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8/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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May 12th, 2009
University of Illinois
Final Project
Written by:
Rachael Boss
Courtney GillesChris Petersen
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Current Brand Audit
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Business plan/Corporate overview
Asics produces footwear and sporting wear designed for football, running, tennis,
squash, martial arts, golf, wrestling, track and field, cross-training, volleyball,
cheerleading, lacrosse and for many other sports. Presently, the company has become
widely renowned for their running shoes as being amongst the top performance footwear
in the market.
In 2006 Asics became the first Japanese corporation to join the Fair Labor
Association, which advocates the protection of labor rights and improvement of
conditions on a global scale. Asics manufacturing aims its business plan with three
factors of QCD (quality, cost, and delivery) in addition to corporate social
responsibility.
The Corporate Philosophy is as stated:
1. Provide products and services that create value for all customers
2. Protect the environment, and contribute to the world community at the individual and
social level
3. Offer sound service, and share the profit with shareholders who have supported
ASICS, community and employees
4. Achieve ASICS in a spirit of freedom, fairness, respecting the dignity of the individual
The corporate goal is to be the worlds number one creator of sports, health, and comfort
oriented lifestyles. ( http://www.asics.com/aboutus/index_B.html )
Corporate Social Responsibility is an important issue and since 1998 they have worked
under the Code of Conduct, which are guidelines set by the World Federation of Sporting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport)http://www.asics.com/aboutus/index_B.htmlhttp://www.asics.com/aboutus/index_B.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport)8/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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Goods Industry (WFSGI) Also, most Asics products are PVC free and produced with
100% recycled material. In 2007, Asics was awarded the Silver Prize in the category of
outstanding corporation in promoting product safety.
(http://www.asics.com/aboutus/index_F.html)
In many of the running events Asics hosts, they try to come up with a general
theme of protecting the environment. In the 2007 Tokyo Marathon, they chose the theme
of environmental preservation and decided to use recycled polyester fiber made from
PET bottles for the t-shirts and hats they handed out. In addition, they also organized an
event named One Coin Charity, a fundraiser to support children throughout the world
who live in an environment that prevents them from physical activity, thus hindering their
well being. The charity raised 945,746 yen, or about 9,500 US dollars and was donated
to AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races). Asics is also a
sponsor for the Special Olympics, an international sports organization that helps mentally
disabled people. Asics is responsible for providing various sports training and hosts
several competitions throughout the year. Something interesting to note is that Asics
opens its atrium to junior high basketball teams in the neighborhood for practice. In
Japan there is a constant need for physical instructors and training facilities and Asics
quickly took up the opportunity to open their company facility. The club team attracts
10-20 new junior high students each year and has had two championships in
2007. (http://www.asics.com/responsibility/index_Q.html)
As it stands, there is not much being done in the United States in terms of
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corporate social responsibility. It seems that Asics defines community on a local level
rather than on a global scale (http://www.asics.com/responsibility/index.html).
In 2008, the business remained stable as the sporting goods industry had
witnessed a rise in the general interest in sports, such as positive effects in the fields of
walking and fitness due to an elevated level of health awareness. Amidst such a situation,
the ASICS Group introduce a series of highly functional running shoes, starting with
GEL-NIMBUS 9 and GEL-KINSEI 2, in the global market and expanded products for
women in order to continue the expansion of the running business on the global scale.
Sales have been rising in double figures in the United States, where the focus is
contained in the running field. Sport shoes: from 1.964 million dollars in 2007 to 2.274
million dollars in 2008. Total assets $1,408, 660,000 Total investments and other
assets-$209,310,000 Gross profit-$990,410,000.
(http://www.asics.com/investors/pdf/ar2008.pdf)
http://www.asics.com/responsibility/index.htmlhttp://www.asics.com/investors/pdf/ar2008.pdfhttp://www.asics.com/investors/pdf/ar2008.pdfhttp://www.asics.com/responsibility/index.htmlhttp://www.asics.com/investors/pdf/ar2008.pdf8/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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Marketing Strategy
In the early 1980s, Asics enacted the revolution plan deciding to expand their line
from athletic shoes to athletic gear. The company only decided to concentrate on these
products they specifically manufactured in its own factory. Concentrating on this
strategy worked in obtaining profits, but in the long run, revenue started to decline. Asics
then moved on to their current marketing strategy known as the Asics Challenge Plan.
This plan utilizes the strengths of Asics as a shoe business rather than trying to expand
into other types of athletic gear. Their core strength is with running and shoes and
marathon shoes and concentrating on this business was the reason why they claim to
succeed. The sporting good industry has been steady, as the trend of being health
conscious continues. (http://www.asics.com/responsibility/index_U.html)
In 2007, Asics made the English version of their philosophy, Sound Mind,
Sound Body the new corporate slogan. Both domestic and foreign subsidiaries were
willing to accept and understand this philosophy. This was important, as Asics believes
that when a company tries to globalize, the difference between cultures often clash.
Agreeing in a philosophy unites headquarters and therefore leads to a greater chance of
success. Their current strategy aims at the technological advancement and benefits of
their running shoes.
In January 2008, Asics became the official supplier of sportswear and bags for the
athletes representing Japan at the Beijing Olympic Games 2008. In February 2008 they
became the official sponsor of the June 2008 Tokyo Marathon, ING New York City
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Marathon, Gold Coast Airport Marathon in Australia It sponsored the New York City
Marathon, where 40 percent of recent competitors wore the company's
shoes. (http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ASICS-Corporation-
Company-History.html)
Asics as a brand has only just begun presenting a unified brand image. The
company had to use separate visuals for advertising in different countries until recently,
which made them unable to create that unified brand image. They had been struggling in
brand awareness, especially in younger demographics, because of this lack of unity. The
characteristics and the main products differ by countries and regions, and they have just
recently begun to take into account similar particular traits and preferences of individuals
of each country when introducing sales and campaigns. However, when Asics became
the official sponsor of the Tokyo Marathon in 2007, they decided to launch a global
campaign with unified visuals. With this launch, the company has begun aggressive
launches in four particular regions, including the Americas, Europe, Japan, and the Asia-
Pacific region. By sponsoring large and high profile marathons around the world, Asics
showed their commitment to support individual runners from beginners to pros and the
running community as a whole. (http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-
retail-miscellaneous/4479197-1.html)
According to Smart Business article in April 2007 titled, Sprint to the Finish,
Most of ASICS Americas advertising had always been in magazines such asRunners
WorldandRunning Times, publications that reached the companys target audience but
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missed a segment of the consumer audience interested in healthier life-styles, not
necessarily strictly in running. An interesting fact found in focus groups was that only a
quarter of those who buy running shoes actually purchase them for running.
To reach into the non-runner group, Asics expanded the brands advertising,
boosting its ad budget by 22 percent and moving it into magazines that reached bigger
target audiences. Were not just talking to the running geek, which we were with
Runners WorldorRunning Times, says Gohashi, and employee of Asics. We still
maintain magazine advertising, but now its going to a broader audience in publications
like Oprah or Cooking Light, so its out to a broader consumer in hope that sales will
increase when more people know about the brand instead of just runners.
(http://www.sbnonline.com/Local/Article/11580/77/0/Sprint_to_the_finish.aspx).
Although Asics offers products for a wide range of age groups and athletic
competitions, Asics current market strategy is one that targets competitive mid-distance
and long distance athletes from the ages of 18-34. They focus on high performance and
have been working to expand products that are geared toward competitive womens
runners. Based on observation, Asics products are in athletic stores around the country.
They claim that this is the first time in years that there are more women runners than
men. An interesting thing to note is that Asics running shoes are also available at Kohls
Department stores. This seems to be overreaching their target audience, as those who
shop at Kohls are less likely to purchase these shoes for stability and gel technology and
go for more of the shallow characteristics such as color and/or design of the
http://www.sbnonline.com/Local/Article/11580/77/0/Sprint_to_the_finish.aspxhttp://www.sbnonline.com/Local/Article/11580/77/0/Sprint_to_the_finish.aspx8/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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shoe. (http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ASICS-Corporation-
Company-History.html) and (personal observation of visiting a Kohls Department Store)
Asics seems to be the athletic shoe based more on scientific technology,
advanced products for the serious athlete such as their infamous gel technology. They
take each gender and break down the biomechanics in their Asics lab to create a shoe that
alleviates biomechanical problems runners of either gender may experience. They use gel
technology to reduce impact and Impact Guidance System (IGS) to solve pronation
issues, and use Personal Heel Fit (PHF) to provide gel cushioning for extra comfort. The
website of extremely interactive, giving information video clips on biomechanics of the
shoe, how individuals run, and how Asics can help increase performance and reduce
injuries. The companys ultimate goal is to deliver scientifically better products to the
market of consumers, as well as to develop human resources management that will more
efficiently run the branches of the company. To accomplish this, they are determined to
pushing the limits on what they can learn from the body and its needs in athletic apparel
(www.asics.com).
Asics mission comes from the phrase Anima Sana in Corpore Sano a Latin
phrase meaning a sound body in a sound mind. They want their products to resemble a
relaxation feel, a get away from it all, and a desire to bring harmony to the body and soul.
Athletics not only has a positive effect on the body but on the mind as well. Sports have
a universal meaning and have been responsible for overcoming cultural differences,
resulting in a more unified world. In their research and development section they state,
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ASICS-Corporation-Company-History.htmlhttp://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ASICS-Corporation-Company-History.htmlhttp://www.asics.com/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ASICS-Corporation-Company-History.htmlhttp://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ASICS-Corporation-Company-History.htmlhttp://www.asics.com/8/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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All this research is being done with only one goal: To enable professional and
recreational athletes all over the world to perform better, to reach a higher level and to
enjoy themselves (http://www.asicsamerica.com/about_us)
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Brand Equity
When searching Zappos.com for Running Shoes in the Mens category (sorted by
popularity) Asics shoes are at the top and sell for 100 to 140 dollars. Next Nike sells for
70-85, Saucony for around 50 and then New Balance in the 65 130 range. For Womens
Asics(100-125) is still on top with even more of their shoes leading, this time with
Saucony (50) following, then Merrell (90), Nike (80), and New Balance (65-85). So not
only are Asics more popular as running shoes but they sell for a higher price as well.
Also when searching for facebook the top fan pages for Asics total around 70
thousand fans while Nike has over 2 million, Saucony around 7 hundred, and New
Balance 10 thousand fans. Also Adidas has about 2.5 million fans. This suggests that
Asics might have a more pull in the young runners market with the exception of Nike
who spans more than just the running niche.
Theyre recognized for their high dedication to serious running and marathon enthusiasts.
In comparison to popular brands that were listed above, Asics holds about the 4% of the
total population in brand popularity. Although it runs at about 5% for the demographics
ranging from 25-54, it varies between 1 and 3 percent for all age groups above and below
those middle demographics. Ahead in brand preference are companies like Nike, New
Balance, Reebok, Adidas, Sketchers, K-Swiss, and Converse. These companies range in
average preference from as high as 30% (Nike) to 5% (Converse) (Mintel search for the
Asics brand, under the Brand Commitment section).
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Brand Positioning
In general, the athletic and rugged shoes market has been experiencing about 2.8% of
steady growth and has increased to a market size of $2.4 billion. Although this seems
like a substantial increase, adjustment for inflation indicates that sales have actually
neither grown nor decreased.
Although Asics has just increased its sales by 11% with its recent venture into television
advertising (according to a recent AdAge article), they are still far behind brands like
Nike, Sketchers, K-Swiss, Puma, and Reebok in the LFA (lifestyle fashion athletic) shoe
market. Brands like New Balance and Asics, however, are almost non-existent in this
category because they are seen primarily as performance footwear. This may create some
difficulty for Asics, primarily because footwear that is non-performance-based is
beginning to gain in popularity (Mintel search for the Asics brand, under the Market Size
and Forecast section)
Of total athletic shoe sales, Asics falls far behind the leading competitors in this market.
Ahead of Asics in sales are several companies, including Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok,
New Balance, Sketchers, and K-Swiss. These sales run in order from the top sales of
$13,740 million (Nike sales) to $508 million (K-Swiss) (Mintel search for the Asics
brand, under the Leading Companies section)
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Advertising campaigns
In 1993-1995, Asics attempted to attract the world of basketball athletes. Realizing that
they were failing miserably and so was most of their advertising, they reorganized and
decided to focus on running shoes. This allowed them to recover remarkably, and they
have since continued to focus on building awareness among all of the different types of
runners that might be interested in buying Asics shoes
(http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4479197-
1.html).
In 2002, Asics tried an advertising campaign where they ran six print advertisements and
one television commercial. They were primarily black and white advertisements, and
they were intended to retain brand loyalists and remind their consumers why they bought
Asics. The campaign was designed to have a simple conversation with the consumer
and to spark interest in the brand, and was named, This is ASICS
(http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/4197426-1.html).
In 2004, Asics ran an ad campaign with a new agency called StrawberryFrog in an effort
to attract a fashionable, hip audience. The advertisements played off of the brands
Japanese heritage and were depicted with a 1960s, Japanese action movie type style.
There is a large emphasis on movement, sports, and action, and the advertisements
themselves were loud and bold. All in all, this campaign was one of their more
controversial (http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/4206833-1.html).
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In 2005, Asics ran a campaign that was intended to attract the casual enthusiast who
might not normally be interested in something that was seen as a serious runners shoe.
Their tagline was What would YOU do if you couldnt run? and was meant to stress
the importance of running in the everyday consumers life. Although this campaign was
not nearly as controversial as the years before, it represented a 40% jump in Asics ad
budget for the U.S. (http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/branding-brand-
development/4695672-1.html).
In March 2007,Asics developed an advertising campaign that was primarily focused on
Asics not as a running aide, but as a running campaign. They developed a print campaign
that they then named, My Running Partner. The print advertisements were designed
around a runner in a specific, non-descript outdoor area, usually featuring the shoe and/or
running gear belonging to Asics (of course). This campaign has a number of similarities
to their current, 2009 campaign, which places a heavy emphasis on the runner in a non-
descript, outdoor environment.
Their current advertising campaign for Spring 2009 includes print advertisements that
focus on popular phrases of speech and flips them so that they are targeted specifically at
runners. The way these ideas are manipulated allows them to revolve around ideas like
the relationship between the mind and the body, as well as the effect one has on the other
in the running world.
The print advertisements are very simple. They generally show some kind of runner
doing a simple activity (running on the road, jumping in the air, etc.) on a background
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with almost nothing in it. The shoe itself is very prominent and is clearly one of the
primary focuses. We have listed five samples of the taglines on the advertisements
below.
1. Elevating the body has a remarkably similar effect on the mind.
2. Be more satisfied with the grass on your own side of the fence.
3. The first weight you lose is what you carry on your shoulders.
4. Nothing brings you back to earth like feeling it beneath your feet.
5. Lacking the breath to speak makes you a better listener
(www.asicsamerica.com/about_us/advertising).
In the past year, Asics has also decided to begin exploring the TV campaigns. One
example of a spot done in the UK depicts a man running in the city. Then, his
environment slowly morphs into a forest-like environment, with the phrase a sound
mind in a sound body. The advertisement is very simple and direct, and emphasizes their
already existent tagline Sound mind. Sound body. (youtube.com under the search
Asics commercial, with the title Asics commercial 2008)
The current advertising agency is Amsterdam Worldwide, and will remain so until 2010.
At that point, Asics will switch to the agency Vitro Robertson. (http://adage.com/article?
article_id=135527)
http://www.asicsamerica.com/about_us/advertisinghttp://youtube.com/http://youtube.com/http://adage.com/article?article_id=135527http://adage.com/article?article_id=135527http://adage.com/article?article_id=135527http://www.asicsamerica.com/about_us/advertisinghttp://youtube.com/http://adage.com/article?article_id=135527http://adage.com/article?article_id=1355278/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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Industry
Not much is being said about the most recent Asics campaign. BrandWeek briefly
mentioned the launch of their latest campaign in New York among other campaigns that
were increasing advertising before an upcoming marathon (http://www.brandweek.com).
You can see the half dozen print ads and one television ad for their Sound Mind Sound
Body campaign at asicsamerica.com/brandcampaign. However it has not caused any buzz
or discussion in the advertising or news publications. The only current buzz in the
advertising world is about how Asics (along with MillerCoors, are running short 15
second ads on ESPN.
However most, if not all, of their publicity comes exclusively from their involvement
in sponsoring marathons. There was a lot of pre-Olympic buzz for them in 2008 before
the Beijing Olympics. The New York Times ran a story about Asics master craftsman
Hitoshi Mimura, who created special shoes for marathon runners using rice husks in the
shoe that increased traction and moisture absorption to navigate the Olympic marathon
route. Mimura has made the shoes for many Olympic marathon winners. One of them
slept with the shoes next to her bed the night before and later proclaimed Mimura the
god of shoes(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/olympics/11shoes.html).
They had their master shoe Runnersworld.com has glowing reviews of their shoes
and awards their shoes many awards for being the runners shoe of choice. They seem to
do very well in their niche of hard core runners yet they seem to want to appeal to those
further down the scale that do not actively participate in marathons.
http://www.brandweek.com/http://asicsamerica.com/brandcampaignhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/olympics/11shoes.htmlhttp://www.brandweek.com/http://asicsamerica.com/brandcampaignhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/olympics/11shoes.html8/14/2019 Adv 1.411 Final Project[1]
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Cultural Brief
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Cultural brief statement
The Asics brand is seeking to create a world for the everyday consumer that is currently
leading an active lifestyle due to social pressure. This brand will allow the consumer to
experience freedom from the social expectation that they must be fit and active to be
happy and accepted by society. Wearing this brand will allow consumers to realize that
they will find happiness in self-worth by accepting who they are and meeting their own
standards of fitness, rather than meeting others.
Myth Treatment
i. Cultural contradiction
Right now, there are consumers who work out and stay active not because they
choose to, but because society dictates that it is socially acceptable to maintain a certain
level of fitness. In many cases, consumers even feel the need to pretend that they are
continually active because of pressure they feel from others to maintain a certain type of
social image. Theres a current trend with health and with people leading healthy
lifestyles, and all shoe companies are saying go to the gym. What we want the Asics
brand to say is that its ok to be happy with who you are.
ii.Myth treatment
Our campaign will appeal to the everyday consumer who stays active simply
because of the pressure they experience from society. They are the type of consumer that
gets up early in the morning, eats a quick breakfast with maybe a fast, pick-me-up coffee
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and runs off to a fast-paced work environment. There they will work busily with clients
and with their peers, and will probably make plans to spend time with them later in the
week or during the weekend. Then, in order to continue fitting in with their peers and
their judgments, they will spend time every night after work at the gym, even though they
themselves recognize that they arent doing it for themselvestheyre doing it to meet
societys standards.
Asics will strive to contradict this belief by communicating the myth treatment
that the everyday consumer doesnt need to add a work out in order to meet the standards
of society and their peers. They will treat this myth by conveying the idea that Asics
users are those consumers who are confident enough to live by their own standards, and
that it is not societys opinions that make them happyit is only their own. So, instead
of working out every night in order to please others, our consumer will feel comfortable
with relaxing during a movie marathon after work, or baking and eating brownies with
their friends, instead of working out to maintain their perfect, athletic figure.
This campaign will target the consumer who is already experiencing an active
lifestyle. However, it will offer that consumer a world in which they have the freedom to
be happy with whatever lifestyle they choose to lead. This will certainly not denounce
the active lifestyle that many of these individuals continue to lead, but it will eradicate
societys implication that happiness is based on anything other than your own perception
of self-worth.
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Populist world/authenticity
Our campaign will focus on the populist world of the Irresponsible College
Student. Within this world, the Asics consumer can return to their carefree beer-pong
playing days in college. This is a world where the consumer defines him and/or herself
through their independencetheir decisions to go to class, do homework, study for an
exam, or even work out is dependent on nothing but what they would like to do. Here,
society plays little to no role in the consumers decision-making process, because this is a
place where the consumer thrives in making their own decisions (whether positive or
negative).
Charismatic aesthetic
Our charismatic aesthetic will be conveyed through the nostalgic tone of the college life
and the memory of what it meant to be truly uninterested in what society thought of them
and the decisions they made. So, when the prospective Asics consumer feels bogged
down in the expectations of their peers, their family, and the rest of society, they will
encounter the charismatic aesthetic of the Asics brand and remember what it felt like to
be irresponsible and uninterested in the opinions of others. Upon purchasing an Asics
product, the consumer is making a statement to themselves and to the rest of society that
its OK to be irresponsible.
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Repackaging of Texts
With this campaign, we will be repackaging this myth by saying that the everyday
consumer, through wearing Asics, will gain the confidence to reject social expectations
about being active, fit, and healthy. While every other shoe brand is saying that their
shoe will lend a competitive edge that will lead the consumer to success and happiness,
the Asics brand will argue that the consumer can be happy simply through being
themselves, no matter what level of activity in which they might choose to participate and
how irresponsible they may appear to be.
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Advertising Campaign
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Campaign Particulars
In 2008, Asics spent 27 million dollars on their advertising campaign in the
United States (http://shiftmarket.com/2009/04/01/an-inconvenient-truth-sales-jump-11-
after-asics-gives-tv-a-try/). We will use this approximate number for constructing Asics
new campaign. We will dedicate 40 percent to television, 20 percent to magazines, 20
percent to out of home media, and 20 percent to online advertising. The out of home
media segment will include transit advertising on buses and taxis, as well as billboards in
high traffic areas just outside of major cities around the U.S.
The new campaign will run through May 2009-May 2010. The goals of the
campaign are to bring about a new identity to the Asics brand and attract an entirely
different demographic. Rather than targeting core runners from 18-55, we will target a
type of consumer that leads a busy life after college, who is interested in remembering
their youthful fun, lazy attitude.
Within the first three months, we hope to see brand awareness increase by 10
percent and sales of Asics shoes increase by 5 percent. In 8 months, we hope to see these
figures both double. By the end of the year, our ultimate goal is to see brand awareness
reach 30 percent and annual sales increase by 15 percent.
The Asics brand will stray away from their usual target market, a market
comprised of individuals who are extremely health conscious and those who are
competitive, hardcore athletes. Instead Asics will be targeting the everyday consumer,
ages 24-40. A consumer who leads a busy, career oriented lifestyle and is often bogged
down by social pressures. We will be moving our print venues in a completely different
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direction. We will no longer be advertising in print publications such as Runners World,
Cooking Light, Sports Illustrated, etc., but will be advertising in such magazines as
Entrepreneur, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Oprah, Family Circle, and Self Magazine. It is
possible to target a roughly equal amount of both women and men when utilizing all of
these magazines.
As for television, we will be running our advertising commercials on the national
networks such as NBC, ABC, and CBS during primetime television viewing hours. We
will also begin running commercials on FOX and TBS. We will run our campaign on
these networks, as they are responsible for hosting a wide range of television audiences in
our 24-40 year old market. We plan on allocating 40 percent, double that of our print
venues, based on the fact that commercial production and time slots are very costly, with
an average 30 second spot amounting to $350,000. (http://www.gaebler.com/Television-
Advertising-Costs.htm)
As for our out of home media, we will be running our print ads on billboards just
outside of and inside major cities, including Chicago, New York, Los Angelos, Miami
and Dallas. In these same cities, we will run print advertisements on top of taxi cabs and
on bus kiosks. With these out of home media, we intend to target high traffic areas that
business men and women frequent. This part of the budget will be equal to about 20% of
our overall budget.
With the online portion of our budget, we will target sites that cater to the
businessman and/or woman. Some examples include Businessweek.com, cnn.com,
forbes.com, etc. The online portion, because of the high traffic on these sites and because
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of its rise as a media vehicle, will comprise another 20% of our budget.
TV Commercial 30 Second Spot: Description
Camera opens on a side-view of a house and the front door. Kids and families are
running around the busy, suburban neighborhood, and then all of a sudden, the door that
the camera is focused on opens and closes, and a woman steps out on the step. Shes
outfitted in fitness gear, as well as her Asics GT 2130 running shoes. She jumps up and
down once or twice to warm up, and then hurries down the stairs and begins to jog just
down the street. Then, the musical sounds of an ice cream truck are heard, and the truck
appears at the end of the screen. The womans head snaps to the side as the ice cream
truck passes her and, abruptly with no warning, she does a 180-degree turn and goes
flailing after the ice cream truck. The screen fades to black and the Asics logo comes up
with the tagline: Asics Warning: Wear At Your Own Risk. After the logo and tagline
fade in and out, the screen goes back to a woman walking down the street, happily
holding and eating two ice cream cones.
Discussion of TV Commercial
The commercial is going to be set on a busy college campus because that is where our
myth market is based. Our main character will be a woman, somewhere in her mid-
twenties, and she will be the type of consumer that is probably the occasional runner,
mostly due to social pressures from her friends, family, and society as a whole. We will
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Discussion of Print Advertisements
In our print advertisements, we focused the camera on characters that were young,
lively, upbeat, and clearly having a good time while doing something that they werent
supposed to be doing. For example, in one print advertisement, we have a number of
college kids blowing out a keg, which is something is largely disapproved outside of the
college atmosphere. In our other print advertisement, we have two people spraying hoses
at each other while they are each wearing all of their clothes. These images are important
because they represent what the consumer can do when he or she is wearing Asics shoes
in a reinforcement of our myth market, the Irresponsible College Student, these
characters and irresponsible adults are breaking the rules in order to have fun and
please themselves, even if they are choosing to do the irresponsible thing. These ads
represent what college life was like, back when the consumer Asics is trying to reach (the
24-45 year old man and/or woman) was able to take risks and please only themselves in
the decisions they made.