For a school group project, involving myself as the team leader, we had to create a new product and create a marketing plan for that product. I came up with the idea to create a new running show which used this new technology called NeverWet superhydrophobic spray-on coating. You may view use of the technology here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is6r6zXFDc.
What I created was a running shoe which would never get wet, or more importantly, never get dirty. I teamed up this technology with ASICS because they create some of the most cutting edge running shoes with the latest technology. I then determined the target market for these shoes to be women, not only because they care about the cleanliness of their shoes more so than men, but because when it comes to purchase athletic shoes, running shoes are the most bought shoe and women buy more than men. I found all this information through databases such as mintel oxygen. I also was the visionary for designing the advertisements. I put a lot of work into this project and feel as if my hard work paid off.
2. 2
ASICS America expenditures: $8,000,000
Budgeting Methodology: Objective & Task
Objectives:
Facilitate successful introduction of new brands
o Brand naming & packaging, advertising, sales promotions, buzz & P-O-P displays
Provide customers with reasons for buying immediately
o Advertising & sales promotions
50
40
10
Overall Budget
Advertising
Sales Promotions
brand naming
35
45
20
Advertising
Television
Print
Online
40
40
10
10
Sales Promotions
P-O-P displays
Events
Buzz
Sweepstakes
3. 3
Budgeting Rational
Advertising expenses require the most funding because of the astronomical costs to
publish an ad. 45% of the advertising is being spent on print advertisements because of the cost
to advertise in the holiday issue of WIRED magazine with a removable insert of the ASICS
Niveus material. A two-inch insert costs $87,500 while advertising on the second cover of the
magazine is an additional $139,219. Two, half page ads are being run in Women‟s Health
magazine in September and November costing $115,445 each. Women‟s Running magazine
does not disclose their media kits, but half page ads will be run in the months September,
October, and November.
In sales promotions P-O-P displays and event sponsorship are being split, both at 40%.
The “water-tank” P-O-P display is very costly, and that is why there is such a large expenditure
for the point-of-purchase displays.
Creative Brief:
Objectives
Increase brand awareness among female runners by 40%
Increase awareness to 80% of ASICS to sports minded public
Increase total sales of ASICS by 15%
Increase awareness of ASICS being the most technologically advanced running shoe
company by 50% of sports minded public
Create 10,000 inquiries about Asics Niveus
o * All objectives are to be completed at the end of the advertising campaign which
ends January 2013
Background
ASICS Niveus uses NeverWet technology to deliver a high performance running shoe,
which is waterproof and does not collect dirt. The focus of this campaign is to convey a
fashionable running shoe, which does not accumulate stains in any way. It will be marketed as a
prestige product only available in ASICS Gold retailers to increase desirability among the target
market.
Target Audience
Athletic woman who are looking for a durable and stylish running shoe who are classified
under the purchasing group called specific stylists. This segment is made up of 18-44 year olds
who are highly likely to rate style and the latest technology.
4. 4
Brand Positioning
High-tech running shoe that does not collect stains or filth.
Uses NeverWet technology to accomplish this goal
No other competitor can claim their product suffices these goals
Customers will perceive ASICS Niveus as the fore-front of sneaker technology
Message Theme
The message themes will consist of using technology to increase the fashion statements
of the shoe in the video advertisements. The print and „still‟ advertisements will use the phrase
“Stays clean… when you want to be dirty” to showcase the cleanliness of the shoe using a risqué
phrase.
Media Considerations
Advertising will commence with on sight sponsorships at events where the target market
will be located. Television advertising will start after buzz of the brand has been created, only
being advertised during specific programs to reach the target market. Print ads will be issued to
create awareness among the target market and to inform them about the technology involved
with the shoe. Online advertising will sway customers to get involved with the social media
around ASICS Niveus and to participate in conversations about the product.
Supports and Constraints
Support: Pre-emptive product and technologically advanced
Constraints: Expensive and limited availability
Advertising Plan:
The focus of the advertisements for Asics Niveus are to show the customer that Asics
new high performance running shoe will be able to withstand harsh conditions and still maintain
an attractive and clean look. We are working towards capitalizing on Asics already existing
mission to strive to build on technological advances and encourage runners through ads in
multiple mediums including media, interactive, and P-O-P advertising, and event marketing and
sponsorship.
Objectives
1. Captivate the target audience with the new technology
2. Reach target audience on an emotional level
3. Reinforce the fact that the sneakers will remain clean and attractive
5. 5
Means-End Chain Model
We will adopt the means-end chain starting with the attribute of the product that generates a
specific customer benefit; that being the super hydrophobic coating that will repel all types of
liquid from the shoe. This eventually processes the desirable end state of keeping a long lasting,
clean, attractive appearance, which is a top concern of the target market.
Appeals
Asics existing use of emotional appeal portrayed in their ads and through their idea of “sound
mind, sound body” has been successful in that they are encouraging a better running
performance for their customers. With the introduction of the Asics Niveus liquid repellant
sneakers, this encouragement continues. Asics is striving to make sure nothing can stop you. The
goal is to continue to make Asics customers emotionally driven to purchase the new product. The
hope is that many personal emotions can be the force of the drive.
Because of the new technology used on the sneakers, a rational appeal will be incorporated so
that the customers can actually understand what exactly the product is and how it works.
Specifically, in the ad that will run in Wired Magazine this appeal will be most suited. Readers
of Wired are highly interested in new technology and this appeal will emphasize on that factor.
A Unique Selling Proposition is put into place through the “test commercial.” Here, the unique
coating of the shoe that allows it to remain dry and clean is verified when a runner runs through a
mud course and comes out with her perfectly clean, white sneakers.
A conative message strategy is used in this campaign in relation to the Asics Facebook page,
where customers can like the page and give their insight on the shoes. The Asics website is also
another place that leads more directly to customers responses. Through their promotional codes,
received when the shoes were purchased, customers can join an online community.
Executional Framework
A demonstration execution will be highly used throughout the campaign. Not only will
this be worked through the test commercial, but also in the P-O-P display and at multiple events.
The P-O-P display will involve a pair of the shoes in a tank of blue water, where they can be
pulled in and out, demonstrating how the sneakers will repel the water and remain unchanged. At
the NYC Marathon there will be different sections of mud, water, dirt, and rocks for the runners
to go through to demonstrate that the shoes can withstand even more than just water. At the
Color Run, the paint and powder that is used there will be set up in different buckets where
people can dip sample shoes in them. People taking part in the Tough Mudder will be hired to
run the course with the Asics Niveus shoes on to demonstrate that that an entire mud course can
be ran without effecting the sneakers. The last event is the Women‟s half marathon where there
will be things such as spaghetti sauce, chocolate syrup, and coffee to be tested on the shoes. This
demonstration is targeted towards older women, such as a mother, proving she can also wear
6. 6
these sneakers while doing household things, such as cooking dinner, and never have to worry
about dirtying them.
Traditional Media Plan:
Traditional Media Plan
TV 35%
Objectives:
Create brand awareness of ASICS Niveus to active females through the vehicle of a desire based
commercial
Increase confidence within audience in product through demonstration
Continuity:
By using a flighting advertising schedule, Niveus commercials will peak in the months of
November and December to reach the target audience in time for the holiday season. There will
be zero expenditures for the month of January 2013
COMMERCIAL: “Test Complete”
ASICS has recently launched a new ad campaign that demonstrates the capabilities of its
footwear. The ads feature real athletes putting the shoes through unbelievable tests including
the “Jack Hammer Test” (showing shock absorption), the “Draining Water Test” (showing
advanced draining system), and the “Sink or Sprint Test” (showing stability). ASICS Niveus will
have one of these unconventional and mind-boggling stunts to demonstrate the impressive
repellency of the product.
Vehicles:
Sunday Night Football
Media Mix
TV
Print
Online
7. 7
o According to NBC, in addition to being the top rated show in primetime, Sunday Night
Football is the third most popular primetime show among women aged 18-49.
o 30 seconds of prime time commercial time during the fourth quarter (October-
December) for a cost of $132,300.
ESPN
Buying an early morning time slot on ESPN will increase the chances of the commercial
being seen by dedicated runners at the gym in the morning. Choosing ESPN as the
vehicle will help direct the commercial to athletes who enjoy watching sports
Dancing with the Stars
Vehicle will attract women that find activity entertaining. These are also trend-conscious
women so they are interested in fashion. The show runs for three months long. Overall,
there will be 12 commercials through the vehicle (one a week).
Print 45%
Objectives:
Create awareness of brand with the association of a reliable and top of mind magazine for target
audience
Remind audiences of product’s existence
Vehicles:
Women’s Running Magazine
o Use the special interest of activity to appeal to target audience via women’s running
magazines
o Provide one ad for each monthly issues for the months of September, October, and
November
o Women’s Running
Women’s Health Magazine
o Use the special interest of activity to appeal to target audience via women’s running
magazines
o Provide one ad for the September and November editions
o Psychographics:
Fashion forward/style conscious
Tech savy
Driven, Ambitious, Natural Leaders
Adventure seekers
WIRED Magazine
o Help product to appear technologically advanced if it is in a technology magazine
o End of November to create awareness before holidays
o 75% male readers - Potential gifts for husbands reading Wired
o Total audience: 3,233,000
o Median age: 34
8. 8
Online 20%
Objectives:
Create a dialogue between customer and brand
Develop brand loyalty after purchase
Advertise personal success stories of satisfied customers
Vehicles:
MapMyRun
MapMyRun.com is a running and fitness website owned and operated by MapMyFitness.com.
The MapMyFitness Network gets more than 12 million pageviews a month with more than 1.3
million Absolute Unique Visitors a month. By posting a banner ad for ASICS Niveus on this
vehicle, female runners from the target audience using this site will be exposed to it the new
product.
Facebook
Creating a social media page on Facebook will gather a band of loyal followers as well as provide
customers with a place to share personal experiences with the product.
Twitter
o Providing updates on new sweepstakes and product news
YouTube
o Gives audience voluntary access to product commercials and video segments of interest
to them
o Brand name provides entertainment
Interactive / Alternative Marketing Plan:
The use of technology makes up a large portion of our Integrated Marketing
Communications plan. Online tools such as a website allow a forum to take place where
customers can log in to participate in conversations about the brand. An online branded
community is created through a code located in the shoe box after a customer purchases the
shoes. They can then log onto asicsniveus.com and plug into the code for access to an exclusive
community. Within in this community sweepstakes will be run using other elements of social
media. For example, by liking the ASICS Niveus Facebook page that customer will be placed in
a pool to win other ASICS merchandise. The same can be done by tagging ASICS Niveus in a
tweet, or by following the Twitter page. These types of sweepstakes will also be conducted on
the app Instagram where customers can follow our picture feed and “tag” ASICS Niveus in
pictures involving usage of the shoes. This product is an excellent candidate for buzz marketing
because the target market has interests in technology and is most likely connected on these social
networking websites already. A majority of Instagram users are female which the target market
is for ASICS Niveus.
9. 9
Sales Promotion Plan:
ASICS‟ sales promotion goals are to make the product interactive and enticing. ASICS also
wants their product to be so intriguing that they want to encourage their consumers to make an
effort to find and try the Niveus. ASICS will achieve these specific goals through their
interactive on-sight displays at running events as well as the Point-of-Purchase displays. The
Point-of-Purchase display will show the shoe dipped in blue water and coming out dry and clean.
The specific combination of sales promotional tools…
Events and Sponsorships
Allocating 40% of overall budget
Point-of-Purchase Display
Allocating 40% of overall budget to the construction and placement of displays
Buzz Marketing
Allocating 10% of overall budget to Buzz
Sweepstakes
Allocating 10% of the overall budget to sweepstakes in the exclusive buyer community
ASICS will reinforce these promotions through their Facebook, Website and Twitter- by liking
these online elements it will notify consumers about upcoming events and make them eligible to
compete in sweepstakes. These promotions will also coincide with our Interactive/Alternative
Marketing Plan because they contain the elements needed for Buzz Marketing and the Point-of-
Purchase displays.
Events and Sponsorships Plan:
ASICS will become sponsors of major running events as a tactic to reach their target market.
ASICS decided to go specifically with running events because they will be able to sort out the
serious athletes from the rest. Their sponsorships will also coincide with on sight stations that
will take place at the end of every race. This marketing strategy will help them to get a one-on-
one with their target market as well as breaking through clutter and getting a first-hand look at
their markets reaction to the product, while continuing to reach to new customers.
ASICS has decided to allot an allowance of 5,000$ a year to event sponsorships and interactive
displays. ASICS will determine how big an event and interactive booth will be based on the size
of the event, if it is a minimal event such as the color run the station will be small, and if it is a
larger event such as the New York City Marathon, the station will be much larger.
Objectives for their Events and Sponsorships
10. 10
Reinforce brand image with the loyal sports minded public
Increase image awareness and name visibility for services and products
Generate goodwill throughout the Nationwide running community
The Color Run Philadelphia
The Color Run is ASICS first event during their campaign for NIVEUS, taking place in
Philadelphia on July 8,
2012. Due to the fact that the color run is not a serious run and attracts
many different types of runners rather than a more serious community, they will not be
sponsoring the event. However, they will be having an interactive display at the conclusion of
the race to build awareness of the brand and the use new technology in the ASICS running shoe.
ASICS‟ tent will be color fun with free water available for runners. The color run will then
supply the ASICS tent with the powders and paints that are thrown onto the runners during their
run to allow the people who come up to the interactive display to take a sample pair of the
ASICS NIVEUS and dip them into to buckets of color. The consumers will then be able to see
how the color slides right off and how it stays shiny and clean.
Lady Speed Stick Women’s Half Marathon
…Featured in Women’s Running Magazine
The Lady Speed Stick Women‟s Half Marathon is an event that is advertised through
Women‟s Running Magazine which is one of our advertisement outlets. It will be ASICS second
event of their NIVEUS campaign, taking place in Bloomington Minnesota on August 26th
2012.
This run is the only run that is specifically for women which is perfect for our marketing strategy
due to our target market of women ages 18 to 44. Our interactive display at the conclusion of the
race will be eye catching and enticing to our consumer. ASICS‟ interactive display is more
specific because this run is so in contact with their specific target market. Women will then be
11. 11
able to pour many different types of elements onto the shoe, such as spaghetti sauce, chocolate
syrup and coffee, this will show how many obstacles in your life and your run can‟t compete
with the technology of the shoe.
Tough Mudder Run
The Tough Mudder is the second to last event sponsorship of their campaign, unlike the
other events the Tough Mudder will take place on the West Coast in Northern California on
Saturday September 29 & Sunday September 30, 2012. This will be ASICS‟ most unique event,
due to minimal sponsorship but a big impact. ASICS will hire a team of people to run the tough
mudder- these specific runners will be wearing the shoes, that will then become noticeable to
other runners because of the fact that they repel dirt; by the end of the race other runners will be
eager to know where they got those shoes. In order to make this an effective marketing strategy
ASICS will enter runners to participate both days of the event. The pink ASICS tent will attract
women runners where they will be met with water and towels- the interactive display will consist
of a bucket of mud which runners will be able to dip the NIVEUS in and see the results as they
pull them out.
The New York Marathon
The New York Marathon is ASICS biggest sponsorship of their advertisement campaign.
A majority of their budget will go towards making sure all the runners get to experience the new
technology of the ASICS NIVEUS shoe. The New York Marathon will be taking place on
November 4, 2012; it will be the last event of ASICS campaign and the most elaborate. The
Advertisement and interactive station will be held on 70th
street alongside Central Park after the
finish line and consist of a table, under a pink tent with ASICS NIVEUS‟ logo as well as free
water for the runners (the pink tent will help to attract their target market of Women runners).
ASICS will then have sample sizes of NIVEUS ranging from sizes 5.5-10 in Women‟s. The
interactive display and featured running course will be about 20 feet long and 4 feet wide, it will
have different sections of mud, water, dirt and rocks will allow the runners to jog through and
12. 12
see the amazing technology and cleanliness of the shoe after running through all the different
types of terrain.
IMC Evaluations:
ASICS will determine as to whether or not their Niveus campaign was successful based upon
their social networking outlets. The Facebook page, Twitter, ASICS Niveus Website and
Exclusive Customer Community will allow ASICS to track the reviews of customers after their
purchase of the Niveus. ASICS will also receive reports on the purchase history of the ASICS
Niveus at their exclusive Gold Locations. ASICS will be able to see as to whether the demand
for the shoe is high or becoming stagnant.
ASCIS is planning on testing the creative elements through their different media outlets, event
sponsorships and on location interactive displays. ASICS will frequently run different tests to
keep the target market interested in the product, and keeping an update on the technology.
ASICS commercials impact their target market because they are short and to the point, only
featuring women. ASICS most creative elements lie within their on-location events because they
never have the same interactive display and get a first-hand look on the reactions of their
potential target market.
Objective (1):Increase Brand Awareness among women runners by 40%
Marketing the Niveus from a fashion and emotional appeal
Advertisements on networks that run shows such as “Dancing with the Stars” and Sunday
Night Football.
Running Advertisements in magazines that specifically appeal to women, such as
“Women‟s Running Magazine” and “Women‟s Health.”
Having all on-sight event tents colored Pink.
Featuring only women in all of their Advertisements.
Objective (2):Increase Awareness of ASICS by 80% to a Sports Minded Public
Participating, Sponsoring and being on-location at major running events.
Running advertisements on ESPN and during Football season.
Showing advertisements (banner ads, facebook and YouTube “mini-mercials”) on
specific websites based and before YouTube video‟s based on the user‟s internet history.
Advertising in Running and Health Magazines such as Women‟s Health and Women‟s
Running Magazine.
Objective (3):Increase Total sales of ASICS by 15%
13. 13
Introducing the technology of the Niveus to the massive running community and bringing
awareness to the ASICS brand.
Even if consumers don‟t necessarily purchase the ASICS Niveus they will view ASICS
as one of the most technologically advanced footwear companies, pulling them apart
from the competition.
Objective (4):Increase awareness of ASICS as the most technologically advanced running shoe
by 50% of a Sports Minded Public
Advertising in “Wired” magazine which appeals to an older and technologically
interested crowd.
Advertising in Women‟s Health and Women‟s Running which appeals to a very active
community.
Including fabric samples in our Wired Advertisements, so consumers can experience the
fabric of the shoe before the purchase.
Objective (5): Create up to 10,000 inquires of ASICS Niveus
Usage of Facebook “likes” and website traffic to see exactly what their target market
wants.
Usage of the Point of Purchase display to create interest in the Niveus.
Appendix:
Story Board for TV Ad
Scene 1: Camera pans over a grassy field on an overcast day. The trees in the distance are
swaying from the windas a female runner stands in front of a mud course.
Scene 2: Camera cuts to a profile view of the woman runner as she crouches into a sprinting
position. The words “MUD TEST” come up across the screen
Scene 3: The woman starts sprinting through the mud course. Her shoes are not visible as she is
sprinting, while mud is being tossed up into the air covering the runner. Camera slows down to
show the mud rippling and exploding up onto her.
Scene 4: The camera is in front of the runner as she comes sprinting towards it and pans over her
head and then back down showing the back of the runner.
Scene 5: Camera zooms in and slows down on her shoes as she steps out of the course. All the
mud completely falls off her shoes, in slow motion, leaving them perfectly white.
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Scene 6: The woman is standing with her hands on her hips, completely covered in mud, while
her shoes stay entirely clean. The words “TEST COMPLETE” come across the screen.
Scene 7: Screen goes dark with ASICS Niveus being highlighted in blue. The words “to see
more visit asicsniveus.com” come across the screen and the ad ends.
Website
Customer Loyalty Program
