ASICS connects influential street-style bloggers with online treasure hunt to find 1980s icons

www.amsterdamworldwide.com
http://leftright.asics.eu/

Amsterdam Worldwide, the international communications agency, is targeting influential street-style bloggers with an interactive blog hunt for ASICS’ SportStyle leisure footwear range.

Bloggers will receive two separate halves of ten one-off, 1980s-inspired icons, which have been restyled using rapid-prototyping technology, and are invited to use their community of readers and online network to locate the missing pieces.  The halves will be exchanged at the end of next week leaving bloggers with a unique design object.

The models include Back to the Future’s DeLorean car, a Rubik’s Cube, an Atari joystick, a BMX bike, and a Yamaha keyboard.  Each model is packaged in a cage-like graphite-coloured mesh, which bloggers have to crack open. The casing also features a plaque with a personal message, in the blogger’s own language, signed by ASICS.

This blogger outreach is the latest phase of Amsterdam Worldwide’s “Left and Right” strategy for ASICS SportStyle, unveiled in February. The pan-European campaign saw unique pairings and relationships brought together to create something more than the sum of their two parts, in print, online and in-store. That campaign included four executions, called ‘Adam & Eve,’ ‘Up & Down,’ ‘Art & Science’ and ‘East & West’ and features the end line: ‘What’s a left without a right?’

Bloggers were selected for their influence and understanding of ASICS’

target audience: dynamic men and women in their late twenties or early thirties, and to represent a cross section of different countries. The bloggers and the journey of each half can be followed at http://leftright.asics.eu/.

The blogs are: Highsnobiety, LimitedHype, FormFiftyFive, Freshngood, MZEE, Frizzifrizzi, StyleSpion, HypeQuest, BHmagazine and Fubiz.

The campaign will culminate in mid May when all the pieces have to be traded and Amsterdam Worldwide has arranged for couriers to manage the exchange. All participants can keep their complete 1980s model icon, the only one of its kind.

Andrew Watson, creative director at Amsterdam Worldwide, said: “We have taken an intelligent approach to working with bloggers, who are the voice of today’s consumer culture. We wanted to engage with street and style bloggers on their own terms, invite them to play a game with their peers in order to encourage a debate about ASICS SportStyle. We hope bloggers will be intrigued, have a laugh and enjoy the rewards for taking part in the quest.”

Maximilian A. Keen, marketing manager for ASICS BV, said: “ASICS appreciates the influence of bloggers and blogging.  Our products are discussed at length online and it’s imperative that we engage with bloggers, listen to their feedback and actively encourage honest opinions about our products.  The blog hunt is a bit of fun and reignites our “Left and Right” campaign among an influential group of people.”

The ASICS Sportstyle “Left and Right” Icons

·          De Lorean car

·         Yamaha Keytar

·         Atari joystick

·         Boombox stereo

·         3-D View master

·         C90 cassette

·         Rubiks cube

·         Casio digital watch

·         BMX bike

·         First generation mobile phone

For more information contact Mark Terry-Lush or Naomi Attard on +44

(0)1452 760 147 or +44 (0)7740 432 112. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

ABOUT AMSTERDAM WORLDWIDE

The full-service, international communications agency was founded in

1999 by CEO Brian Elliott and re-branded as Amsterdam Worldwide in 2008.

Amsterdam Worldwide has created highly original, entertaining and engaging work for some of the world’s most respected brands, including Pernod Ricard’s Ararat, ASICS, Chevrolet, Coca Cola, Heineken, Hoegaarden, IKEA, Mitsubishi, Onitsuka Tiger, Opel, Sony Ericsson and Panasonic. Amsterdam Worldwide’s multi-cultural strategic, creative, digital, media and management teams work in collaboration with clients and agency partners to create highly effective, integrated pan-European and global campaigns. For more than nine years the agency has built passionate customer relationships, delivering results for clients who think big and are open to the innovative and unconventional.

Amsterdam Worldwide’s Made of Japan strategy for ASICS’ Onitsuka Tiger and two campaigns – Baseman and Electric Tiger Land – have won various awards including a Silver Cyber Lion at CannesMeribel 2008. 2008 and Best Integrated Multimedia Campaign at

ABOUT ASICS

Anima Sana In Corpore Sano – A sound mind in a sound body. 60 years ago, in 1949, Kihachiro Onitsuka founded the forerunner of ASICS, Onitsuka Ltd., introducing its first pair of shoes. Since then a lot has changed, except ASICS’ commitment to offer the finest and most innovative sportswear products. Today, ASICS is represented on every continent. In constant dialogue with professional and amateur athletes, ASICS translates technology into sophisticated and functional products for a large number of sports. www.asics.com