To celebrate the launch of New Balance’s Ellipse, the brand has taken over the Bakerloo line platforms at London Waterloo.
The activation aims to remind people that running is the “one place where time doesn’t matter”. Across the platforms, TFL’s roundel has been redesigned as a stopwatch with the numbers removed.
An experiential zone in the Tube station features the hero product message along with run route maps and sampling opportunities to encourage Londoners to rediscover “the joy of running”
As part of the collaboration, the sportswear firm will launch a 48-hour takeover of the TFL website homepage.
New Balance’s senior marketing director for EMEA Bruno Laroque explains his inspiration for the campaign.
He says: “The campaign reflects our broader approach of combining product innovation, community engagement and high-impact physical presence within key global cities.”
“The concept behind ‘Lose Track of Time’ came from a simple insight about how running is experienced today. Technology has made the activity more connected and measurable than ever before, but at the same time many runners are looking for moments of escape, balance and personal space within their routines.”
He explains that the brand wanted to introduce a design that was specifically for everyday mileage and recovery runs and he wanted the campaign for it to “encourage people to reconnect with the feeling of running”.
For New Balance, “creativity always starts from product truth and brand purpose”.
Laroque says: “The Ellipse is designed to support easy, enjoyable mileage through Fresh Foam X cushioning and a smooth, comfortable ride. The campaign simply translates that product experience into a broader emotional message. Because the
idea is rooted in authentic running insight, it naturally aligns with our long-standing performance heritage.”
“That ensures the creative expression feels distinctive while still reinforcing a consistent brand identity. It’s about expressing the brand in ways that feel culturally relevant without losing clarity around what New Balance stands for as a performance company.”
According to Laroque, the core idea remained consistent throughout the development process. The brand worked closely with its partners including Transport of London to deliver the marketing drive and some elements evolved to ensure the activation worked within the space.
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He comments: “However, those adaptations strengthened the campaign rather than changing its direction. They helped ensure the experience felt integrated into the environment while still delivering strong visibility and community engagement.”
Waterloo offered New Balance a “unique opportunity” to place the campaign directly within the “rhythm of everyday London life”.
He says: “It’s one of the busiest transport hubs in the UK and sits at the intersection of commuting, culture and movement. That made it the ideal location to bring the idea of “losing track of time” into a space where people are normally very aware of time.”
“A tube station naturally reflects the themes behind the campaign as well. It’s a place where movement, routine and personal pace all come together, and where people often shift into their own rhythm without noticing the minutes passing. That experience closely mirrors what runners describe when they become immersed in a run, which made Waterloo a particularly meaningful setting for the Ellipse launch.”
He explains that London is strategically important for New Balance so setting up the campaign in Waterloo allowed the brand to connect with the running community as well as the wider urban population.
Laroque believes that placing the campaign on the Tube helps to position the business as not only a “technical running brand”, but also one that understands how running “fits into modern lifestyles”.
One of the things that makes the activation stand out is intent and scale. The brand used Waterloo as an “experiential environment”, he explains. It aimed to transform a commuter area into something that the public could engage with during marathon season.
He comments: ” The Waterloo Loop run with Run The Boroughs is a good example of that approach. It turned the station from a media placement into a lived community moment, which is a very different role for out-of-home compared with traditional campaign formats.”
“At a time when audiences are saturated with digital messaging, large-scale experiential OOH creates memorable brand interactions that feel tangible and participatory.”
