Oakley: “Beyond Reason” global campaign
A tribute to the drive, dedication and passion of the athletes who exceed the limits of possibility Oakley, one of the world's major sports brands, has launched a new campaign titled Beyond Reason™ that shines the spotlight on the most highly rated athletes at the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London. The Beyond Reason campaign pays tribute to the competitive spirit and obsession with record-breaking performance that drive athletes to achieve the impossible. Beyond Reason authenticates the stories of sporting feats that demonstrate the validity of Oakley innovations and illustrate the company's commitment to raising the performance of its technologies beyond all limits. "Oakley athletes are able to achieve unimaginable goals and the Beyond Reason campaign will tell the whole world about the drive and passion that pushes them toward new levels of excellence", declared Mike Crowell – vice president of global marketing. "We also always push ourselves further by opening up new frontiers of innovation so that our athletes and customers can exceed the limits of possibility. The new campaign demonstrates that our athletes refuse to accept barriers and are determined to push themselves ahead, to continue to dream, imagine, dare beyond reason to reach the unimaginable. Exactly the same qualities that are the basis of Oakley's authenticity." The campaign, which will continue into next year, will be launched on the occasion of the 2012 Olympics, which will be a showcase for the launch of RadarLock™, the new sports sunglasses designed to guarantee comfort, performance and protection for athletes at any level. The Switchlock™ technology incorporated in RadarLock makes lens changing easier and faster, thereby giving athletes a decisive advantage by enabling them to adapt their vision to the environment. Already launched in the United States, Oakley's Beyond Reason campaign is soon to appear also in the EMEA region. The initiatives for promoting the campaign in Europe include a series of special events. The Oakley boutique in Covent Garden (London) was the location of a media event May 29 with world cycling champion Mark Cavendish as guest of honor. On the eve of the Olympic Games opening ceremony July 26, Oakley is launching the worldwide ICON campaign at a gala evening in the London Design Museum to celebrate the Beyond Reason campaign and the Oakley athletes taking part in the Olympics. "We will bring this campaign and our message of authenticity to the attention of new customers through innovative channels, by taking advantage of all the potential of digital media, for example", said Olaf Dunz - Oakley ICON brand manager. "But we will also leverage the promotional opportunities offered by conventional media, such as print and materials inside and outside points of sale. Thanks to the multi-channel aspect of this strategy, the campaign is scheduled to run longer." The campaign in the EMEA region expresses Oakley's sincere commitment to meeting specific needs in its areas of specialization and close to the London appointment it placed emphasis on high level sports at the 2012 Olympic Games. The protagonists of the campaign taking part in the Olympics include South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, British cyclist Mark Cavendish and Spanish triathlete Javier Gomez. But there will be no lack of athletes from non-Olympic disciplines, from motorcycling legend Valentino Rossi to Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso to Sébastien Loeb, the most successful World Rally Championship driver of all time. "This campaign is a turning point for the Oakley brand in Europe", Dunz continued. "It reflects our efforts in European countries to adopt a more direct approach for demonstrating why the world's greatest athletes rely on Oakley technologies to achieve the greatest goals of their careers. By enhancing and shining the spotlight on the testimonies of these exceptional athletes, Beyond Reason will give the brand impetus and new drive for our actions in Europe", Dunz concluded.
