If you’re not following National Geographic on Instagram, now’s a good time to start. They offer up many visual examples of how humans are hurting the planet. They bring awareness and education directly to those unaware of how their personal products and habits are effecting our planet. Not all are guilty, many are simply uneducated about what it means to be green. If we can create conversation about the problem, we can become mindful about our actions and together make the choice to keep our planet happy and healthy. It wasn’t the first time it hit me, but it was the first time I felt overwhelmingly frustrated about the state of my own habits… National Geographic had posted a picture of a baby seahorse grasping to a cotton swab. The size of the cotton swab is way bigger than the seahorse and they are co-existing as one entity in the ocean. It was a huge wake-up call. Even my cotton swabs were harmful. What else was I missing and were there solutions? As an avid runner, I’ve always felt the sport is environmentally-friendly. After all, it’s you, your sneakers, and the ground beneath you, right? Well, sort of. There’s a huge difference between running on your own 3-5 times a week and being a participant in a marathon event. Marathons have come a long way from being harmful to our planet. However, they were not always so eco-conscious. It’s the plastic cups from water stations that are problematic. According to The New York Daily News, at the New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners association uses 21,600 bottles of water for the Marathon Eve Dinner. As for race day beverages, there are 1.6 million cups of water used on the course. Enter Fitletic Hydration Accessories. We have created solutions for this very serious environmental problem. Of course everyone needs to be and stay hydrated during a marathon. How you hydrate and what you use to hydrate, however, is a larger issue – and one that can be solved. Fitletic has created Hydration Gear made by runners, for runners. Tried and true gear with a genuinely loyal customer base, Fitletic gives runners the opportunity to do their part in being green on race day. Not only do our accessories allow runners to lessen the amount of cups used, Fitletic also gives runners the choice of when to drink water and not to waste excess water. First, the Fitletic Hydration Belt comes in two sizes, the first holds two 6 oz bottles and the second holds two 8 oz bottles. The bottles are BPA free and they’re dishwasher safe. The dynamically designed waist belt doesn’t ride up or bounce and unlike most other belts, it will stay in place while you’re running a marathon. In addition to solving the harmful water cups issue, it also includes storage for your essentials, smartphone, and gel loops – plus it even has integrated toggles. The large pouch fits iPhone8 +, Samsung Galaxy S8 and other similar sized phones – with a thin case. The Ultra soft Dual-Adjust waist bet also has an interior pocket to securely hold ID and Credit Cards. Our second option for runners participating in marathons is the Fully Loaded Water and Gel Belt. This is a gel carrier and water bottle belt in one. The Fully Loaded carries a high-capacity BPA-free water flask with an easy-flow spout. The belt fits the same sized phones as the Hydration Belt. This brings us to our third accessory: The Hydration Hand Holders may be just what you’re looking for. The first option is the Hydrapalm Bottle Hand Holder that is a palm-held water bottle that dual functions as a smartphone holder. It contains a water-resistant neoprene pouch that fits the same iPhones as the previously mentioned accessories. It also has dual zippers that allow for easy access to phone and essentials in addition to the true touch window that’s audio friendly. The second option is the Hydra Pocket Hydration Band. Along with having the same features as the Hydrapalm, the Hydra Pocket has a lightweight mesh pouch that holds small essentials like your ID or CCs. Now that we’re all totally aware of the stats, the problem and the obvious solutions, don’t just go for the gold on race day, go green as well. Sometimes we need to see something for ourselves or understand how something we do that’s small (like drinking water from plastic cups) when added up, can create a huge problem for the environment. Do you remember your first experience seeing something or reading about an issue that had to do with the environment that really hit a nerve for you? The cups situation at marathons luckily has a solution, find a Fitletic hydration belt or Hydra Hand Held today that speaks to you and go for the gold while being green!
Ever wonder what goes into a leading sporting goods company photoshoot? Here’s a sneak peek into the preparation and performance of your most reliable fitness partner! Photoshoots and the magic that goes into planning them typically starts months and months before the day that athlete-models literally hit the ground running. For a brand marketing campaign – whether it’s a product shoot, a product environment shoot, a product usage shoot, or a lifestyle shoot – preparation is the most important part of the process. Coincidentally, preparation is also part of the name for our new campaign. Here’s an inside look at what kind of preparation went into our photoshoot at Fitletic for our “Prepare to Be Greater” campaign! INTENTION All of the creative team’s key players are involved in the preparation process to ensure everyone is on the same page and we are communicating a clear and coherent message. We don’t just take brand collateral materials and make up a brand message; it’s more than that. More than your logo, your social media, and your color palette, your brand is an experience. A great brand has a stamp and an even greater brand marks their ownership with this stamp by exercising full control of the way in which the brand is experienced by consumers. The idea is to take your audience on a journey where they have a purpose in the community without imposing an ideology on them. At Fitletic, we strive to be about a conversation, not a broadcast. VISION We brainstorm at the outset what our set of goals are and what we want to achieve with our brand photoshoot. Not only does this give us the framework we will use to accomplish a successful shoot, but it prioritizes what we want to communicate as part of our vision. During the brainstorming process and creation of the “mood board,” we decided to use the phrase “Anything but Ordinary” as a focal point in case we strayed from the desired end result. To eliminate distraction, we identified the exact shots we needed and created a “shot list.” The goal is to design an image unique to your brand so that just by looking at a photo, you know where it’s coming from. This requires an enormous amount of styling detail for a specific image, and the images as a group, to resonate and communicate the message you’re trying to send. The “mood board” is a visual reference used to define the creative direction for the “shot list.” Our vision was to communicate the message “Prepare to Be Greater” by showing extraordinary athlete-models on their grind and in the preparation zone. THE PHOTOSHOOT Now that we’ve established there should be an intentional experience partnered with visual consistency, we look at the actual day of the shoot. Because each photoshoot has its own strengths and weaknesses, let’s look directly at what went right that day to measure our success. I can’t say enough how pleased we were with the team we worked with on the photoshoot. Although we met with the photographer and models for interviews beforehand, you never know what the group vibe will be. I can say in earnest each member of the group was willing, patient, dedicated and totally on their game. How much more can you ask for from your team? I like to believe it was a mixture of luck and talented people. We did our best to pick the appropriate shots for each model beforehand as to not waste any time the day of. The photographer gave us great insight – he let us know that the fewer people involved and the more prepared we were the smoother the shoot would run. Not only was the photoshoot incredibly exciting and fun, being that our hard work finally came to fruition, we also got to know each other on a personal level and bonded over the experience. I learned who taught classes where, what kinds of food people enjoy cooking or eating, where each person was from, and by observation – what kinds of shots each model enjoyed taking. I even attended one of the model’s classes post-shoot! The photographer was focused and creative but also took direction exceptionally well. Good natured and vibrant, we all got along, to say the least. We use and look at photos taken on that day for months on end, deciding on things like edits, placement, banners, social media, etc. Looking back on memorable photographs is far more enjoyable and pleasant when connected to a great day spent with great people than if connected to a problematic shoot. My advice? Meet everyone before the day of, get a diverse crowd, and lead by example – do your best to bring good energy. Believe in and support the talent; after all, you handpicked them, and they chose to show up and work with your team! And have fun! If you can do one thing on the day of a brand photoshoot apart from preparation, it should be to have fun and share your sincere gratitude and happiness with others!
It wasn’t the first time it hit me, but it was the first time I felt overwhelmingly frustrated about the state of my own habits… National Geographic had posted a picture of a baby seahorse grasping to a cotton swab. The size of the cotton swab is way bigger than the seahorse and they are co-existing as one entity in the ocean. It was a huge wake-up call. Even my cotton swabs were harmful. What else was I missing and were there solutions? As an avid runner, I’ve always felt the sport is environmentally-friendly. After all, it’s you, your sneakers, and the ground beneath you, right? Well, sort of. There’s a huge difference between running on your own 3-5 times a week and being a participant in a marathon event. Marathons have come a long way from being harmful to our planet. However, they were not always so eco-conscious. It’s the plastic cups from water stations that are problematic. According to The New York Daily News, at the New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners association uses 21,600 bottles of water for the Marathon Eve Dinner. As for race day beverages, there are 1.6 million cups of water used on the course. Enter Fitletic Hydration Accessories. We have created solutions for this very serious environmental problem. Of course everyone needs to be and stay hydrated during a marathon. How you hydrate and what you use to hydrate, however, is a larger issue – and one that can be solved. Fitletic has created Hydration Gear made by runners, for runners. Tried and true gear with a genuinely loyal customer base, Fitletic gives runners the opportunity to do their part in being green on race day. Not only do our accessories allow runners to lessen the amount of cups used, Fitletic also gives runners the choice of when to drink water and not to waste excess water. 
First, the Fitletic Hydration Belt comes in two sizes, the first holds two 6 oz bottles and the second holds two 8 oz bottles. The bottles are BPA free and they’re dishwasher safe. The dynamically designed waist belt doesn’t ride up or bounce and unlike most other belts, it will stay in place while you’re running a marathon. In addition to solving the harmful water cups issue, it also includes storage for your essentials, smartphone, and gel loops – plus it even has integrated toggles. The large pouch fits iPhone8 +, Samsung Galaxy S8 and other similar sized phones – with a thin case. The Ultra soft Dual-Adjust waist bet also has an interior pocket to securely hold ID and Credit Cards. Our second option for runners participating in marathons is the Fully Loaded Water and Gel Belt. This is a gel carrier and water bottle belt in one. The Fully Loaded carries a high-capacity BPA-free water flask with an easy-flow spout. The belt fits the same sized phones as the Hydration Belt. This brings us to our third accessory: The Hydration Hand Holders may be just what you’re looking for. The first option is the Hydrapalm Bottle Hand Holder that is a palm-held water bottle that dual functions as a smartphone holder. It contains a water-resistant neoprene pouch that fits the same iPhones as the previously mentioned accessories. It also has dual zippers that allow for easy access to phone and essentials in addition to the true touch window that’s audio friendly. The second option is the Hydra Pocket Hydration Band. Along with having the same features as the Hydrapalm, the Hydra Pocket has a lightweight mesh pouch that holds small essentials like your ID or CCs. Now that we’re all totally aware of the stats, the problem and the obvious solutions, don’t just go for the gold on race day, go green as well. Sometimes we need to see something for ourselves or understand how something we do that’s small (like drinking water from plastic cups) when added up, can create a huge problem for the environment. Do you remember your first experience seeing something or reading about an issue that had to do with the environment that really hit a nerve for you? The cups situation at marathons luckily has a solution, find a Fitletic hydration belt or Hydra Hand Held today that speaks to you and go for the gold while being green!
