The Brief

ASICS is a brand known for its innovative use of technology. Our objective was to create a powerful demonstration of this, by connecting competitors with their supporters like never before, while maximising their key sponsorship of the 2011 Gold Coast Marathon.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Running can be a solitary sport. We wanted a way to employ the technological innovation for which ASICS is famed, to connect runners with family and friends when it counted the most. Targeting the Gold Coast Marathon, we used the runners’ RFID timing chips to connect their runs with Facebook. It allowed them to automatically post pre-written messages to their pages along with time, distance and live location data, at checkpoints throughout the race. Similarly, friends were able to upload videos of support, which were triggered to play as runners approached giant screens along the course.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The success of the ASICS ‘Run With Me’ campaign was quantified by the volume of supporter content created and the number of runners who connected their race to Facebook for real-time updates. Six thousand messages of support were uploaded to the micro-site. One thousand video messages were created at the event, with 35% of runners receiving video support. 15% of the entire field connected their run on Facebook. This generated thousands of unique status updates from inside the race and tens of thousands of return comments from friends and family.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

By integrating the world of social networking with a major marathon, the promotion effectively showcased ASICS’ technological heritage in a way that was not only relevant to their key audience, but effectively proved ASICS really understood the running community and what drives them.