HOKA set out to reignite the trail performance category by generating excitement for the relaunch of Mafate X, not as just another shoe, but as a beacon of pure, unrelenting obsession.
HOKA, the iconic California performance footwear brand, aimed to showcase its dominance in trail running and crown the Mafate X the ultimate emblem of endurance, innovation, and intensity.
Jellyfish created the Far Out Experience, which transported ultra trail-running into the heart of New York City via a 48 hour immersive ad.
Inside this custom-built portal-like experience, trail runners found themselves running through a lifelike Joshua Tree desert. A custom treadmill was buried in desert terrain and surrounded by native flora, simulated wind hit runners with every stride, while climate control replicated the heat. Layered desert sounds, including birdsong and breeze, transported them even deeper.
A bespoke digital backdrop coded from scratch, that moved with your speed and ensured no two runners ran the same trail. The faster you ran, the faster the desert blurred past. And as time passed, the light shifted too. Morning, noon and dusk, all rolling by in real-time.
When no runner was in the experience, the installation became a 3D billboard, with Mafate X graphics and film of trail runners tackling ultra trails displayed in our real desert environment.
The activation turned a busy city block into a head-turning reminder of HOKA’s innovation and trail heritage, reconnecting the brand with the elite ultra-running community while sparking curiosity in a broader audience. By collapsing the distance between city and trail, the Mafate X Far Out Experience didn’t just launch a shoe, it launched the Mafate X mindset.
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