Duluth Trading Co. partnered with Fastbreak Connect to deepen its brand presence among athletes and families at one of track and field’s most historic events: the Penn Relays. The focus was on meaningful interaction, hands-on engagement, and building long-term brand equity within a highly competitive sports environment.
100,000+ Fans, Two Defining Moments
Across three days, the Duluth activation reached over 100,000 attendees and facilitated more than 7,500 direct engagements at the event’s branded experience. Two moments captured the essence of the campaign. First, the TCU women’s track team won the 4×200m relay and stepped onto the podium wearing Duluth gear. This moment aligned the brand with performance, pride, and authenticity. Second, the 4×100m relay team from Archbishop Carroll High School, a four-time national champion, visited the Duluth space and left wearing branded apparel. These athletes engaged with the brand by choice, not through forced placement or paid endorsement.
Moments like these drove strong emotional resonance, creating authentic connections that translated into social engagement, brand awareness, and long-term recall.
“A good 4×400 race can split your eardrums... From New England to Jamaica, these fans show up to play a small part in the pandemonium that’s captivated Philadelphia for 127 years.”
-Cole Pressler, in a feature on the legacy of the Penn Relays
Translating Workwear Into Youth Sports Culture
Duluth’s foundation in grit, durability, and reliability positioned the brand to connect with youth athletes and families who value hard work and perseverance. Events like Penn Relays present an opportunity for brands to become part of formative moments in young athletes’ lives. When an athlete wears branded gear on the podium or in front of a crowd, that moment becomes a reference point. The association is remembered, discussed, and often shared widely, helping brands stay top of mind long after the event ends.
Why This Matters for CMOs
Marketers seeking lasting consumer relationships are shifting toward experiential strategies. Static signage and logo exposure no longer guarantee relevance. The Duluth activation showed how curated, high-touch experiences build trust, awareness, and emotional alignment.
Fastbreak Connect provides the structure for these experiences. From QR-code engagement to in-event media delivery and branded storytelling, the platform ensures every moment is captured, measured, and optimized for future use.
Implications for Product Leaders
Modern product leaders aim to create resonance, community, and cultural relevance. This event highlighted several important ideas:
- Relatability drives growth. Brands that reflect the values and identities of their audience become part of the culture.
- Cultural placement outperforms surface-level sponsorship. Athletes and fans respond to brands that show up in the right moments with genuine intention.
- Gen Z expects authenticity. Every touchpoint, from apparel to interactions, must feel earned, not manufactured.
The Duluth experience at Penn Relays reflected all three.
Looking Ahead
If your brand is trying to grow in a new category, especially among the next generation, you don’t need a billboard. You need more moments like this, where performance meets brand presence that becomes part of the audience’s memory.
And the best part? Fastbreak Connect is nationwide, with the event inventory and scale to activate this blueprint week after week. From coast to coast, we’re helping brands show up where Gen Z athletes are already gathered, competing, and forming lifelong brand impressions.
When you're part of the win, you're part of the story. And that's how brand awareness becomes cultural relevance.
About Duluth Trading Co.
Duluth Trading Co. is a performance workwear and lifestyle brand built on the values of durability, grit, and utility. Originally known for outfitting tradespeople and outdoor professionals, the brand has grown to serve a wide range of customers who value comfort, toughness, and no-nonsense design. Duluth delivers gear that works as hard as the people wearing it. Today, the company continues to expand its reach by aligning with communities that embody its core spirit of resilience and hard work, including the next generation of athletes.
