On Is On Top Of The Sneaker Game

…partnering with Overtime Elite to sponsor one of the league’s eight teams. This could be the first Overtime Elite jersey to inspire buys from fans.

The worlds of sports and fine art are colliding, in more ways than our favorite social media account. Art museums across the country are tapping into the universal appeal of sports with shows dedicated to everything from iconic jerseys to depictions of boxing.

Ayesha Curry and Sydel Curry-Lee are crushing the wine game with their own brand, “Domaine Curry.” As if the NBA wine boom wasn’t big enough already, now the families are getting involved.

The NFL has its eyes on Australia as the next expansion of its international series. If you thought cross-country jet lag made playing football hard, imagine flying all the way to tomorrow to play a game.

GoDaddy is getting back in the Super Bowl ad game, coughing up more than $7 million for a 30-second spot in the fourth quarter. The only people with higher expectations than their creative team will be Patrick Mahomes and whoever he’s up against.  

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On is on fire. The Zurich-based running sneaker brand is on a wild run of success, posting huge earnings and record profits while continuously garnering rave reviews and making the big dogs—Nike and Adidas—sweat. Their winning formula comes thanks to wins in inspirational marketing, unique product design, expert branding and considered expansion.

First, the marketing: look no further than Zendaya. The star—announced as a brand ambassador in June hot off the heels of her appearance in Challengers—fronted the campaign for On’s latest apparel line, set in the Alps, and was a massive hit, drawing in a ton of earned media for the brand. She has also starred in compelling commercials with the brand’s OG celebrity ambassador and investor, Roger Federer, leading its push from its original running shoe category into tennis footwear and lifestyle clothing. Additionally, On had a huge presence at the Paris Olympics over the summer, including being on the feet of marathon bronze medalist Hellen Obiri.

On is also on the forefront of design. While its standard running shoes are already well reviewed, its latest offering is even more exciting. With its new LightSpray tech, completely custom made-to-fit-perfect running shoes can be made in less than three minutes. Finally, a good robot. During the Paris Olympics and the New York Marathon, the brand hosted run clubs from its On Labs HQs in each city, where it also held live demonstrations of its LightSpray innovation.

@jakeheyen

Running shoes are about to change forever 👇 So, getting running shoes that fit is a tedious process. But what if you could skip this tedio... See more

But more than anything, On’s success has been a result of its meticulous brand management. While other brands in the space like Nike have suffered from over-exposure, On has picked its spots when it comes to which retailers it works with, and where it invests in development. Federer is now joined by an increasingly impressive collective of ambassadors, including Ben Shelton and FKA Twigs, to name just two. In order to stay cool, you have to get cool first. On has done both.

That’s that three espresso.

@chase_center

To celebrate @Sabrina Carpenter’s SOLD OUT show in San Francisco, we gifted her a bedazzled custom @warriors jersey ✨ #sanfranshortnsweet ... See more

Football players are having a blast again. While the art of the touchdown dance was never fully lost, it’s extraordinarily clear that we are experiencing a renaissance, led in part by social media. With engagement always up for grabs, the anticipation for the weekly TD celebrations are reaching TO or Ocho Cinco heights. 

Creator Kai Cenat has been on the forefront of the effort, inspiring Colorado’s Travis Hunter with a crawling celebration that quickly made its way to the field. Since then, the two have continued to collaborate on how to best party after a touchdown.

@draftkings

#KaiCenat gave #TravisHunter a brand new touchdown celebration to use against Texas Tech today 😭 #colorado #coachprime #cubuffs #cu #ncaaf... See more

But it’s not just Cenat—pros across the NFL are going deep to find new inspo for their cellys. Amon-Ra St. Brown got a lot of love for his headstand in the end zone last week, but the move was initially brought back to the forefront of sports fans minds by Incarnate Word’s Jalen Walthall.

And the NFL is taking inspiration from pop culture more than ever with appearances from Raygun, The Parent Trap, and Remember The Titans.

@cbssports

Cam Bynum with an ode to Raygun. (🎥: NFL) #raygun #vikings #nflcelebration

There was a time not so long ago where any one of these moves would have earned a penalty flag and a 15-yard penalty. Thankfully, those days, for the most part, have passed. Let the kids play!