — but 38% of people said they recognized the brand solely because of the shoes. This signals that the brand’s product style is instantly recognizable by viewers, making them its own form of DBA for the brand. Importantly, there is a clear role for the product in the ad, as the story can’t be played back without mentioning the shoes. The shoes are the hero in the zombie chase!

1 reflection

Does your ad resonate with all ages? Or does it connect better with one age group than another? As we discussed in our previous AdMiration feature, you don’t have to appeal to everyone in order for your ad to be a success. 

In this case, it’s the flip side, with the Skechers' spot resonating slightly more with older audiences (45+) than younger crowds (45 and under). With this ad, Sketchers’ goal was to promote their AERO Burst sneaker, now available in their slip-in technology. This feature is likely to appeal to an older audience, as the sneaker doesn’t require bending down, leaning over or tying up laces to put on. And Skechers successfully communicates this in a way that resonates with them, which can be seen in the higher Sales and Brand Impact scores among those 45+ (Sales Impact: 95, Brand Impact: 92), higher brand recall (92%) and further in their emotional reaction to the ad (Enjoyment: 4.2 vs. 3.9 norm, Overall Emotion: 63 vs. 57) with some sharing: "I thought the ad was funny with the zombies. I also like the added feature of being able to have a shoe that I can step into without bending down" and "Cute play on the fall season with Halloween approaching. I liked the slip on concept and thick support for running."

Just in time for spooky season, Skechers’ latest campaign “Scary Fast,” created in partnership with creative agency CAVIAR, to promote their new aerodynamic running shoe Skechers AERO Burst.

With this launch, the brand added its exclusive Slip-ins® technology to their AERO Series running footwear, making it easier than ever to just slip in and go.

Ben Stewart, Vice President, Skechers Technical Performance Division shares: “We introduced our Skechers AERO Series earlier this year with a new generation of innovations for runners at all levels, and now we’re adding our signature Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins® technology to the collection, making it even easier to get those miles in. Just as we did in developing the lace-up versions of AERO, we worked with runners to fine-tune the integration of our hands-free technology specifically for the needs of athletes. It’s never been easier to enjoy our signature Comfort That Performs on every run.”

Viewers of all ages enjoyed this spooky spot from Skechers, which landed in the top 20% of US ads in ability to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 83) and brand equity over the longer term (Brand Impact: 79). Notably, this was even higher among people ages 45+ (Sales Impact: 95, Brand Impact: 92).

Viewers found the spot to be highly distinctive, which drives great reach, allowing it to be noticed and remembered by all (Distinctiveness: 4.2 vs. 3.7 norm, Claimed Attention: 4.3 vs. 3.9, Brand Distinctiveness: 4.0 vs. 3.7). Being successful in all three of these areas means the brand will do a great job of making itself more salient than it already is.

It was also easy for viewers to know who the ad was for (Unaided Brand Recall: 75% vs. 70% norm), particularly by those ages 45+ who have an incredibly high brand recall of 92%! More than that, 38% of people also shared they recognized the brand because of the shoes — signaling that the brand’s product style is instantly recognizable by viewers, making them its own form of DBA for the brand.

As a campaign created around a new product release, it was great to see that the ad successfully conveyed new information about the brand (New Information: 4.0 vs. 3.7 norm), with 67% of viewers agreeing that Skechers help them run faster after viewing the ad and 57% agreeing that Skechers are comfortable. 

Many even commented on the shoes saying they liked the way they looked — especially the colors — and that they liked the hands free slip on feature: 

• "I liked that it was fun and exciting and they showed the different colors of the shoe."

• "The bright colors and how fast it would make you and they were hands free."

• “I liked the slip on concept and thick support for running.”

• "I like the colors of the shoes and how they explained the shoes clearly."

Being an instantly recognizable shoe, it made sense that the brand rubbed off so strongly on viewers. 

But on top of that, the ad also resonated very well with viewers, with audiences enjoying it (Enjoyment: 4.2 vs. 3.9 norm), finding it relevant (Relevance: 3.8 vs. 3.7 norm) and emotive (Overall Emotion: 63 vs. 57). And, in addition to being entertained and understood, they also found that the Skechers brand delivers what is needed from an athletic, performance and lifestyle clothing brand after watching the ad. 

Digging deeper into how people felt about the ad, viewers of all ages found it to be very funny (Laughter: 25% vs. 7% norm) — with multiple moments of laughter throughout. 

The first moment of laughter comes when the zombies initially appear defeated, realizing they can’t chase after the teens, followed immediately by more laughter as the zombies enter the Skechers store. More laughter ensues when the female zombie is seen stretching in the store wearing the shoes, and that laughter continues through to the end of the ad, with the highest spikes occurring when the zombies start running fast in their new shoes and when the teen is cut off right before he swears — providing a great emotional peak to end the ad on. We also see the highest spike of love occur when the sales associate is describing the features of the Skechers Aero Burst — a great signal for the brand. 

 Here’s what some people had to say about the ad:

• "The zombie aspect was new and fun. I also liked that the obnoxious guy at the end got caught by the zombie in the Skechers. The good qualities of the sneaker were smoothly added in."

• "I liked how they had zombies which are supposed to be slow wearing the shoes and when the kids thought they wouldn't be able to catch them the zombies took off with flight."

• "I thought the ad was funny with the zombies. I also like the added feature of being able to have a shoe that I can step into without bending down."

• "Cute play on the fall season with Halloween approaching. I liked the slip on concept and thick support for running."

• "I like how it plays with the joke/idea of zombies and slowness and how once they get the shoes they're ‘scary fast.’"

• "I liked that it was fun and exciting and they showed the different colors of the shoe."

• "The bright colors and how fast it would make you and they were hands free."

What a wonderfully spooky and effective spot from Skechers! What did you think? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.

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