Building a retail identity for Finish Line’s Running Specialty Group
The new logo is fluid in form and embodies the brand’s story of action and movement. Its color is bold and warm, retaining the spirit of the original. The typeface evokes motion and reinforces the brand’s friendly personality through its rounded forms.
“Lippincott is a valued partner that helped us identify the true power of our brand’s potential and turn that vision into a reality.”
SVP Brand Strategy & Consumer Experience, JackRabbit
To bring the brand to life, we created a series of signature experiences that would emotionally resonate with customers.
In stores, a team of running experts offers personalized shoe fittings and gait analysis. New training and fitness programs help customers meet their personal fitness goals.
Building a retail identity for Finish Line’s Running Specialty Group
In 2014, Finish Line identified an opportunity within the fragmented running specialty market and began acquiring a number of local specialty stores, bringing them together as the Running Specialty Group (RSG). Acquisitions ranged from well-known franchises like JackRabbit Sports to regionally renowned stores like Garry Gribble’s Running Sports.
To support its ambitious five-year vision, RSG recognized the need to lay out a clear plan to unify disparate employees around a common purpose with a new brand that stood for something unique and exciting. Something that resonated with target customers while also engaging staff at both the corporate and store level. Finally, to be competitive, it needed to be integrated and implemented across key digital and in-store touchpoints to offer customers a differentiated retail experience. So, RSG engaged Lippincott to bring its vision to life.
Our research revealed a powerful opportunity for RSG to create a lifestyle brand that tapped into the energy and passion of the specialty running community. The name, JackRabbit, was chosen as it built on existing brand equity while aligning with who the company wanted to be. It is memorable, distinctive and evocative enough to support its customers’ active lifestyles. And, by removing the word “Sports” from the name, we were able to extend the new brand’s reach.
While the existing logo was fun and playful, it lacked the maturity needed to steer the brand forward. The new icon is fluid in form and embodies the brand’s story of action and movement. Its distinctive color is bold and warm, retaining the spirit of the original. The typeface evokes motion and reinforces the brand’s friendly and fun-loving personality through its rounded forms.
Based on the new positioning, we helped JackRabbit bring its brand to life through a series of signature experiences that would emotionally resonate with customers. In stores, a team of running experts offers personalized shoe fittings and gait analysis. New training and fitness programs help customers meet their personal fitness goals. Locally organized runs and sponsored events help support the local New York City running community.
To reinforce their position within the northeastern community, JackRabbit launched its new brand at the 2015 New York City Marathon. And, as the company rolled out new stores and elevated experiences, the brand continued to surprise, delight and serve runners across the country.