My New Favorite Commercial

K-Swiss has a new commercial that I stop to watch whenever it airs (quite a feat considering I buffer most shows so I can fast-forward through ads). Here it is: Aside from how jaunty and fun it is, I love that K-Swiss is giving triathletes mucho love in this commercial. My favorite moments: The triathlete warming up his arms before the swim The K-Swiss-clad dude sprinting with a bad-ass look on his face The swimmers emerging from the water, with one sporting a cheeky shark fin attached to his back The pack of triathletes busting it out on their bikes, with the guy in red passing a group and looking behind him before turning back with a wry little smirk on his face (so adorable) And, of course, Chris Lieto coming down the chute towards the finish, pointing up towards the sky and starting his victory celebration. My heart swells and I get a lump in my throat every time I see this part as I think about my (hopeful) finish at Ironman Canada this summer. I think this ad is a great branding effort by K-Swiss to show consumers that they offer a vast array of apparel and footwear aside from standard tennis shoes (which is what I thought they primarily specialized in). Showing tennis players, runners, triathletes, young people having fun and looking stylish, and other scenarios mixed in paints K-Swiss as a fun company that can help you train hard, have fun, and look good. So far I’ve taken the bait — I’ve bought a pair of blue Ironman running shoes (the K-Ona S) that are pretty awesome, and I want to follow suit with these bad boys (Jas already has a pair — I call them his ruby red slippers). So good on ya, K-Swiss. Way to give triathletes some love and make yourself look like a fun, energetic company. You’ve done what few commercials have accomplished nowadays: busted through my formidable...