ASICS Training - What's Next - Ad Analysis
AI Editor notes
Straight from the gut!!
“This feels like ASICS saw what Nike and Under Armour were doing and said, 'we need one of those.' It's a solid, well-made montage of sweaty, attractive athletes being gritty. The spoken-word track is the best part—it has a cool rhythm. But if you swapped the logo at the end for a swoosh, I wouldn't blink. It gets the job done for entering the training space, but it doesn't create a new conversation.”
Quick Summary
This ad successfully repositions ASICS from a brand known solely for running into a credible, hardcore training brand. It does this by adopting the gritty, motivational montage style popular in the category, using a roster of elite athletes to signal that its new training collection is built for the most demanding workouts, all anchored by the simple, powerful idea of always pushing for 'What's Next'.
Executive Summary
The Core Insight: The Finish Line is Just a Starting Block
At the heart of this ASICS campaign is a simple, powerful truth about serious athletes: progress is a perpetual cycle, not a destination. The moment one goal is achieved, the mind is already on the next. The satisfaction comes from the pursuit itself—the endless grind of 'bettering your best'. The ad taps into the mindset that true performance is defined not by the trophy, but by the relentless question, "What's next?"
The Execution: A Rhythmic Assault on Complacency
The ad is a classic, high-energy montage, a format well-suited for establishing a brand's ethos. The structure is built around a rhythmic, spoken-word poem that acts as both a soundtrack and a narrative engine. This isn't a story with a beginning, middle, and end; it's a loop, mirroring the athlete's continuous cycle of training.
-
Hook: The ad opens with a grainy, intense shot of Lolo Jones, immediately establishing a raw, unpolished tone. [1] The driving beat and the opening lines—"Next push, next pull, next battle with the bull"—grab the viewer with their cadence and energy, promising an intense experience. There's no gentle build-up; the viewer is dropped directly into the middle of a workout.
-
Value & Proof: The bulk of the 60-second spot is a rapid-fire sequence of various elite athletes pushing their limits. We see parachute sprints, sled pulls, pull-ups under bridges, and weightlifting in stark, industrial gyms. [1] The use of multiple ASICS-sponsored athletes, from track and field stars to football players, serves as proof that the new training collection is versatile and tough enough for any discipline. The visual style—shot with a mix of cameras including Super 16mm film—gives the ad a gritty, authentic texture that feels earned, not staged. The constant visual motion, paired with the relentless VO, reinforces the core value: ASICS provides the gear for this non-stop journey of improvement.
-
Ask: The call to action is twofold. The athletes themselves repeatedly ask, "What's next?", implicitly challenging the viewer to adopt the same mindset. The commercial then provides a direct, albeit simple, answer with an end card showing
asicstraining.com. The final shot is the ASICS logo, firmly branding this entire philosophy of relentless improvement.
The Debrief: Borrowing Codes to Build Credibility
For a brand trying to break into a new category (cross-training) dominated by giants like Nike and Under Armour, this was a smart, if safe, play. By adopting the established visual language of the hardcore training world—the grit, the sweat, the montage, the elite athletes—ASICS immediately signals that it belongs. The campaign's strength lies in its execution. The direction is stylish, the editing is sharp, and the custom music track is a distinctive asset that drives the film. [1] It successfully communicates that ASICS understands the soul of a true athlete and is launching a product line to match that spirit. The goal wasn't to reinvent the sports ad; it was to prove ASICS could make one as compelling as the market leaders, thereby earning a spot in the consumer's consideration set for training gear.
Theme Keywords
Brand Position
ASICS is the authentic brand for the athlete obsessed with the process of continuous improvement.
Brand Archetype
The Hero
Creative Game Plan
Establish ASICS as a serious training brand by capturing the relentless, cyclical nature of athletic improvement through a raw, high-energy montage.
Diagnosis: Issues & Solutions
Primary Issue: Brand Distinctiveness
The Problem:
The ad's biggest weakness is its conformity. By so closely following the visual and tonal playbook of its competitors, it struggles to carve out a unique identity for ASICS. One could easily swap the logo at the end with a competitor's, and the ad would still make sense, which is a sign of a generic creative platform.
The Solution:
Future campaigns should identify a visual or narrative element that only ASICS can own. This could be leaning into its Japanese heritage, its scientific approach to product design (Anima Sana In Corpore Sano), or a different emotional territory beyond 'grit' to differentiate the brand.
Secondary Issue: Clarity of "What's Next?"
The Problem:
The ad drives viewers to a URL but doesn't give them a compelling reason to go or what to expect. It builds motivation but drops the hand-off. The consumer is left thinking, 'Cool ad,' but not necessarily, 'I need to visit that site right now.'
The Solution:
A more effective call to action would be specific and benefit-oriented. For example: 'See the gear that powers Lolo's next' or 'Build your 'what's next' training plan at asicstraining.com.' This connects the ad's inspiration directly to a tangible next step for the viewer.