"HOKA | Style Starts From the Ground Up" is a video ad campaign produced around the objective of positioning HOKA—traditionally marketed towards runners—as a lifestyle brand. My role here included Concept Design, Art Direction, Video Editing and Motion Design.
Working closely with HOKA's team, a series of creative ways-in, style frames and storyboards were developed into a single direction that aimed to depict joyful movement through urban and nature-inspired spaces; a unifying thread that would inform every decision from casting to post-production.
Production took place in Manhattan's Lower East Side and locales around Brooklyn's Prospect Park with a combined cast and crew of about 30 for a one-day video and photo shoot. Footage was shot open gate for easier reframing to a range of social formats.
Teams were directed through every scene with the objective of highlighting "joyful movement". Tommy Richman's Million Dollar Baby was officially licensed for use in the ad campaign prior to production, and was used on set as reference for the models to move and dance to.
A rig was designed for showcasing the six main colorways of the collection with their own movement off-model. Shoes were strung up with a string and needle to a stand where prop staff could then spin them while photographed at high frame rates. After wire removal in post, the shoes would look as if they're spinning in place.
Post-production focused on complimenting the talents' presence and energy, amplifying the impact of movements to the beat of the music, all while keeping the shoe collection showcased front and center across a span of social outlets and ad delivery platforms.
The campaign surpassed performance goals across nearly all tactics, most notably with a 1.47% CTR and 9.7M total impressions across paid social and HULU connected TV combined. The spot also won the gold AVA Digital Award in the 2025 Video Production - Commercials category.