Running Retail SMM Case Study

Organic growth had plateaued across all three Outdoor Ventures brands (Running Lab, RL2 and Liv Activ) in both Singapore and Malaysia. Algorithm changes and rising competition were limiting visibility, and content engagement was weak, with audiences rarely interacting with or sharing posts.

The objective was to reposition Running Lab as the go-to destination for gait analysis and premium head-to-toe running gear. That meant re-engaging existing customers while expanding brand awareness to a new segment of runners aged 30 to 40.

We shifted the content mix away from product-led posting toward people, community and formats the algorithm rewards.

• Lean into people-first content. Ambassador and community posts consistently outperformed product posts. Five of the top seven posts featured people, not products, so we prioritised ambassador content, community recaps and runner stories over static product shots.
• Double down on Reels and Carousels. On Instagram, Reels averaged 11,283 views versus 5,557 for carousels and 5,181 for images. We moved Facebook content, which was 25 of 27 posts in photo format, toward more video and carousel formats.
• Reduce Facebook frequency, raise quality. Facebook generated only 5.5% of total reach and 2.7% of interactions versus Instagram. We cut from four lower-engagement posts a week to two or three high-quality posts that mirrored top-performing Instagram content.
• Leverage humour and trending formats. The top two posts by reach both used humour, and humour-driven content averaged three times more shares than product posts. We kept producing relatable, shareable running humour to drive organic reach.