Sportswear producer ASICS Asia has partnered with Singapore based creative agency MillStirling aka Nofinerlife to release a series of 60-second and 30-second brand films titled “Let sport & movement uplift you". This is a part of ASICS’ latest global brand campaign, “Live Uplifted”, showcasing the impact of movement for both the body and mind. These films run on offline and digital platforms in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand, featuring a sporting personality or celebrity from each of these countries. 

The campaign will be running across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google Discovery as well as on streaming platform Viu. According to a statement shared with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, through out the rest of the year, the focus for brand will be on the “Live Uplifted” brand story, from innovation to products to people. In coming months, the brand will also be working with the youths via its campus advocates program, and strengthen its grassroots activities with athletes across the region.

It will also be beefing up its digital efforts by creating more relevant and interesting content on its brand site as well as revamping our social media content to connect emotionally with the community.

Meanwhile, the films show what goes into the personalities’ hearts and minds as they champion the “Live Uplifted” philosophy, rooted in ASICS’s founding ethos and mantra: “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”. According to ASICS, “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body” is the belief that every time people push their bodies, sweat, and run out of breath, they get happier.

Currently, Malaysia is represented by marathon runner Muhaizar Bin Mohamad, Philippines by national volley captain Aby Marano, Thailand by up and coming tennis sensation Kasidit Samrej, Vietnam by SEA GAMES swimming medallist turned triathlete Lam Quang Nhat and Singapore by Mediacorp Artiste Chantalle Ng. Although the commercial spots specifically spotlight Southeast Asia, it is part of a larger global initiative. In the next few months, several other Southeast Asian sporting and non-sporting personalities will be featured.

Gabriel Yap, regional marketing director of ASICS Asia said: “At ASCIS, we believe that the power of sport can generate an uplift, and movement transforms our mood and changes our outlook toward the world, with our Live Uplifted campaign, we hope to remind audiences that sport goes beyond just a competition, it can inspire and transform you.”

Daniel Wee, creative director of MillStirling AKA NoFinerlife explained the conceptualisation behind the films. “Southeast Asia has a unique heartbeat, the sounds of the hustle and the bustle and the busy rush hour crowds can be somewhat overwhelming. All these distractions and stress, fades away to just the sounds of running footsteps, a tennis ball being hit, a volleyball being smashed, an aero bike gliding pass or your heavy breathing when you let sport uplift you,” he said.

This is not the first time ASICS has partnered with well known influencers and personalities. In 2020, it partnered with five Singapore ambassadors to drive a social media stunt surrounding its new pair of shoes, the GEL-KAYANO27. One of the influencers include Chantelle Ng who is currently starring in one of the brand films. These influencers participated in a virtual relay run on Instagram Stories which drove hype and created a sneaker conversation online.

In 2019, it appointed K-pop group KARD as its brand ambassador in Southeast Asia and commenced a promotional effort for its GEL-BND sneaker collection. Their single "Bomb Bomb", released on 27 March, kicked off the collection launch with the song being used in ASICS' campaign video.

Meanwhile, other sportswear brands have taken a similar approach in marketing their products. Recently, New Balance had rolled out the latest installment of its global "We Got Now" campaign, a 60-second spot. The video featured a series of three vignettes, starred by NBA Champion Kawhi Leonard, singer-songwriter IU, English football players Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka, and its newest ambassador, artist Jack Harlow.

In May, PUMA Southeast Asia activated its female ambassadors across the region to don its shoes and participate in food delivery as part of its #PUMADeliveryRun campaign. The campaign aimed to get as close and personal with its target audience as possible and coincided with the rollout of the brand's female-specific running shoe, the PUMA Run XX Nitro. 

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