Rhone launched a new campaign titled "A Love Letter to NYC" on Tuesday, aiming to connect the city's urban energy with the brand's own enterprising spirit, as learned by Marketing Dive. Rhone was founded in 2014, has a flagship store in New York's Flatiron District, and is headquartered in nearby Stamford, Connecticut.

"A Love Letter to NYC" marks a strategic shift for Rhone from performance marketing to brand building. The campaign launches as Rhone stands at an inflection point between its DTC origins and the expansion of its retail and wholesale operations, while the performance apparel space continues to evolve.

"We started in athletics, but as the brand has grown, we realized that 'performance' isn't just about athletic achievement—it's about how people navigate their daily lives. This campaign aims to reflect the real lifestyles of our customers; it's a natural evolution of the brand, not a departure," said CMO Bethany Evans. Evans joined Rhone in November 2024, having previously spent more than five years at The North Face.

The campaign includes a 30-second hero video inspired by 1990s romantic comedies set in New York. The story follows a man and a woman who each get ready for and navigate a day in Manhattan, repeatedly crossing paths on the streets before finally meeting by chance in a park thanks to a dog. Rhone has divided its product lines into three areas—"move, play, live"—all of which appear in the campaign, yet it deliberately excludes fitness or gym scenes. For authenticity, the actors in the ad are a real-life couple (and the dog is theirs as well). The campaign was created by the brand's in-house creative team, with media placement handled by Kepler Group—an agency appointed by Rhone in 2025 as its first media agency of record. "A Love Letter to NYC" also serves as an experiment in top-of-funnel marketing for the brand.

"We've long focused on performance media, which is understandable: it's easy to measure and e-commerce-focused. But our wholesale and retail businesses are both growing, so we must shift to an omnichannel strategy," Evans said.

"A Love Letter to NYC" spans linear TV, connected TV, social media, direct mail, print, out-of-home advertising, and retail and digital experiences. It also includes advertising at Citi Bike stations near the brand's three New York stores, an integration with The New York Times' Connections game, and collaborations with New York photographer Ethan Barber and the Instagram account @MeetCutesNYC. For in-store activations, a custom photo experience will be set up at Rhone's Flatiron store from September 19 to 20.

Sports partnerships and purpose-driven marketing

Rhone operates more than 20 retail stores across the U.S. and continues to expand its wholesale business, including an expanded partnership with Bloomingdale's earlier this year. The brand also holds partnerships with sports leagues such as the LPGA and the NBA.

The NBA partnership launched in October 2024, before Evans took on the CMO role. She initially found the tie-up odd until she learned that Dave Checketts, father of Rhone co-founders Nate and Ben Checketts, had served as an executive with the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden. Beyond the family connection, Rhone leverages sports marketing to connect with its purpose-driven work around mental and physical well-being.

"The athletes we work with are outspoken about the pressures of being professional athletes—'how do I maintain a healthy mindset'—that's the angle we take, and it fits us well, rather than a logo-sticker partnership lacking deeper meaning," Evans explained.

Rhone is also committed to promoting mental and physical wellness both internally and externally. The brand's "12 Pursuits" framework—a streamlined version of Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues—is a monthly challenge that began as a Checketts family project before being introduced at Rhone.

One of Evans' responsibilities is extending the 12 Pursuits to consumers. Over the next year, Rhone will build on this to make the 12 Pursuits more experiential, whether through retreats or pop-up events—rather than just emails or social media posts. But it won't be a sales-driven initiative.

"We invite the community to join, but this can't become a way to sell clothes, so we deliberately keep it separate from sales," Evans said.