2026 Winner

Quitting is kind of built into the fitness category. So “No Returns Resolution” used that reality as its starting point. While most retailers lean into “Return-uary” with flexible policies, Decathlon reversed the model, turning a purchase into a commitment. For the month of January, customers buying KIPRUN 500 WR running shoes agreed to forgo the standard 30-day return option, making the decision to buy inseparable from the decision to keep going. The friction was deliberate, reframing the product not as a low-risk trial, but as a behavioural nudge tied to New Year’s goals. Supported by PR, OOH, in-store messaging and owned channels, the idea gained traction by challenging category norms right at the moment motivation typically fades. The impact was immediate: more than 80 earned media mentions, a 620% increase in running shoe traffic, and year-over-year gains of 71% in revenue and 65% in units sold.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Executive Creative Director: Xavier Blais
Head of Strategy: Pascal Routhier
Strategy Director: Clément Martin
Creative Director: Jonathan Lavoie
Associate Creative Director: Sophia Kossoski, Laura De Santis
Account Services: Alex Lefebvre, Gabrielle Bergeron, Viviane Griffin-Mathieu
Adaptation: Eugénie Lalonde
Linguistic Revision: Marie-Hélène Lessard, Davina Haisell
Public Relations: Meredith Burns, Kristel Dupont, Èle Thibault, Chenda McKissick
Producer: Claire Khan
Infograph: Shaheed Khan
Media
Cossette Média: Josée Otis, Maxime Schont, Maxence Hofman
Client: Marie-Lou Blais, Alexandre Thériault, Marie Delerue Bricout, Audrée Bellehumeur, Justin Mignot