Saucony, a purveyor of running shoes and other athletic apparel, considers the meaning of the word strong in its first-ever national TV spot, shown below. The commercial, by Massachusetts ad agency Mechanica, sports slick production values and fairly compelling imagery. What it offers in intense facial expressions and sprawling natural landscapes at sunrise, though, it lacks in nongibberish language. "Maybe strong is just what you have left when you've used up all your weak," suggests the voiceover. In that context, neither of those nouns are actually nouns. And while we get poetic license, the wonky copy distracts a little from an ad that's otherwise kind of, well . . . strong. Then again, perhaps eccentric copy is just what serious runners enjoy, as they tend toward eccentricity themselves. Runners: Does this spot connect with you, or is it a load of nonsense?
