A Billboard Perspective for ASICS Marketing Campaign

PART 1

The communication strategy used by us in the group first measured the initial situation of the campaign, following which the goals and objectives of the campaign were also communicated to each of the group members. This helped me to understand the different situations that need to be improved in the campaign for better brand recognition. A specific message was then decided by me and the group to be delivered for the business. I understood how this message has the potential to reach out to a greater number of consumers towards the brand. I also understood that a proper message for the campaign can help the consumers to be retaining the brand awareness details. Furthermore, the communication channels that I used along with the group helped me to differentiate on which demographic of the target audience can be attracted towards a brand. I understood that the communication about the brand can be effective only when the emotional appeal in the message is high which can help the customers to feel valued. I understood that the group discussion carried before the campaign regarding the brand message, communication channels to be used, and more helped me and my group to reach a fruitful decision regarding the campaign.

PART 2

Alternative Communication and Creative Approach

The group for the business marketing campaign for the product by ASICS Company primarily used the two renowned social media platforms, Instagram and TikTok for the promotion of the brand and reaching more target audience. The main target audience for the brand was fitness enthusiasts specifically women for the ASICS’ Her”. The group used visual content related to the products and delivered the brand message using this creative strategy. There could have been some other alternative communication strategies that could have been used in place of these social media platforms. These can include the following:

• Traditional Advertising/Billboard:The group could have used the traditional printed advertising technique to deliver the brand message to the target audience (García-Sánchez, Amor-Esteban & Galindo-Álvarez, 2020). This could have helped the group reach out to the population of potential target consumers who are not that active on different social media platforms. The group could also have used the traditional advertising technique of using billboards which would have consisted of the different aspects and product details by the brand for the customers who still use the traditional advertising techniques to be attracted to the brand.
• Alternative social media:The campaign report shows that the group has considered using only two primary social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok. There are several other social media platforms present out there which also could have been used. These include visual content marketing through YouTube or Facebook (Ajibade & Mutula, 2020). This again could have helped the group to reach more potential customers who do not use the two social media platforms used for the marketing campaign.
• Use of Influencers:The group could have also used the marketing tool of the social media influencers known for promoting health and fitness (Hyland-Wood et al. 2021). This could have helped the group ensure that the target audience's consumers understand the brand message through known celebrities or social media influencers. This could have influenced the purchasing decision to be made by the target consumers.
• Giveaway or Competitions:The group could also have thought about holding a competition for the target consumers who are fitness enthusiasts. These competitions can ensure that the winners get attractive rewards from the brand (Ophilia & Hidayat, 2021). This could have helped the brand to attract more consumers into the target audience for the brand. The group could also have announced special giveaways to the loyal target audience. This could have attracted more consumers to try the products of the brand.

Visual Mock-Up

The choice of an alternative marketing strategy for ASICS in this assignment has been Billboard. The group assignment submitted before this paid close attention to adapting social media marketing, specifically leaning toward influencer marketing. Research by Belanche et al. (2021) states that influencer marketing has the advantage of being persuasive to customers. This quality might be lacking in traditional marketing strategies such as newspapers and billboards. However, billboards can spread brand awareness as they reach a widespread audience, giving the brand visibility.

Figure 1: Attitudes of U.S. audience to a billboard advertisement

(Source: Navarro, 2023)

In 2022, Navarro (2023) conducted a survey on 2,972 respondents aged above 18. The common properties between them were having a linear TV, CTV, or smart TV. The respondents were questioned about their feelings about billboard advertising. As per Figure 2, while 52% of Americans were unbothered by billboards, 32% of the respondents liked billboard advertising strategy. This further supports my alternative of strategy for the promotion of ASICS.

Figure 2: ASIS Billboard Visual Mock-up

(Source: Created on Canva)

As per Manavirad & Madadi (2021), billboards should contain at most 7 to 10 words. The goal of billboards is to attract the attention of a passing audience who might be on a bicycle or other vehicle. Therefore, having a billboard that has a long message would essentially fail in its mission to convince people to have a glance at the product and a short message on behalf of the company. Therefore, the billboard mock-up has less than 7 words on display, written in big, bold, and readable font. This will make it easier for the audience to reach the company message, which is the translation of the company name “anima sana in corpore sano”, meaning “sound body, sound soul”. This short message resonates with the company image, as well as relevance to the fitness-related product, encouraging maintaining a healthy body to have a healthy mind.

The next creative element used in the billboard mock-up is two pictures of athletic individuals, one which focuses on the hard work and fitness regime that shapes a healthy body, and another highlights ASICS bestseller Dynablast Running shoes for men. This drives the attention of the audience to the products of ASICS. Till now, both elements establish that the advertisement is aimed at marketing ASICS’s shoes, specifically its Dynablast Running shoe model. On the upper right side of the billboard, there is a white logo of the company. As per Erjansola et al. (2021), including a brand logo or emblem is a branding strategy to increase brand recognition and improve the visual association between the product and the logo.

The choice of colour has been carefully selected to ensure that the billboard is vibrant, attractive, and yet, readable. The colour of the picture, as well as the colour of the font, complements each other. Selection of colours that are too vibrant or almost fluorescent has also been avoided, sticking to the neutral colour palette and shades of blue that resonate with the ASICS brand logo colour. This enhances the readability, makes the billboard eye soothing, and reinforces brand association (Gebreselassie & Bougie, 2019). Upon consideration, this billboard might be placed in locations that have heavy people or moderate crowds. The target population of a sportswear brand is likely to be young and athletic. Therefore, placing the billboard on highways, office and gym areas would be most beneficial.

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