In this summer of competition, ASICS tells a story about the struggle of an athlete with an “unquenchable fire”

Text | freelee

Overcoming numerous challenges, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics finally came to a successful conclusion. From the European Cup, America's Cup to the Olympic Games, the summer sports craze that has been postponed for a year still leaves many classic moments for sports fans to remember. We therefore lament that sports always embody the essence of the beautiful values ??of human society. The superb skills and sportsmanship of athletes once again tell us who are experiencing the haze of the epidemic that the perseverance, enterprising spirit, cooperation, unity and other qualities shown in the sports arena are the driving force for the continuous advancement of human society.

Sports Every exciting moment on the field originates from the athletes' desire to stand on the field. ASICS, a gold-level sponsor of the Tokyo Olympics and a well-known sports brand, calls this passion for sports "heart fire". This summer, ASICS China launched a brand activity with the theme of "The Fire Will Never Go Out", hoping to celebrate the return of the competition with the public and encourage more people to actively become practitioners of sports.

Two fists collided, igniting the "fire in the heart"

The first shot of the "fire in the heart" started in early July. On July 2, a series of products called "CELEBRATION OF SPORT" was launched globally. The products cover shoes and apparel in multiple categories such as functional running, ball sports, and trendy lifestyle, including many classic and best-selling shoes such as GEL-KAYANO 28, NOVABLAST 2, and GEL-KAYANO 14. ASICS hopes that the public can achieve physical and mental refreshment by participating in various sports.

The "Keeping Fire" campaign specifically for Chinese sports fans was officially launched on July 26. The representative symbol of "the fire in the heart is not extinguished" is the collision of two fists in front of the chest, which means that the fire in the heart is ignited at the first touch. In the themed commercial released that day, four Chinese athletes Zhang Hong, Liu Hong, Huang Jinlian, and Sun Wei transformed into animated "Asics Gods of War" and passed on the fire of sports spirit in their hearts through a series of fist bumping ceremonies. Eventually delivered to the vast community of sports fans.

ASICS has selected several distinctive platforms to further share the different expressions of sports "inner fire". Zhang Hong, Sun Wei, famous rhythmic gymnast Zhang Doudou and up-and-coming rhythmic gymnast Guo Meilin appeared as guests in the special Olympics issue of GQ magazine, appearing as athletes to give their own opinions. Sports blogger Qiu Ming, founder of Shanghai's local cycling team INFERIST Yang Wenguang, and senior camping expert Cang Teacher appeared on the youth culture video media AYKES as pioneers of trendy sports life, discussing how to help more people break through daily life by releasing sports energy. The shackles of life.

The voices of representatives of athletes and sports experts finally converged on social networks and became the trigger for the topic of "the burning heart never goes out". In particular, the "Heart Fire Challenge" launched by ASICS on Weibo and Douyin attracted people from modern dance masters to martial arts enthusiasts, from strong deadlift guys to homely and enthusiastic ladies, etc., who all showed up to fist bump. . Both participants and spectators can feel that the passion for sports has so many forms of expression.

Four athletes participating in the promotion of "The Fire Will Not Die"

The final climax of "The Fire Will Not Die" was set off on August 3, when young actor Liu Haoyuan appeared in Arthur It’s a great day for scholars to get together. Liu Haoyuan practiced basketball in his early years. After moving to the entertainment industry, he hoped to transform his past challenging spirit on the court into a positive image of his idol and inspire more supporters. Liu Haoyuan shared sports stories about "challenges" in the brand live broadcast room, while recommending "CELEBRATION OF SPORT" products with different positioning suitable for professional needs or public experience, helping sports fans to keep their passion for sports supported by high-quality equipment. The next thing is more spontaneous.

The classic slogan returns to strengthen the body and mind

The competition has been postponed due to the epidemic, and the "fire" of athletes has also been suppressed. The summer competition returns in 2021, and the "inner fire" is burning brightly again.

ASICS has a brand slogan, "SOUND MIND, SOUND BODY", the official Chinese version is "a sound spirit in a strong body". In the process of restarting the competition in the past year and in the recently concluded competition, the tenacious fighting spirit and tenacity have continued to emerge, which indeed reflects the inner strength of athletes.

Italy's Jacobs won the Olympic 100-meter championship wearing an ASICS shirt

At the beginning of 2021, ASICS announced that it would reiterate the brand concept of "SOUND MIND, SOUND BODY" , inspiring athletes to bravely face the test of special times. The "Keeping Fire in the Heart" that begins in summer is an extension of the spirit of "SOUND MIND, SOUND BODY" and a concrete reflection of the brand's concept in a special period. Past sports experiences have created the first spark of "inner fire" in people's hearts. Contact gradually turns into love, and the "heart fire" becomes stronger and stronger. After the outbreak of the epidemic, the surging fire energy drove athletes to work hard for the return of competition enthusiasm. Now that everyone has finally overcome many obstacles and returned to the sports field they longed for, this is the effect of the full release of the power of "heart fire".

The stories of outstanding athletes have become the best interpretation of the concept of "keep the fire burning". Several "Inner Fire" athlete ambassadors represent different possibilities of releasing "Inner Fire". Winter Olympics gold medalist Zhang Hong has transformed from short track speed skating to speed skating to reach the pinnacle of her sports career, and now she is a member of the International Olympic Committee. She has always kept the fire of sports burning on different "tracks". In the five years since Liu Hong realized her gold medal dream in Rio, she has experienced new chapters in her life, including becoming a mother, but her passion for the competition has never diminished, and she still has a strong figure in the Tokyo competition this time. The wheelchair tennis player's golden chain will also appear in Tokyo. No matter her personal physical defects or the changes in the sports landscape caused by the epidemic, they cannot dampen her determination to use sports as a carrier to ignite the value of life. Fencing star Sun Wei started practicing fencing at the age of 10. In his nearly two decades of fencing career, he has carved sports as his eternal life partner. Life is endless, and the inner fire of sports will never be extinguished. In the name of the initiator of ASICS "Heart Fire", Sun Wei joined the ranks of event promotions.

Sports fans can find reflections of their own lives in the stories of athletes. Some people are forced to give up their favorite projects in the past because of sports trauma, but they continue to find the joy of sports in the process of experiencing new projects; some people are surrounded by more trivial matters in work and life as their life stages change, but they will not stop using regular exercise to wake up. In your own heart; some people persist in a certain sport or habit for many years, and they can still be high-spirited on the field of life no matter at a certain stage of their lives... The stories of athletes' "unquenchable fire" are actually the stories of you and me.

Auntie Ke, a trendy fashionista, also joined the "Heartfire" promotion.

She represents "the athletes around you and me"

"Heartfire" The excitement brought by the "Fire Never Goes Out" theme to ordinary athletes has become a catalyst for the strong fermentation of related topics online. The atmosphere of the competition itself is lively, and the enthusiasm of the public for sports is also high. The "Xinhuo Challenge" on Weibo's Douyin provides the public with a channel to vent their sports enthusiasm with simple rules but conducive to releasing creativity or displaying skills. Thousands of participants in the event have in turn strengthened the theme of "the fire in the heart never goes out" - the public recognizes the concept of "the fire in the heart never goes out" and actively participates in the "fire in the heart challenge"; the more participants, the more it explains Enthusiasm for sports is widespread, which proves that the "fire" is hidden in the hearts of the public.

In the context of experiencing the challenges of a special period, the scene of the release of "inner fire" is even more touching.

In a period when global sports events are suspended and the general public is restricted by various epidemic prevention measures and lacks space for free exercise, "heart fire" is the inner spiritual support for athletes to remain optimistic and constantly strive for self-improvement. The sports event in which all the people are passionately involved has finally made the "inner fire" no longer just hidden in the heart, but spread infinitely through exciting competitions, warm cheers and the public's personal participation in sports. The strong body and sound spirit pursued by ASICS' philosophy are most profoundly tempered at this moment.

Gathering diverse products and expanding the circle

A sound spirit itself is the unanimous pursuit of people. ASICS proposes using a strong body to exercise a sound mind, which means activating the enthusiasm for sports among more different groups. It is not just an individual action during the "burning heart" period, but the long-term persistence of the brand.

ASICS’ operation strategy in the Chinese market in recent years also hopes to inject the spirit of sports into a wider group of people. For example, in terms of products, ASICS continues to enrich its product positioning and provide high-tech products, including professional athletes, daily exercisers, and trendy people who are passionate about free and energetic styles, etc., into its service groups.

METASPEED racing shoes served Olympic triathlon men’s and women’s champions

During the Tokyo Olympics, many teams and athletes sponsored by ASICS achieved great results. According to statistics from Sports Big Business's "2020 Tokyo Olympic Sports Brand Value List", there are 23 gold, 14 silver and 24 bronze medalists wearing ASICS competition uniforms during the competition. There are countless outstanding athletes who use ASICS boots. For example, the men's and women's triathlon champions all crossed the finish line wearing ASICS METASPEED racing shoes.

The METASPEED series uses FF BLAST TURBO midsole, which is ASICS' lightest and most resilient midsole material to date. It can be said to be the brainchild of using advanced sports technology to help top athletes. China's hard-core running enthusiasts can also easily obtain the same boots worn by Olympic champions to help improve their personal performance.

ASICS and CHEMIST CREATIONS joint products

As opposed to hard-core sports, the trendy lifestyle series is another direction of ASICS’ efforts. Targeting China's cutting-edge young group, ASICS has launched co-branded products with international and local fashion brands, such as FLAGSTUFF, CHEMIST CREATIONS, BALLAHOLIC, F/CE x COSTS, etc. The design and communication of joint products integrate the creativity and expression of young people, and can inspire young people to enter a sports-inspired life anytime and anywhere.

The data from this Juhuasuan Happy Reunion Day reflects the increasing enthusiasm for sports among female consumer groups and young consumer groups. Female consumers of ASICS Juhuasuan Happy Reunion Day accounted for 44 of the total consumers, an increase of 7.3 compared to 2020 on "Tmall 618". Consumers in the 18-29 age group accounted for 48, an increase of 9 compared to 2020.

Zhang Hong appeared in "GQ" magazine,

Excellent female athletes have great appeal to female consumers

While the circle is expanding, consumers' Consumption power is also increasing. The proportion of consumers who spend more than 1,000 yuan per month accounts for 62, an increase of 24 compared with 2020. Diverse products provide consumers with diverse choices, allowing consumers to purchase different types of products according to their needs in different scenarios, thereby increasing the unit price per customer.

Enrich marketing methods and stick to the concept

Parallel to product development is marketing. ASICS uses the same rich marketing methods to expand the breadth of reaching groups.

In terms of marketing channels, ASICS has been promoting digital innovation in recent years. Last year, Sports Big Business reported that ASICS participated in Tmall Super Product Day for the first time and made efforts in the e-commerce field (Extended reading: First appearance on Tmall Super Product Day, ASICS "breaks the dimension" to explore digital transformation). Judging from ASICS' 2020 financial report, the development of e-commerce in the Chinese market has indeed achieved good results. ASICS Greater China's annual net sales of running products increased by 26.3% compared with the previous year, becoming the regional market with the strongest growth in this category. It also drove ASICS' overall Greater China net sales to increase by 6.4%. The financial report specifically pointed out that "Sales through live stream" (Sales through live stream) has made an outstanding contribution to China's sales performance. The e-commerce sales growth in Greater China reached 39.8% throughout the year.

Liu Haoyuan appeared at the Juhuasuan Reunion Day

Compared with the 2020 Tmall Super Product Day, which is a brand activity focused on the e-commerce platform, this time the "heart fire never goes out" marketing It belongs to an overall brand marketing plan with a wider span. Among them, the main online fermentation platforms are Weibo and Douyin. These two platforms not only gather the largest online groups in China, but also touch a wide range of people types. Thanks to this, "The Fire in the Heart" can truly achieve the grand occasion of "suitable for both men, women and children". By successfully reaching online users, a new group of offline sports enthusiasts will be added in the future. ASICS' passion for serving a variety of people is demonstrated.

In terms of marketing cooperation, ASICS insists on choosing partners with diverse labels. For example, Tmall Super Product Day uses the slogan "Breaking Dimensions" and invites representatives from the traditional sports world, the emerging e-sports world, the entertainment world, and the popular youth culture world to participate in the promotion. This shows ASICS' recognition of different cultural circles and reflects ASICS' efforts to inject sports trends into different cultural circles.

ASICS sponsors the CAAU National Youth Basketball League

In adhering to the brand concept, ASICS also cooperated with King's College London to develop a digital testing service. This service records the changes in the tester's mental state before and after exercise by scanning facial micro-expressions, asking questions, etc., generates a multi-dimensional emotional comparison of the tester before and after exercise, and explores the positive impact of exercise on the spirit.

Committed to developing diversified positioning products, long-term exploration of diversified communication channels, and actively working with diverse sports representatives, ASICS’ increasingly enriched product system and marketing demonstrates the brand’s consistent loyalty to the concept of “SOUND MIND, SOUND BODY” . The Tokyo Olympic flame has now been extinguished, but accompanied by ASICS’ call to “keep the fire alive”, this summer of competition remains unforgettable. The competition is over and the movement continues. "The Fire in the Heart" not only praises athletes for their perseverance in the darkest moments of the past year, but more importantly calls on the public to maintain sports awareness, let the fiery inner power always stir up, and let sports always inspire People are enterprising and let people always win a sound spirit from a strong body.