For Running Highs and Lows

This summer, Darn Tough, is rolling out a hilarious new campaign created by its Chicago-based creative AOR Someoddpilot.

Titled “For Running Highs and Lows,” the campaign expands the brand’s “Darn It” brand platform into the running space, leaning humorously into one core truth about running. It’s an activity that’s full of moments that test you—and your gear.
Whether you're chasing a PR or just trying to make it back to your car without embarrassing yourself, things go wrong.
“Darn It” meets runners where they are, owning the lows with humor, and positioning Darn Tough as the sock that holds up when everything else doesn’t.

The campaign, which will run across CTV, paid and organic social, centers on a :30 hero spot, as well as three other :15s that each focus on a different challenging moment for runners … and how Darn Tough Socks can come to the rescue.
In the hero, “Porta-potty,” a mid-run bathroom emergency turns tragic when a porta-potty lacks the essentials. He emerges, one sock down.

In “Marathon,” one man’s heroic hydration moment backfires: a face full of water, a slip on tossed cups, and a dignity check at mile seven.

In “Mosquito,” a woman loses herself in the beat on a quiet trail—humming too loud, totally in the zone—until she swallows a bug and reality smacks back.

The new work also builds on the success of last year’s first-ever brand campaign for the brand, which focused on the lifetime warranty that sets them apart from competitors with inferior products and fine print.

That work was a tremendous success leading to nearly 10M impressions and driving a 350% increase in lifetime value for new customers.