While we fleetingly considered some kind of stunt around the Super Bowl (which just happened to coincide with Transcend’s sale date), we knew that didn’t seem right for a brand solely committed to running.

So what better way to announce the Transcend to the world than by partnering with the industry flagship, Runner’s World Magazine? In a first for both the running industry, 1,000 copies of the March issue of Runner’s World had a special insert with an actual video screen playing 6 minutes of Transcend video content, including the world premiere of the shoe’s official commercial. These special, limited edition issues were sent out to running influencers worldwide.

Once the issues landed in the hands of runners, they ignited a firestorm of buzz. During the days leading up to the sale date, Brooks’ video-in-print ad appeared in blogs, YouTube and on every social platform. It was even picked up by Stuart Elliott of The New York Times.

The ultimate validation: initial sales are out of this world! Brooks exceeded its launch sales goal by 360% as the Transcend shoe accounted for 7% of all shoe transactions at retailers (to compare, the top-selling running shoe in 2013 finished at a mere 3.5%). Runners liked what they saw.