Pre-Marathon: It’s More Than a Weekend

In short, Race Day is the peak moment in what should be a 6 month campaign, starting the moment ballot confirmation emails are received by successful applicants. Suddenly, amateur runners and their supporters have an increasingly urgent need for a support system that will prepare them for the big day. This is the scale of the opportunity that brands can take advantage of to become a part of a marathon journey. 

Concept: after receiving their confirmation email, runners are invited by footwear brands like Adidas, Nike or New Balance to attend open days, where they can receive a personalised shoe fitting experience using AR technology. Runners could scan their gait and get recommendations on the best shoes for their race day. These open days could also offer training programmes (like Coopa, the official training app of the London Marathon) or partnerships with hyper local run clubs.

Race Day: Enhancing the Runner’s Journey

On the day of the race, the streets of London are buzzing with excitement. But for many runners, especially those who’ve come from across the world, their families and friends might not be there to cheer them on in person. So, how can brands or event organisers help them feel the love, no matter where their supporters are?

Bringing the World to London

This is where the opportunity for deploying digital screens along the route to display live messages or videos from friends and family is so meaningful. Powered by QR codes or recognisable number codes on the runners, that when scanned with sensors, trigger these messages in real time and as the runners near the screens – allowing their loved ones to send real time videos or words of encouragement from anywhere in the world. Building on the already-great TCS app, this type of brand activation is very public and could help drive home their active role in connecting people in a truly meaningful way.

And For the Fancy Dress Lovers…

The London Marathon is particularly famous for its fancy dress runners, from rhinos to superheroes. Why not make them part of the experiential action as well, by installing a live leaderboard that tracks all the fancy dress participants?

Spectators could follow along to see who is the fastest banana or the quickest donkey, turning these quirky runners into stars and adding an extra layer of fun to the race

Think of the Fans: Engaging Spectators

While the runners are the stars of the show, spectators also deserve some attention. Unlike other sports events where fans are confined to a stadium, the London Marathon stretches across the city, and fans are constantly moving between spots and doing A LOT of waiting around. So how can their experience become more memorable?

A digital companion app, designed specifically to help fans plan their route and pinpoint the best spots to cheer, while offering interactive elements would be a great place to start! Fans could check in using QR codes at different points along the race to unlock exclusive rewards, play trivia games, or snap photos in a digital scrapbook of their day. 

To add a charitable layer, viewers’ steps could be linked to micro-donations to be matched by brands. As fans walk to different cheer zones and rack up their daily steps, they could trigger small donations to a charity of their choice. It’s a meaningful way for spectators to feel involved in the race, beyond just cheering for their runners.

A memorable experiential example of our own is the work we did with Flora at last year’s London Marathon. Visitors to the Flora fan zone were invited to take part in a light treadmill run (200m), with every 10 runs advancing a marker by 2km on a large format display. Using our custom app, their progress was tracked and displayed on a big screen, highlighting Flora’s pledge to plant trees for every mile covered, in support of the One Tree Planted charity.

The London Marathon offers brands a unique platform to create meaningful, lasting experiences with runners and spectators. The marathon is a nine-month journey that begins with the first confirmation email and carries on through training, race day, and the memories that follow. By tapping into these moments, brands have the chance to connect with audiences in a way that’s both impactful and enduring.

For 2025, the opportunity lies in thinking beyond traditional approaches. By creating immersive, fun, and shareable moments, your brand can leave a lasting impression – long after the finish line is crossed.

For more insights and creative ideas on how to make your next campaign unforgettable, contact the Xi team here.