Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

Let’s be honest, running is boring. Running Stories is a first-of-its-kind entertainment platform created to motivate casual runners to train more often by ‘enter-training’ them. It’s a blend of entertainment and fitness, and incorporates real-time data to create an immersive and customized story, where you’re the protagonist. Everyone knows Netflix, Spotify and running trackers, so Running Stories’ innovation is not in the tech, but the fact that it’s the first to merge these passive technologies, into one immersive storytelling platform. Initial reviews by runners and the international press prove there is a market for this new format of entertainment.

Background

We discovered a neglected audience of casual, unmotivated runners, who struggle to make running a consistent habit. After all, running can be boring. For that reason, they use entertainment apps to train - podcasts and music apps, but these are passive forms of entertainment, so we saw an opportunity. Running is the simplest way to kickstart your healthy living, and has multiple benefits, like reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 45% and helping you live longer. But in 2020, as all of us are put into lockdown, the WHO advised people to go out and run to help cope with stress and anxiety.

Describe the creative idea

Running can be a repetitive and monotonous activity. That’s why we created Running Stories. It mixes storytelling, fitness and audio like no other platform has done before, and it casts you as the protagonist of a gripping story by using real-time data. As a result, you get to listen to an augmented audio narrative that integrates with your surroundings and keeps you ‘enter-trained’ on runs. The storylines are triggered as runners pass GPS markers and landmarks. Designed for beginners or seasoned runners alike, each story is made of binge-worthy episodic storylines that keep runners hooked and motivated to head out on the road for more.

Describe the strategy

To help our casual runners get a fun and exciting run that they can frequently look forward to, we decided to create something immersive, interactive and exciting that encourages them to put on their running shoes. And late 2020 was the perfect context to launch Running Stories, as people were more willing to get out of home for a breath of fresh air.

Describe the execution

How it works: Stories are told on a route using GPS trackers that are in-built in all phones. We turned these GPS markers such as landmarks, shops and streets into story data points. We created an app that controls this through a CMS backend that pushes hyper-localised custom audio tracks each time you pass our curated GPS markers. Runners will be treated to a tailored immersive experience through engaging storytelling each time they pass a GPS marker in real life. - Devices: iPhone 6s or later - Platforms: iOS 11.0 or later / Android version coming in February - March 2021 - Development stage: Open Beta

Describe the outcome

Running Stories has been covered by top international news and technology press, such BBC, Mashable, GQ, and Esquire, and also gotten positive reviews from top professionals in the tech industry. We have gotten interest from runners and running clubs globally - from London to Iowa, from Oman to Paris. Big international brands in sports, entertainment and technology have also expressed interest in collaborating and investing. Running Stories currently has over 16,000 website views, close to 2,000 app downloads, and over 60,000 case film views.