Asics Signs Bates and Kieffer

Hoka_Rabbit wrote:

Catherine wrote:

Didn't Seph Bruce have sign solely with Hoka because starting towards the end of 2017 Hoka started producing apparel and Hoka said their athletes could not have a separate shoe and apparel contracts? They either had to be solely Hoka or find a different shoe sponsor.

What I don't fully understand about that is that Hoka doesn't actually produce apparel - they just put their brand on Rabbit apparel. At least that's what I see all the NAZ Elite people wear -- maybe I'm wrong? But maybe since Oiselle and Rabbit are direct competitors it was a no-no to stay with Oiselle. Someone with a deeper understanding of how these contracts work could enlighten me.

Most companies that are footwear "only" - like Hoka, Altra - still want you to be head to toe because they are starting to put out some clothing of their own. And if they don't make it (like, sports bras), they'll give you an allowance to get their logo branded on the clothing. Some will let you carve out clothing, but they won't pay as much as a result.

lemmetellya wrote:

Most companies that are footwear "only" - like Hoka, Altra - still want you to be head to toe because they are starting to put out some clothing of their own.

Ultimately, these endorsement deals are about branding and even if they never intend to make apparel it makes little sense to not have the shoe brand logo on the most visibly prominent area of a runner's body.

I agree with you! But will people really buy asics because of these new athletes? Will asics really make money from their sponsorship deal with them? Look at the over complicated product line that serves no purpose. I just see loads of useless shoes and apparel attached to a campaign that makes no sense to the average runner. Nike made one shoe that turned the industry upside down. Every company makes way to many products and by some stroke of luck they gain some traction with one. Then they reinvent the damn thing and loose the customer. Evolution not revolution. I buy about 20 pairs of shoes a year and give 50% of them away because they are horrible to run in. I never once attached an athlete/runner to any of them, I just want a great running shoe. Here is the direction of a new product , v2 is firmer, heavier and more narrow, v3 firmer and stiffer, with more overlays v4 rock hard and heavier. I laugh at myself over this post. I really don't think runners are that complicated. Asics needs more talent in the design studio and in a product line manager.

Asics is huge among obese runners.

World record holders like Ragen Chastain swear by them.

They probably signed Kieffer to target the plus-size crowd even more.

It's not a chicken/egg situation. The brands use marketing on multiple levels and angles to spread awareness of what they represent in consumer consciousness. Nike wants lots of winners and can afford them. A brand like Asics has to pick and choose and invest in upside and potential. They want athletes that connect with a significant segment of their target market.

Understood! But if they want to sell anything shouldn’t the product come first? And for 100K are these athletes really going to sell their salaries worth of product. The person paying the bills should be looking at both sides both product and marketing. I get what you are saying about Nike, I am just an old fart that dosen’t care about the athletes, I just saw a shoe that I wanted to try. They made a game changing product first and had the Africans to sell it. The shoe can stand on its own. I just see endless useless product lines from many companies with highly paid athletes that just don’t have an impact. I just wouldn’t dream of paying that kind of money for such a small impact. Elite running is so far removed from the masses, they look at runners like me and wonder why I would even do it. But if ASICS made a great product that actually worked I would buy it. Nike made a max cushion ultra fast shoe that everyone can use and benefit from.

hey look Allie ran 1:13:30 at Arizona R&R Half

so that's -2 vdot lower than her typical 67 that she did at Doha half, Staten Island half and NYC full

wonder what shoes she was not wearing, hmmm

(hint: vaporflys are artificial +2 vdot from carbon springs)

anyone got a finish photo?

Don’t know which model it is, but yeah, no more VF for Allie...

Looks like a Oiselle bunhuggers still - guess the Asics contract is only shoes. Can't tell what the tat up front says

sdkjgh wrote:

Looks like a Oiselle bunhuggers still - guess the Asics contract is only shoes. Can't tell what the tat up front says

The tattoo says the name of her coach. But it's just purely platonic.

Message board wrong again.

Furman Elite guys opened up indoors over at Vanderbilt with some sub-4’s with asics still.

Correct, she was not going for a PR. From her her Insta "I’m towing the line tomorrow morning at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon, but I don’t think I’ll be close to a PR. Tomorrows race will round out a 105 mile week with 3 hard workouts. I like to spice up training with road races, even if I don’t think I’ll be my fastest ever. I’m not scared of running a couple minutes slower than a PR. Success isn’t about always being better, it’s about being the best you can be on the day."

zoomzoomzoom wrote:

hey look Allie ran 1:13:30 at Arizona R&R Half

so that's -2 vdot lower than her typical 67 that she did at Doha half, Staten Island half and NYC full

wonder what shoes she was not wearing, hmmm

(hint: vaporflys are artificial +2 vdot from carbon springs)

anyone got a finish photo?

asdfa wrote:

Correct, she was not going for a PR. From her her Insta

"I’m towing the line tomorrow morning

Towing as in with a tow truck?

In her latest Instagram story, Allie does not list ASICS as one of her sponsors. She tagged oiselle and NYAC

I always hate when runners make preemptive excuses. Or the old "it's a training race" thing.

World record holder Ragen Chastain

I’m still laughing at that one.

Adrienne Herzog in third here.

New married last name wrote:

Adrienne Herzog in third here.

That name sounds familiar I believe the LRC Staff did a story on this European runner and her old Coach was Hudson?

Regardles with Asics or not I bet Allie lines up(@London/Trials) with a modified Asics-Prototype or Asics logo over VF

The shoes in IG photo are a pair of Hyperspeeds from 17'