We always love seeing new and innovative ways brands engage with their audiences and Asics has just brought location targeting and audience engagement to the next level.
Their latest, integrated marketing campaign #IMoveLondon in our opinion is brilliant. It is addressed to all Londoners and celebrates movement and active living and being Londoners it really resonates with us.
The brand has relaunched and broadened its appeal by creating a more emotional connection with its audience.
https://web.archive.org/web/20201120192011/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_GHOedHGzM
The London targeted campaign (below) is part of the global #IMoveMe campaign and incorporates research, a series of brand films, events, Spotify playlists and ads, social media, influencer marketing and athlete sponsorships.
The idea behind the campaign is to inspire Londoners to get off transports and get moving, for their physical and mental health and by using geo-location targeting, Asics are ensuring they are reaching a relevant audience.
The brand also partnered with SMSB (Sounds Mind, Sounds Body) to create a session of free fitness classes in London for the month of August. This, in particular, seems to be one of the most tangible aspects of #IMoveLondon, as it brings the online campaign to a real physical community.
Launched less than a month ago, it’s hard to predict the success or failure of the campaign. What we know is that it has already generated a lot of buzz online and we believe it has all it takes to succeed.
Londoners don’t move as much as they would simply because they don’t have enough time. Add to that the fact that the commute to and from the office is a real struggle for the London citizen.
We aren’t talking about traditional demographics here. The campaign is addressed to a very specific audience with a particular lifestyle and even more particular issues. Londoners spend an average of 1 hour a day commuting and, constantly busy, can hardly find time to exercise.
An Asics-commissioned survey revealed 93% of Londoners believe moving improves their mood and 73% of them don’t exercise as much as they would want due to lack of time.
The campaign aims to give Londoners a new awareness and an opportunity to change their life for better. So let’s all put our trainers on and turn our city into our gym!
The campaign creates a community of people sharing the same passion for an active, healthy lifestyle.
Participants are highly committed to the brand, join the #IMoveLondon movement, share their experience or workout on social media and become brand ambassadors.
Yes? Well, that’s because it’s not the first time we’ve seen sports brands interacting with their audiences in this way.
The first example that comes to mind is Nike’s ‘emotional branding’.The brand is already renowned for its digital campaigns but what’s relevant here is their ability to create genuine emotional connections with their audience.
The Nike+ Run Club, just to name one, is a great example of audience engagement. These running events take place all over the world.
The brand has successfully built a global community of athletes united by the same love for running, no matter what their age or skill level is.
Over time, there’s been an increase in the number of fitness brands moving towards a more ‘emotional branding’ and trying to create a dialogue with their audiences. However, it’s important to remember who these audiences are and what they care about the most.
Sport is all about inclusion and participation, it’s getting together. That’s the message fitness brands should communicate and that’s partly what Asics is trying to do with its #IMoveLondon campaign.
It’s what we are all about so we like to see brands interacting with their audiences in innovative ways to build valuable relationships and brand loyalty.
Marketing today is about creating a dialogue with potential customers by engaging with them in meaningful conversations. It means sharing valuable and enjoyable experiences with them and creating a sense of belonging. It’s going beyond focusing on the products and instead focusing on people’s emotional needs.
That’s what it takes to win the hearts and minds of today’s customers and is what we do at To The End.
