Hey, athletes and gym rats, do you WANT IT MORE? If so, Asics has the perfect ad campaign for you.
In this new global push from 180 Amsterdam and Smuggler director Henry Alex Rubin, the brand gets extremely tough and sweaty. "Want it more" is the tagline. Fit, perspiring, millennial bodies—shown going for the burn in weight rooms, sparring in boxing rings, twisted up on yoga mats and running in the wee hours—are the prime visual elements.
The voiceover is gruff and gravelly. Like Liam Neeson, but less kill-y. Still, dude's got an accent, and he's pretty darn intense. "This is an open letter to anyone who wants to be an athlete. If you want it more than sleep, if you want it more than all-night parties, if you want it more than likes, if you want it more than perfect hair, or cake … if you really want to be an athlete, just wanting it isn't enough."
He stops there, perhaps too exhausted to finish his thought. "Want it more" flashes on screen, so we're not left hanging. (Also, exactly what kind of "cake" are we talking about here? Is it especially yummy?)
"Getting better in sports is all about choices," 180 executive creative director Dave Canning tells AdFreak. "Whether you choose to go work out on a night that you normally would go party, or choose fitness over vanity, we want people to relate to these choices."
Of course, the campaign exemplifies the "tough-fitness" marketing approach so popular of late among athletic footwear and apparel companies. In fact, "Want it more" recalls Reebok's "Be more human" ads from last year. Both campaigns share a love of sweat and focus on personal sacrifice and denial. The Asics work is, however, less philosophical, more streamlined and direct. (Exercise won't necessary make you more human, but your pecs will sure pop!)
"A lot of other brands have gone after the tough athlete, but we wanted to go a little broader than that," says Dan Treichel, also an ecd at 180. "If you want to get better, whoever you are, then Asics will help get you there."
All in all, the tone should appeal to the bleary-eyed bodybuilders doing curls and crunches at 5 a.m. to stay ripped and ready for their weekend mud-runs and whatnot.
As for everyone else … let them eat cake! (Sorry, Asics, we want it more.)
CREDITS
Client: Asics
Senior General Manager, Global Brand Marketing: Paul Miles
Global Advertising Manager: Eva Sutter
Agency: 180 Amsterdam
Executive Creative Dir: Dan Treichel, Dave Canning
Art Director: Tony Bartolucci
Copywriter: Joe Craig
Executive Producer:
Producer: Bethany Papenbrock
Asst. Producer: Davide Janssen
Account : Jim O'Regan
Business Affairs: Akvilina Jaskunaite
Planner: Ben Armistead
Production Co.: Smuggler/Gatehouse
Director: Henry Alex Rubin
DP: Ken Seng
Producer: Ben Link
Executive Producer: Chris Barett
Editorial Co.: Marshall Street Editors
Editor: Spencer Ferst
Producer: SJ O'Mara
Assistant Editor: Jake Armstrong
Online Facility: MPC Amsterdam
Colorist: Jean Clemant