Asics 2018

Abstract

When Chairman Motoi Oyama presented the annual report for the year 2017 of Asics, quantitative targets of an ambitious 2020 growth plan were lower down. This was disappointing for Oyama and for Paul Miles who is been at the forefront of the company’s marketing division strategy since 2015. Despite the gold sponsorship for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, an active Direct to Consumer strategy, what could have gone wrong? Since its creation in 1949 by Kihachirō Onitsuka, Asics has been a leading Japanese sportswear company specialized in running shoes. However, Asics is falling behind in key markets (U.S. and China) and struggle to obtain results in apparel and digitalization. The market is highly competitive with giant frontrunners Nike and Adidas. In this context, Asics need to find ways to remain central to the running community while exploring new leverages of growth.

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