SunGod
Basecamp + FORTY2 Launch
Case Study
The Challenge
Spring 2025 marked a significant milestone for SunGod, the British challenger brand revolutionising the performance eyewear market. The team came to us with a double brief:
- Help launch their very first UK BaseCamp, right in the heart of Covent Garden, London.
- Assist in launching their newest product, the FORTY2s: sunnies designed specifically for runners.
Our role? Use both activations to position SunGod in a wide range of media, as a serious player in the performance eyewear space.
What We Set Out To Do
1. Build brand awareness with both endemic and non-endemic media.
Use the BaseCamp store launch as a springboard to generate excitement around the FORTY2s.
2. Tap into some of SunGod’s impressive roster of athletes, teams and brand ambassadors. Aligning the above around the London Marathon and the growing running community.
Stats & Highlights
How it went down...
- 46 pieces of media coverage
- Estimated reach: 112 million
- Estimated views: 411,000
- 30 pairs of FORTY2s seeded
- 36 pizzas consumed on launch night
- Let's not try counting the beers...
- FORTY2s seen on Mahamed Mahamed at the London Marathon, finishing as the top Brit in 2:08:52
- Forbes ran a deep-dive interview around the store launch and SunGod’s sustainability journey.
- The Times provided strong print coverage of the brand and its product.
Runner’s World featured the FORTY2s in their Editor’s Picks newsletter. - RUN (Outside) included the sunglasses in their top picks of the month.
- GTN featured the FORTY2s on their show.
- 220 Triathlon ran a full-page review of the sunglasses, plus an interview with ambassador Anya Culling.
- Cycling Weekly landed multiple pieces from interviews with SunGod athlete Caleb Ewan.
What Made It Work?
- Prime Location: Hosting the event in central London meant media and key contacts could easily pop in.
- Sunshine! The store launched on a beautiful sunny week (serious work to make this happen!)
- Founder Access: Journalists got face time with the founders and product team, which helped tell the story of SunGod from startup to B Corp-certified brand.
- Athlete Credibility: Involving elite athletes and brand ambassadors gave the FORTY2s credibility. Especially around the London Marathon!
- Early Product Seeding: Well-timed seeding meant buzz was already building ahead of the official launch.
- Community-First Vibes: The in-store experience tied into the energy of the London Marathon, bringing together runners, fans, and the SunGod community.
Related Projects
MAAP x HOKA
Working collaboratively with HOKA, we identified a list of key targets, balancing global style powerhouses with smaller titles that have strong regional influence. Drawing on the relationships we’ve built in the fashion and lifestyle space over the years of working with MAAP and other clients, we got to work pitching MAAP and HOKA’s creative vision for the collaboration.
Services implemented:
- Public Relations
