HarrisX Research Honored with Two 2025 Effie Awards, Fuels Award-Winning Saucony Marathumb Challenge

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- HarrisX is proud to announce its role in the success of the Saucony Marathumb Challenge, a groundbreaking digital campaign that earned Silver in Experiential Marketing – Digital and Bronze in Fashion & Accessories at the prestigious 2025 Effie Awards.

The campaign, led by Saucony and executed in partnership with Doner, KWT Global, Wolfgang Studios, and Huncwot, was built on original research conducted by HarrisX that revealed a compelling behavioral learning: the average person scrolls the equivalent of three marathons per year—a staggering 78 miles. This insight served as the creative catalyst for the Marathumb Challenge, a six-week global campaign encouraging users to "move more than they scroll."

The initiative invited everyday athletes to track their screen time and physical activity via a custom-built app, rewarding those who ran more than they scrolled with branded merchandise. Supported by digital, social, retail, and out-of-home activations, the campaign reached audiences in six global markets including the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Sweden, Italy, and Australia.

Campaign results included:

• 140% increase in earned media
• 25% increase in new users
• 14% increase in sell-through rate on saucony.com
• 50% higher app retention rate than the industry average

"This campaign is a perfect example of how data-driven insights can unlock breakthrough creativity," said Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX. "We're honored to have contributed research that helped shape such an impactful and inspiring global campaign."

HarrisX congratulates Saucony and its creative partners for bringing this bold idea to life and is proud to continue delivering the insight that powers results at scale.

"Many of the most engaging and successful brand ideas today are fueled by the synthesis of data and creativity," said David DeMuth, CEO of Doner. "Through our partnership with HarrisX, we're able to tap into foundational datapoints that inspire ideas like the Saucony Marathumb Challenge, an Effie winner that captured media attention and drove transformational business results."

About HarrisX

HarrisX, a Stagwell company, is a strategic research advisory firm that delivers clear, data-driven answers to our clients' most pressing questions. Powered by proprietary technology and a campaign-style approach, we move fast, cut through the noise, and surface insights that drive real-world impact. With offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, we advise Fortune 100 companies, public institutions, global leaders, NGOs, and philanthropic organizations. Named the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S. presidential election by The Washington Post and the American Research Group, HarrisX doesn't just deliver data — we deliver confident decisions.

About the Doner Partners Network

We make brands matter more to culture, to the world and to the bottom line. And we believe true integration is the product of intentional orchestration. The DPN creates teams that are as small as possible, and can scale as big as necessary. DPN agencies include: Doner, Yamamoto, DonerNorth, HarrisX, Wolfgang, KWT Global, Meat & Produce, Veritas, Dyversity Communications, DonerCX and Underground Digital.

About Stagwell

Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com. 

SOURCE HarrisX