The Marathumb Challenge

Objective

Saucony addressed excessive screen time behavior by challenging consumers to prioritize physical movement over digital scrolling. Research revealed that the average person scrolls approximately 78 miles annually on their phones—equivalent to three full marathons—prompting Saucony to reframe this cultural habit. The campaign coincided with the launch of Saucony Ride 17, a running shoe designed for everyday movement and longer distances, making the challenge a natural extension of the product story.

Solution

The Marathumb Challenge was a six-week interactive mobile app (iOS and Android) that measured and compared the distance users scrolled versus the distance they physically moved each week. Participants downloaded the app, which tracked both metrics autonomously and revealed a weekly winner determined by who moved farther than they scrolled. Successful participants who logged more movement than screen time received exclusive Saucony branded merchandise. The campaign ran across multiple regions (US, France, Sweden, UK, Canada, Australia, Italy) as an integrated media effort spanning digital, social, e-commerce, retail, and out-of-home advertising channels. The app was developed in partnership with Huncwot and Airnauts.

Results

The Marathumb Challenge drove strong engagement across all metrics: social video engagement exceeded benchmarks by 37%, with a 25% increase in new website users, 140% increase in earned media coverage, 19% more traffic to the Saucony Ride 17 product landing page, and 14% increase in sell-through rates on saucony.com during the first three days of the campaign.