New Balance is planning a new advertising campaign targeting the casual runner in hopes of doubling sales by 2012. The company has been losing market share to Nike, and they plan to fight back by tripling their advertising budget in 2008.

New Balance is using a novel approach in their LOVE/hate campaign, acknowledging the fact that many of us have a love/hate relationship with running. I think this copy from the print campaign is pure brilliance:

“Today you almost broke up with running. Today running shook you out of bed and into the deep, dark cold. Today, once again, around mile 2, lungs full of air, pupils full of sunrise, you remembered, ‘Oh yeah, this is why we got together.’”

In my case, I usually don’t remember why running and I “got together” until after the run is over. A few minutes into my cool down, when I can breathe normally again, is about the time I start to feel that sweet feeling of accomplishment.

Whether or not New Balance will sell tons more shoes remains to be seen, but everybody loves to hate something, and I think their tongue-in-cheek, nod-to-the-average-jogger concept is one that will have great appeal to the casual runner.

While Nike won’t have anything to worry about on the technology front, New Balance isn’t trying to launch anything to compete directly with the Nike+ Sport Kit, they may well lose some shoe sales to New Balance. I don’t have a pair of Nike+ shoes now, and with so many means of attaching a Nike+ sensor to any brand running shoe, I can’t think of a compelling reason to purchase a pair.

Coincidentally, I currently own a pair of New Balance running shoes. They just happened to be the cheapest, best looking pair in my size the last time I was at Sears, and I’ve gotten more than 100 very comfortable miles out of them and I expect many more to come.

Via “Quiet New Balance to Get Off Sidelines” at Advertising Age.