Friday, October 21, 2011

ASICS Expands "Support Your Marathoner" for 2011 ING New York City Marathon

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com


Social Media Program Inspires Runners With Personal In-Race Videos 

 

 

ASICS America Corporation, official sponsor of the ING New York City Marathon, is expanding its award-winning "Support Your Marathoner" program for the 2011 race. This year, Support Your Marathoner will leverage the power of social media to deliver additional moments of inspiration to more runners than ever before, ensuring that no marathoner has to finish the race alone. 

Recently named the "Most Innovative Communication Strategy" of the year by Promo Magazine, the inaugural Support Your Marathoner program in 2010 gained international attention by allowing friends and family to send pictures, texts, and video messages of support to the marathon runner of their choice. Utilizing innovative technology, motivational messages were delivered to the right runners, at the right time, as they ran past giant video screens placed along the course. More than 7,000 runners from 17 countries utilized the program and created their own virtual cheering sections. 




ASICS is bringing back the Support Your Marathoner activation with significant additions. This year, the enhanced program will incorporate a new website ( www.supportyourmarathoner.com ) allowing the runners to use their own Facebook communities to ask for messages of support. Every time a support message is uploaded, the runner's entire Facebook community is alerted, and encouraged to upload more messages. The Support Your Marathoner website will also give runners their own personalized support gallery of messages, pictures and videos to have after the race is done. 




This year, ASICS will also debut the "Share Your Glory" Facebook application. The "app" lets runners update their social media community on their race progress in real-time by pre-writing three Facebook and Twitter posts which are then sent out as the marathoners pass each of three areas at the 9-, 13-, and 22-mile marks. 




"ASICS is committed to giving marathon runners everything they need to compete at their best, including motivation and inspiration during the race," says ASICS' Vice President of Marketing Erik Forsell. "Last year, we were blown away by the reaction to Support Your Marathoner. We saw runners who were digging deep for the final miles look up and break into tears when they saw their kids and their friends urging them on. We instantly knew we had to do more." 


The Support Your Marathoner website ( www.supportyourmarathoner.com ) goes live October 14, and will be supported by email blasts from the New York Road Runners and ASICS' own growing social media community. Fans can follow the tweets and create their own with #ASICSrunsNYC. 

Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body," is an old Latin phrase from which ASICS is derived and the fundamental platform on which the brand still stands. The company was founded more than 60 years ago by Kihachiro Onitsuka and is now a leading designer and manufacturer of running shoes, as well as, other athletic footwear, apparel and accessories.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asics-expands-support-your-marathoner-for-2011-ing-new-york-city-marathon-2011-10-13

Anta Sport expects slowdown in same-store sales growth

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com



Based on the Board’s preliminary review of the Anta Sports Products Limited's unaudited operational data currently available, in line with the recent challenging local sportswear retail market in China generally, the Board expects a slowdown in the same-store-sales growth of retail stores for the third quarter of 2011 when compared with that of the last quarter. The Board also expects a more relaxed and flexible policy on the retail discount offered by the Group’s retailers for the third quarter of 2011.

Store expansion plan
The Anta Sports Products Limited has generally managed to implement its 4-year (years 2009 to 2012) store expansion plan (of an average of 600 to 800 new stores per year) in the first three years of implementation. The store expansion plan for 2012 will be further ascertained and determined by the Group towards the end of 2011, taking into account, amongst others, prevailing conditions of the PRC retail industry.

Challenges ahead
Notwithstanding the challenges ahead, the Group will use its best endeavours to take all necessary actions and measures that the Board thinks fit with the aim to ensure the sustainability of the Group’s business development. While the orders placed pursuant to the Group’s trade fair for the second quarter of 2012 have yet to be ascertained and finalised, the Board expects the trade fair growth rate to be lower than that for the first quarter of 2012, which is in line with the Group’s strategy for that quarter.

However, given that the Group has yet to hold trade fairs for the third and fourth quarters of 2012, the performance of the Group for 2012 cannot as yet be quantified and determined. Despite the slowdown in the PRC retail market and future challenges therein, of which the market is generally aware and hence not price sensitive in nature, the Group is nevertheless confident that it will continue to implement its long term development strategies.

As one of the leading branded sportswear enterprises in China, the Anta Sports Products Limited primarily designs, develops, manufactures and markets sportswear, including sports footwear, apparel and accessories.

Source: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/apparel-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=104340  

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Nike T90 Strike Counter Facebook App Captures and Shares Your Perfect Strike

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com



The new Nike T90 Laser IV is designed to deliver ultimate power and precision for goal scorers. To accompany its launch, Nike introduced a Facebook app that enables footballers around the world to record and socialize their scored goals in a completely new way on 17th Oct.


The T90 Strike Counter allows players to input data about their goals such as a spot on the pitch they scored from, where in the goal it went in and what part of the boot they struck the ball with. A 3D image can immediately be shared with friends or team mates.


How many goals are volleys? How many are from inside the box? Scored with the right foot? Left? Outside of the boot? Top corner? As the goals roll in, Nike Football will host the conversation bringing Pro’s and young players together in a celebration of the art of the perfect strike, no matter how it ends up in the back of the net.





The app will also feature pro player commentary around memorable goals and what makes the perfect strike.


“A perfect strike depends on the moment within the game. How close to the goal I am, or which side of the field I receive the ball. The most important thing is hitting the back of the net. It’s great to score a spectacular goal, but a tap in is good, too, they all count,” Said Pato, CBF national team player.

Source: http://footballfashion.org/wordpress/2011/10/17/nike-t90-strike-counter-facebook-app-captures-and-shares-your-perfect-strike/