Kartel x STRIDE · Creative Systems

Run The Future

Phantom Launch ’25. The ground never looked like this before.

ADVANCE WITH → · ARROW KEYS, SPACEBAR, OR SWIPE

02 · Setup · The Insight

STRIDE buyers look at the bottom of a shoe.

They shop StockX at 8.5 times the average American and buy tickets on Vivid Seats at 15 times. They follow Steve Aoki, Kyle Kuzma, Tony Hawk and Naomi Osaka at 18 to 24 times the national rate, and 88% of them are on YouTube. These are people who never stopped running and who treat a shoe as an object. The Phantom’s 3D-printed lattice midsole is the one thing in the category nobody has shown them from the ground. This campaign puts it in every frame, with the runner mid-stride, in the Terrain world first.

03 · The Platform

Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube, ESPN and Spotify, OOH in the top five markets, plus the Phantom product page

“The ground never looked like this before.”

04 · Why It Wins

The category shows the runner. Heritage brands shoot the stride, the sweat and the finish line, and the shoe is a blur under it. This campaign shoots the sole. The specificity test: a foam midsole cannot carry a close-up, and every competitor runs on foam. The lattice is STRIDE’s operating truth, visible from the ground, so the frame that makes this campaign is one no other brand can shoot. The low angle is native to this audience: they shop StockX at 8.5 times the average and follow skate and sneaker culture, where the bottom of a shoe has always been the picture. And the register is confirmation. These people already know they are runners; the film agrees with them.

05 · Concept run_the_future · Lineage: original

PROPOSED

Run The Future

One runner, one shoe, the Terrain world. The 3D-printed midsole is in every frame, shot from a low angle, with the runner mid-stride. No faces to camera, no copy until the last frame.

From the generated film · one frame per beat

0s on the blocks at first light; the lattice midsole is the first thing in focus

Receipts · checked against kartel.db

Steve Aoki about 24x

STEVE AOKI · INDEX 2400 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Kyle Kuzma about 21x

KYLE KUZMA · INDEX 2100 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Tony Hawk about 19x

TONY HAWK · INDEX 1890 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Naomi Osaka about 18.5x

NAOMI OSAKA · INDEX 1850 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Vivid Seats about 15x

VIVID SEATS · INDEX 1530 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

StockX about 8.5x

STOCKX · INDEX 850 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Webull about 7.6x

WEBULL · INDEX 760 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

ESPN about 5.6x

ESPN · INDEX 556 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

YouTube reaches 88%

YOUTUBE · REACH 88.0 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Instagram reaches 74%

INSTAGRAM · REACH 74.0 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

TikTok reaches 69%

TIKTOK · REACH 69.0 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

Spotify reaches 65%

SPOTIFY · REACH 65.0 · AUD: STRIDE_CUSTOMERS

MATCH

The ad, start to finish

A runner on the blocks at first light, and the camera is already on the ground. The first thing in focus is the midsole: Ember lattice, black knit above it, the surface under it. Cut to the lattice filling the frame, every strut readable. The launch, shot from the surface, the sole peeling off the ground. Full stride at sunset from a low angle, the midsole lit from the side so the geometry reads at speed. The sole lands and dust comes off the lattice. The only still frame: lacing up on the kerb, the shoe at rest. End line, Bone on Void, Bebas Neue: RUN THE FUTURE. The STRIDE wordmark, bottom right. The :30 hero film extends every beat and adds the Terrain world: trail, coast, snow, the shoe doing the work.

The switch

Committed runner who buys on foam and reputation -> Phantom buyer who chose the shoe for the thing under it

Why only us

Closest competitors: the heritage running brands. They can shoot a low angle, but they cannot hold on the sole, because foam has nothing to look at. The 3D-printed lattice is a real structural difference, absorbs up to 40% more impact than standard foam, and is custom per size run. The 40% figure is the only claim in the brand guide; nothing else is on file.

Mechanic

Every placement lands on the Phantom product page with the sole-up view first. Ember leads; Arc and Volt follow in colorway-specific cuts, with Volt carrying the Future City film.

Execution reality

Terrain world for the hero: a real track or trail at first light and at sunset, camera on the surface. The midsole must be legible in every hero frame: not cropped, not in shadow, color-accurate. Talent mid-performance only, no awareness of the lens. Sound is diegetic (breath, the blocks, the sole on the surface) with no score until the end line. The :06 is the workhorse for social; the :30 is the hero film; the :15 adds the kerb scene as a full beat. The Future City :30 (Volt or Arc, night, rain, neon ambient) is optional and shoots second.

Conversion mechanic

Phantom product page, sole-up first, Ember leading. $185.

KPIs

Product-page visits and purchase rate by placement · Hold rate to the launch frame at 2s · Saves and shares per thousand views on Reels and TikTok · Lift in branded search for “phantom ember” in test vs control markets

06 · Media Targeting

Audience

stride_customersAUDIENCE IN THE DATASET

100% of flight

3,821,607 panelists, projecting to about 126,074,815 US adults who shopped STRIDE last year. Large, stable file.

The low angle is already their language: they shop StockX at 8.5x and follow Tony Hawk at 19x the national rate, so the sole-first frame lands without explanation.

Demographics · from the dataset

Leans 18–38 and male, which matches the brief’s committed runner (22–38) and urban mover (18–32). Household income and education run close to the national profile; the full split is in the audience file. Top markets, from the file: Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago.

Psychographics · read from the dataset’s signals

Runners who track their mileage and sneaker people who treat shoes as objects. They follow athletes and musicians over lifestyle creators, buy event tickets at many times the national rate, trade on Webull and pay with Apple Card. Media diet is YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify and ESPN. Build them as performance-first and visually fluent: they will read a midsole spec and they will share a colorway.

Targeting mechanics

Three-way test on Meta: natural-language description vs interest stack vs 1% lookalike of STRIDE customers. Google custom segments split by input type. TikTok broad plus interest and hashtag groups. Retarget anyone who holds past the launch frame at 2s with the sole-up static and the product page.

Platforms

Meta (Instagram Reels and Feed, :06 and :15), YouTube (:06 bumper, :15 and the :30 hero film), TikTok (:06 and the UGC cuts), ESPN and Spotify (audio and display where the audience over-indexes), OOH 48-sheet and 6-sheet in the top five markets.

Over-indexing signals · multiple vs gen pop

STEVE AOKI · 24xKYLE KUZMA · 21xTONY HAWK · 19xNAOMI OSAKA · 18.5xVIVID SEATS · 15xMINT MOBILE · 11xSTOCKX · 8.5xWEIGHT WATCHERS · 8xWEBULL · 7.6xHELLOFRESH · 7.4xESPN · 5.6xAPPLE CARD · 4.3xSOFI · 3.1xYOUTUBE · 88%INSTAGRAM · 74%TIKTOK · 69%SPOTIFY · 65%

Platform audience prompts for this audience (Meta, Google and TikTok inputs, each copyable) are on the next page.

07 · Platform Audience Prompts · stride_customers

Use these signals to help each advertising platform model the intended audience. Names come from the dataset; each list of platform terms says which signals it was built from; each platform validates what it recognizes when you paste.

Meta · Advantage+

Built from

Tony Hawk, Naomi Osaka, Steve Aoki, Kyle Kuzma, StockX, Fanatics, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, ESPN, Webull, Apple Card, SoFi, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify

Describe your audience · paste into Advantage+ targeting

Adults 18–38 who run three to five times a week and follow Tony Hawk, Naomi Osaka, Steve Aoki and Kyle Kuzma. They shop StockX and Fanatics, buy tickets on Vivid Seats and SeatGeek, watch ESPN and trade on Webull. They stream on YouTube and Spotify and are active on Instagram and TikTok. They track their mileage, read a midsole spec, and treat shoes as objects worth looking at.

Suggested interest terms

Tony Hawk, Naomi Osaka, Steve Aoki, Kyle Kuzma, StockX, Fanatics, REI, ESPN, Webull, Vivid Seats, Running, Marathon, Sneaker collecting, Track and field

Lookalike construction

Seed a 1% lookalike from STRIDE customers (3,821,607 matched). Kartel’s read, not measured: hold at 1% until frequency passes 3 in 7 days, then open a 3–5% rung as a separate ad set.

Exclusions

Existing STRIDE customers (retarget them separately, never prospect them). Under-indexing signals are not in this file yet; add them from the full audience read before launch.

Ad set structure & split

Kartel’s read, not measured: three ad sets at launch. A: Advantage+ with the description above, 35%. B: interest stack, 35%. C: 1% lookalike, 30%. Same creative in all three so the audience is the only variable. After 7 days, cut any ad set whose cost per purchase is above 1.5x the best performer.

Ads Manager → ad set Audience → Advantage+ targeting → Describe your audience (2,000-character limit). Meta reads the description and keeps what it recognizes; interest terms are suggestions that steer delivery, not bind it.

Google · Custom Segment

Built from

StockX, ESPN, Runner’s World, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, Webull, YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Strava

Search terms

best cushioned running shoes, 3d printed midsole, carbon plate vs lattice midsole, phantom ember, stride phantom, running shoe rotation, marathon shoes 2026, trail running shoes, sneaker drop this week, stockx running shoes

Websites

stockx.com, espn.com, runnersworld.com, vividseats.com, seatgeek.com, strava.com, fanatics.com

Apps

YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Strava, Webull, StockX, ESPN

Negative keywords

walking shoes, orthopedic shoes, kids running shoes, cheap running shoes, running shoes for beginners, couch to 5k

Native segments to layer · affinity & in-market

Affinity: Running Enthusiasts · Affinity: Sneakerheads · Affinity: Sports Fans · In-market: Athletic Shoes

Segment structure & split

Kartel’s read, not measured: three custom segments, one per input type, so performance separates. YouTube in-stream 45% (:15 and :30), bumpers 30% (:06), Demand Gen 25% to the product page.

Google Ads → Audience Manager → Custom segment: each list pastes into its own input. Build each input as its OWN segment so their performance separates.

TikTok · Interests & Behaviors

Built from

StockX, Tony Hawk, Steve Aoki, Kyle Kuzma, Naomi Osaka, ESPN, Running, Sneakers

Interest categories

Running, Marathon training, Sneakers, Streetwear, Track and field, Skateboarding, Sports, Fitness

Hashtags · views trail 7 days

#runtok, #sneakerhead, #marathonseason, #shoetok, #runningshoes, #sneakerdrop, #trackandfield, #longrunsunday

Creator categories · follows trail 90 days

Run club and race-day creators, Sneaker review creators, Skate and street culture creators, Athlete accounts

Video behaviors · watched/liked, trail 15 days

Watched shoe review videos to completion, Engaged with race-day and run club videos, Engaged with sneaker unboxing videos

Exclusions · from under-indexing signals

Not in this file yet; add from the full audience read before launch.

Ad group structure & split

Kartel’s read, not measured: three ad groups. Broad with Smart Targeting 40%, interest stack 35%, hashtag and creator behaviors 25%. The :06 and the three UGC cuts only.

TikTok Ads Manager → Targeting → Interests & behaviors: match each term to TikTok’s native categories and keep what exists.

Flight Architecture

Budget split

Kartel’s read, not measured: Meta 35%, YouTube 25%, TikTok 20%, OOH 10%, ESPN and Spotify 10%.

Sequencing

Kartel’s read, not measured: prospect with the :06. Anyone who holds past the launch frame at 2s moves to retargeting within 7 days: the sole-up static and the product page. Product-page visitors who do not buy get a 3-day retarget with the Ember colorway.

Geo & daypart

Geo from the file: Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago. Daypart is Kartel’s read, not measured: weekday evenings 6–10pm and weekend mornings 7am–12pm, when the run happens.

Bidding

Kartel’s read, not measured: lowest cost for the first 5 days to learn. Move to a cost cap at 1.2x target cost per purchase once an ad set has 50 purchases.

Kill criteria

Kartel’s read, not measured: kill an ad set if fewer than 30% of viewers hold to the launch frame at 2s after 50,000 impressions, or if cost per purchase runs above 2x target after 7 days.

Scaling triggers

Kartel’s read, not measured: raise budget 20% every 3 days on any ad set beating target cost per purchase by 25%, capped at 2x launch budget.

Creative rotation

:06 to prospecting everywhere, :15 to YouTube and Reels, :30 hero film to YouTube, three UGC cuts to TikTok, sole-up statics to retargeting. Refresh when frequency passes 4 in 7 days.

Incrementality proof

Matched pairs from the file’s geography, Atlanta as test against Dallas-Fort Worth as control. Kartel’s read, not measured: three-week holdout; the buy is validated if branded search for “phantom ember” lifts 15% or more in test over control.

08 · Production rules

Low angle, real terrain, the midsole in every frame

Worlds	Terrain for the hero (mountains, forests, snow, coast, the shoe doing the work). Future City (night, rain, neon ambient) for the optional Volt film. Never neutral.
Shoe	Phantom Ember leads every hero placement. Arc and Volt appear in colorway-specific executions only. Midsole color-accurate and lit so the lattice reads.
Angle	low. The midsole is legible in every hero frame: not obscured, not cropped, not in shadow. If the sole is not readable, the frame does not ship.
Talent	mid-performance, no camera awareness. Running, jumping, landing, pushing. No smiling at lens, no posed lifestyle moments.
Sound	diegetic: breath, the blocks, the sole on the surface. No score until the end line.
Type and palette	Bone on Void, Void on light. The campaign line in Bebas Neue, all caps, no period, no hashtag. Void, Bone, Volt, Ember, Arc only; neon in photography is environment, never type or UI. Headlines under ten words.
Wordmark and end card	approved placement only, clear space the cap height of the S, no drop shadows. The end card is comped in post from the logo on file; no generated frame goes out with brand type in it. No third-party logos in frame.

09 · Asset Matrix

Asset	Spec
Hero campaign film :30 and :15, 4K, 16:9: YouTube and Reels. Terrain world, Phantom Ember, sole impact shot mandatory, campaign line at close
Social hero reels :06, :10 and :15, 9:16, one per colorway: Reels and TikTok. Midsole in frame within the first two seconds, no text overlay
Three UGC cuts :10, 9:16: TikTok and Reels, one creator each with the Phantom
Static hero image 1:1 and 3:2: Phantom Ember on terrain, low angle, in motion, sole visible, no studio white
OOH 48-sheet and 6-sheet: Void-dominant, Bebas Neue headline, wordmark bottom right, midsole color-accurate
Product e-comm images, three angles per SKU on white: side, sole-up, three-quarter front, all three colorways
Launch emails and omnichannel variants: cut from the master to every retail and social placement
City campaign film :30, Future City world, Phantom Volt or Arc: optional, shoots second
Product page	sole-up view first, Ember leading, $185, the 40% impact figure with its source

10 · Run of Show

Week of May 4lock the Terrain locations; cast two runners; product marketing sources the 40% impact claim

Week of May 11shoot first light and sunset in one day; the kerb scene second unit

Week of May 18edit :30, :15 and :06; comp the end card with the wordmark on file; cut the three UGC pieces with creators

Week of May 25statics, e-comm angles, emails and the omnichannel variants from the master; product page sole-up view live

Jun 1launch prospecting in all markets except Dallas-Fort Worth (control); OOH posts in the top five markets

Jun 8retargeting opens on 2s holders; UGC cuts widen on TikTok

Jun 22holdout ends; read Atlanta vs Dallas-Fort Worth lift

Jul to Sepscale winners; Arc and Volt colorway cuts rotate in; Future City film if the hero clears target

11 · Measurement

01Primary: purchases and cost per purchase from the product page, read by audience and platform

02Attention: share of viewers who hold to the launch frame at 2s. If they do not reach the launch, the sole did not land

03Page: visit-to-purchase rate on the Phantom page with the sole-up view first

04Social: saves and shares per thousand views on Reels and TikTok, the UGC cuts read separately

05Proof: lift in branded search for “phantom ember” in Atlanta vs Dallas-Fort Worth over a three-week holdout

06No baseline for any of these is in the audience file. Targets get set from STRIDE’s own past launch data before June 1

12 · Honest Scorecard

01Strongest: the sole-up frame is a new image in the category, and the lattice is a real structural difference under it

02Strongest: the low angle is native to this base, so it lands without explanation

03Risk: six seconds leaves no room for a second idea. If the lattice does not read at speed, nothing else is there

04Risk: the 40% impact figure is the only claim in the brand guide; it must be sourced before any asset ships with it

05Unknown: under-indexing signals are not in this file yet, so exclusions are incomplete

06Unknown: demographics beyond age and gender are read from the file, not shown here

13 · Pre-Mortem

Failure

A heritage brand ships a low-angle sole shot in the same window and the frame reads as theirs.

Prevention

Launch June 1 with the :06 everywhere at once, and hold the lattice close-up at 1s so the geometry, which they cannot shoot, is the picture people remember.

Failure

The midsole does not read at speed and the film becomes another runner at sunset.

Prevention

Side light in every hero frame, color-accurate Ember, and a hold rule: if the sole is not legible in the edit, the frame is cut. Test the :06 with ten runners before launch.

Failure

The end card ships with a redrawn wordmark from a generated frame.

Prevention

End card is comped in post with the wordmark on file only. No generated frame goes out with brand type in it.

Failure

The 40% impact claim is challenged.

Prevention

Product marketing sources the test before May 4; the claim runs with its source on the product page and nowhere else until then.

Run The Future.

KARTEL

12 OF 12 RECEIPTS VERIFIED AGAINST KARTEL.DB · GENERATED BY CSE