Forget specialized sneakers—Asics are the right shoe for 'everything'

Most sneaker marketing focuses on performance, whether it’s speed, hang time, cushioning or endurance. But the activities sneakers are most often worn for aren’t about performance at all. Grocery shopping, going to the mall, backyard barbecues—all events best attended in sneakers. A new campaign for Asics from Virtue focuses on these everyday uses with near zen-like patience. A 60-second spot that will inflict flashbacks on anyone who’s ever skimped on paying for proper movers zooms in on two pairs of HyperGEL-YU sneakers, firmly affixed to the feet of a couple lugging an uncooperative couch up a staircase. They’re really moving that thing, and viewers are along for the ride in all its painful, sweaty, unwieldy glory. The message: “This isn’t the shoe for something. It’s the shoe for everything.” Another lingering spot sees a woman and her lazy dog in the park. Sure, she’s just teasing him with a chew toy and a little fetch, but it’s mesmerizing people-watching. The spots are running online and on social, along with additional 15-second vignettes, like scenes from a painstaking car wash, lovingly carried out by a young man enamored of his old hatchback.

Forget specialized sneakers—Asics are the right shoe for 'everything'

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