KF appointed S&S
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KF appointed S&S
Footwear brand Asics has selected Saatchi & Saatchi as its new global creative agency of record.
Saatchi & Saatchi will handle the account mostly out of its Los Angeles and Tokyo offices and launched its first work for the client earlier this month with a spot entitled “Wake Up,” which introduced the new “I Move Me” tagline.
“When we started developing the creative for Asics, we wanted to do something that would make the brand stand on its own,” Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles director of brand innovation Karl Dunn said in a statement. “We mined through the ethos of the Asics founder Mr. Onitsuka and realized the message—’A Sound Mind in a Sound Body’—that had originally been intended to resonate with a post-war Japan was deeply relevant globally. It’s about recognizing that each individual holds the keys to getting the more out of life—when you move your body, you move your mind and unlock your potential.”
The brand’s recent work looked to expand its appeal beyond a core audience of dedicated runners around the world.
“Asics was founded on the promise to get people moving for a better future. We are thrilled to bring that unique purpose to life with ‘I Move Me’ for years to come,” added Paul Miles, senior general manager of the company’s global marketing division. He called Saatchi & Saatchi “an outstanding creative and strategic partner to help define this message, inspire more people to embrace a physically active lifestyle and carry Asics into the future.”
Vitro served as Asics’ last official agency of record after winning the account in 2009. The brand later hired 180 Amsterdam for international campaigns before it began working with that network’s Los Angeles office on a project basis last February.
Late last year, however, various sources claimed the company had reached out to agencies for a formal creative review, telling the incumbent it would not be invited to defend the account. 180LA later parted with several creatives, two of whom joined Joan Creative as its first co-executive creative directors.
According to Kantar Media, Asics spent approximately $36.5 million on measured media in North America in 2015. International numbers are not available at this time.
