10 Print Ads Across 10 Weeks Prove the Immediate Effect of a Running Routine

As the new year begins, many set fitness goals, but initial enthusiasm often fades due to busy schedules and waning motivation. To inspire continued progress, Craft Sportswear and creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors aimed to show, through clear data, how quickly the body responds to a new running routine.

While the long-term benefits of running on physical and mental health are well-established, the immediate effects are often overlooked. To highlight this, Craft launched an experiment to demonstrate how quickly the body responds to running, even in the short term. Emelie, a student from Sweden, agreed to run once a week for 10 consecutive weeks, tracking her progress with a Garmin (Fenix 6) watch worn 24/7 to monitor her running and health data. After each run, photos were taken, data recorded, and a print ad was published in one of Sweden’s largest newspapers, resulting in 10 ads over the 10-week period.

“It’s not every day you launch a print campaign over 10 weeks, and we were immediately charmed by the idea, which is a unique way to use the print medium. It was also exciting not to know exactly what the results would be, but fortunately, our hypothesis about the immediate effect of running was correct, and each ad proves this in raw numbers,” says Niklas Moberg, head of brand Craft Sportswear.

The campaign allowed the public to follow Emelie’s journey in real time, showcasing how running reduced her stress, lowered her resting heart rate, and increased her pace. Through weekly updates, the ads effectively demonstrated the immediate, positive effects of running, even after just 10 weeks.

“Watching my transformation unfold week after week has been nothing short of empowering. The changes were clear, and they happened faster than I ever expected. This experience has shown me how running can truly shift both your body and mindset, even in just 10 weeks,” says Emelie Svensson, the runner.

Starting with a motivational push to begin, the campaign culminated in the impressive results - perfectly timed to inspire those with New Year’s resolutions.