ASICS has been one of my favorite brands this season. Via a number of performance related concepts the brand has positioned itself as one of the best athlete centered companies in the sneaker landscape. In tennis they’ve made history in signing their first Chinese woman athlete in Zhang Shuai, and their Mental Training Track raised eyebrows throughout the industry in running. With the introduction of their latest tennis shoe the Solution Speed FF, the brand continues to innovate and with Novak winning Wimbledon ASICS gets the benefit of their endorsement.
Even with the success of its athletes ASICS is playing a game of catchup with the behemoths of Nike and adidas. Tennis is a niche sport. It is also a rich (history and financial) sport. When brands invest in nabbing a segment that has very little bearing on the growth of their brand that investment has to create a return in either financial capital or brand awareness. At this moment there isn’t another brand really pushing tennis outside of Nike with Serena. Where brands aren’t, lies opportunity, but that opportunity can only be fulfilled by brands who understand how to capitalize on the niche.
“Niche-Out” has been a concept that I’ve said that Under Armour has access to, but the problem is with the diverse digital landscape it becomes hard to hit the target. ASICS is making these great strides, but tennis remains like golf, a sport that lies just outside of the mainstream that has failed to really create a new star. Tennis viewing dropped when Serena was on maternity leave. Golf viewing dropped when Tiger Woods stopped playing. His return to relevance last week saw media outlets hit their highest numbers in viewing in 20 years. ASICS is making a serious effort to grow and the Solution Speed is a tech driven wonder. Does the investment into tennis make sense when tennis is not a growing sport?
The SOLUTION SPEED™ FF tennis footwear is the latest addition to the ASICS Tennis Speed category; built for the player who chases every lob, drop shot and cross-court shot to win that next match point.
The SOLUTION SPEED™ FF footwear features three of ASICS’ court advanced technologies, coming together:
· Court Specific FlyteFoam™ midsole material is approximately 35% lighter than the industrial standard midsole material and 10% more durable than FlyteFoam ™ midsole for running footwear
· TWISTRUSS™ [1] technology which improves agility and speed for the player, while maintaining stability, through responsive twisting motions within the shoe
· FLEXION FIT™ [2] technology for a better fit, designed to respond to tennis players’ varied movement
How Can ASICS Utilize Niche Out?
The Solution Speed fits the shape and style of shoe that I’ve made it clear brands have to create. The tech of today in performance footwear informs the casual wear of tomorrow. As the Solution Speed wins on the clay and grass the athletes, if marketed correctly, become legendary and their footwear can carry on after they are no longer playing, but brands will have to connect to new athletes.
While tennis isn’t an easy sport to play and can be expensive to participate in, leaving many amazing athletes from low income families unable to participate, ASICS’ investment into the sport creates an opportunity for the brand to strengthen their interaction with potentially new fans of the game. ASICS can’t build tennis courts in impoverished areas everywhere and supply rackets and trainers. ASICS can take a Key Cities approach to tennis and invest in local courts willing to create startup leagues for low income/underprivileged athletes.
In doing this the brand will have the opportunity to outfit the athletes selected in ASICS apparel. As the players learn the game the leagues will culminate in a tournament styled championship. Kids will become familiar with the brand and in doing so ASICS doesn’t become just an athletic outfit, it also transitions into casual wear increasing the profile and empowering ASICS in areas that Nike and Jordan Brand dominate.
While I know that this is not an easy process to implement the opportunity is there and when your athletes are on top of course you should release new footwear while the iron is hot, but reaching out and moving the niche towards the mainstream is probably the best form of advertising a brand can do.
Use the source link above to check out the new tennis shoe from ASICS.
