Hoka’s awesome new fall promo film takes on on a flight through the Alps

Hoka shoes were born in the French Alps, and the superhot running shoes brand returns to its origins for a spectacular new promo film, “Fly Human Fly: Bird’s Eye”.

The ad features some amazing aerial footage of a peregrine falcon (we think – we’re not bird of prey experts) soaring alongside road and trail runners as they tackle some challenging looking trails before moving onto some more amenable looking roads.

“Together, they embark on an epic journey, descending from the mountain top to the roads below, capturing the spirit and determination of every runner,” the company says in an accompanying statement. “This story of joyful flight is a testament to the power of community and movement – we fly higher, run faster, and go further – together.”

This latest fall 2024 campaign was created in partnership with its creative agency of record, Anomaly, and is part of Hoka’s “Fly Human Fly” ad franchise that launched in 2022.

And we reckon it’s a massive improvement on last year’s attempt, which had the runners themselves literally taking flight and turning into a starling-like murmuration. It  was all a bit surreal and felt like a combination of René Magritte and a ’90s Pet Shop Boys pop video…

Hoka One One (to give them their full name) was founded in 2009 in Annecy, France, but moved to a base in Richmond, California before being acquired by Deckers Brands in 2013.

This campaign comes as Hoka continues to expand its store footprint, with new major shops opening in New York and Paris in the past couple of months. The brand certainly appears to have been a smart purchase for Deckers, who announced record profits earlier this year, with sales up nearly 28% year on year.

The company says that it expects Hoka’s net sales to increase 20 percent in the next financial year. You could say sales are flying.

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