Japanese Sports Giant Asics Returns To Professional Sports Foundation For Running

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary establishment of the value brand, Asics, a Japanese sports product group, set up a new marketing strategy: gradually returning the strategic focus from the pursuit of the millennial generation of consumers to the professional running foundation of Arthur.

At the end of 2017, Asics reached a cooperation agreement with the US DJ, record producer and fashion designer Steve Aoki, and launched "I MOVE ME" marketing activities (the latter had 8 million 400 thousand fans on Twitter and 7 million 300 thousand fans on Instagram). Asics said at the time that the cooperation was designed to set the tone for Asics's new brand image and concept, expressing itself through cultural and sports collisions and attracting young consumers from non runners.

However, Sarah Bishop, vice president of Asics marketing, recently said: "although the brand and Steve Aoki are still good friends, they will not continue to cooperate. We are returning to the foundation of running.

To better convey Asics's new marketing strategy, Sarah Bishop will cooperate with Gene McCarthy, a senior industry veteran. The latter has 21 years of experience in Nike, Under Armour and other brands, and joined Asics USA three years ago as president and chief executive officer.

Gene McCarthy said: "cooperation with Steve Aoki is part of the company's expansion of its brand and wider audience, so we have appointed Steve Aoki with a cultural influence. But our goal is to regain the first market share of running shoes. I will organize and build a world-class team, including the new vice president of sales who will be joined in April.

Gene McCarthy said: "running culture has a natural connection with the Asics brand. We hope to win the market share. We have done it in the past and we have the ability to achieve this goal again. "

According to NPD, an American consulting firm, the US sports brand Brooks currently occupies the largest market share in running category, reaching 23%. Asics declined to disclose the market share of its own brand.

In November 2018, "gorgeous records" reported that the net sales in the first 9 months of Asics fiscal year fell 4.7% to 295 billion 680 million yen, operating profit fell 37.1% to 15 billion 360 million yen, and net profit fell 47.55% to 8 billion 288 million yen over the same period of 2018. Among them, the Americas market sales fell 17.8% to 67 billion 670 million yen compared to the same period. The US Department suffered a loss of 958 million yen due to sales slump and higher cost of sales. (see: the Japanese sports giant Asics group's latest quarterly report is not very optimistic, but Onitsuka Tiger "amazing performance", the Chinese market gained two digit growth).

To reverse the situation, Asics revised its five-year strategic plan, while focusing on the US market performance, accelerating the growth of the Chinese market, developing digital business, and trying to turn the garment business into a profitable growth business. Asics regards the US market as a key priority area, and launches new running shoes such as Gel-Kayano 25, HyperGel and Gel-Nimbus 21.

Sarah Bishop said: "this year, many models of these traditional running shoes have been updated in color and shoe type. Asics, the US company is also strengthening its cooperation with elite runners such as Emma Bates, Allie Kieffer and Olympian Deena Kastor, trying to get them to talk to consumers groups, of which women account for 60%. At the end of the first quarter of this year, the brand will launch an initiative based on female empowerment.

In addition, Asics will continue to sponsor the world's largest concert entertainment company Live Nation, becoming the exclusive footwear sponsor for specific venues and festivals in the United States and Canada. However, Asics will no longer sponsor the New York marathon. The cooperation between the two sides has lasted for 25 years. In 2018, the cooperation agreement was concluded. The sponsors are now replaced by New Balance.

Asics also announced in July 2018 that it will become an official sponsor of the Paralympic Games. The cooperation between the two sides will last until December 31, 2020. In the future, the brand will provide official uniforms for Paralympic Games, and will also provide footwear for operators and Paralympic refugees. From 2019, the brand will provide equipment for swimming, weightlifting, shooting and other projects in Paralympics. From January 1, 2020, officials and volunteers will be provided with official clothing for the Paralympic Games in Japan. They will also provide training packages and competition suits for Japanese delegations and more than 60 developing countries for about 300 people.

Hiroda Yasuhito, President and COO of Asics, said in an interview in 2018 that he plans to set up a management department in Shanghai, China, in January 2019, focusing on running shoes and Onitsuka Tiger as the center for China's fast developing Chinese market. According to him, in recent years, sales in the Chinese market have increased by nearly ten times. "In the past ten years, the number of Chinese marathons has increased 50 times, and the health consciousness of the masses has been rising. (the design management department in China) can create rapid response and decision-making organizational structure, and foster China as a market with similar scale in Japan, the US and Europe at an early date. This is consistent with the market strategy he announced earlier, and hopes that in the 2020 fiscal year, China's sales will reach 55 billion yen, and "step by step to 100 billion yen." (see "ornate ambition": the president of Japanese sports giant Asics talks about the future strategy: the US market must not lose! To build China into fourth pillar markets

In addition, in November 2018, Asics also worked with Kobe midfielder Andr s Iniesta Luj n n as a consultant. The Spanish footballer will not only take part in the advertising campaign of the brand, but also participate in the product development and dressing experience improvement.

Asics's behavior in professional sports does not mean that brand preparation is completely divorced from life style. When asked about the performance share of branded product business and lifestyle business, Gene McCarthy pointed out: "all our products are functional products, but consumers will choose to wear them as lifestyle products."

Sarah Bishop added: "we will continue to cooperate with excellent creative personages such as Kiko Kostadinov, London designer. They have redesigned some core shoes of the Asics brand."