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<ul><li>In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li>Since retail has been impacted massively, we talk to <keyword id="2705770" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajat-Khurana">Rajat Khurana</keyword>, Managing Director, <keyword id="1107287" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Asics">ASICS</keyword> India and South Asia about the future of retail in a post-Covid world </li></ul> The <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword> has had a huge impact on the economy. One sector that has been majorly impacted is retail. With malls and shops closed for more than a month across the country, a recent survey by the retail industry body, <keyword id="113282" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Retailers-Association-of-India">Retailers Association of India</keyword> (RAI) suggested that it may take at least 9-12 months for our country’s retail industry to recover from the impact of pandemic and the lockdown. Currently, a bare minimum of the industry that sells essential goods has been functional. This segment accounts for about 7-8% of the overall industry. The same survey also showed that close to 20-25% of the industry might need capital infusion to stay afloat. This will also impact jobs in the sector. In such a scenario, how are retail brands coping with the situation? Even though Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> in his latest speech said that Lockdown 4.0 will be different than the previous lockdowns with many more relaxations, will people be comfortable going to malls and showrooms or will they rely more on online shopping? In a recent conversation with Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS India and South Asia, we tried to find answers to a few of these questions. Khurana also spoke to us about what the future of retail in a post-Covid world might look like. Edited excerpts: Q) Considering all retail outlets are shut and e-commerce is only delivering essentials, how challenging have the last few weeks been for you as a brand? It's indeed a tough time for everyone and even more so for retail businesses. But in such times, we have to show courage and character and that is what ASICS symbolizes. We believe that better days are ahead and we are planning for the world post this lockdown is over and virus free. Q) What has your marketing strategy been during the lockdown weeks? Have you changed your media mix, investing more on platforms like Digital since a few other mediums like OOH/Print have been suffering due to the lockdown? Yes, definitely there is a major shift in our marketing strategy. There is a stark increase in the consumption of OTT media and media on the digital platform. We are constantly evaluating and deliberating on the marketing strategy for the rest of the year. For now, we think it's best to be cognizant of the situation and not advertise during such tumultuous times. Q) How have you been ensuring you stay connected with your target audience? We have taken various initiatives to make sure that we remain relevant to the target audience during such difficult times. We have come up with various campaigns such as '#StaySafeStayStrong' that talks about how important it is to remain both physically and mentally sound during the lockdown. We recently started a '#MyComebackStory' campaign focusing on inspiring and motivating people to always remember that better days are ahead of us and that we all have, in the past and will continue in the future to, come out stronger from difficult situations. Apart from that, our coaches and influencers are conducting physical training sessions and informative sessions for people to follow during the lockdown. Q) What have your key learnings from this experience been so far? The current experience has only endorsed my belief that innovation is the key for any business. The companies which will come out of this situation the fastest will be those who have innovative and technologically-advanced products. Apart from that, the people who implement the changes in the working conditions and adapt to it the fastest will continue to propel. Q) Do you foresee a sea change in retail in the post Covid world? Are you as a brand, ready to adapt to that change? There may be huge changes in the way we shop, with more focus on online shopping, home deliveries, contactless billing. To get consumers back to shopping malls more than financial incentives, the safety measures will have to be top notch to reassure people of their safety and that may take some time. Hence, in initial months after the lockdown, we may see promotional offers by the brands as they will try to make up for the lost sales. But the situation is likely to be better for e-commerce players. So, as a brand, it is important to leverage the digital commerce and Omni channel concept to remain in touch with consumers and be ready to adapt to the changing landscape. Q) Marketing during adverse times could often be misinterpreted as opportunistic. How have you made sure that your marketing communications have stayed relevant and not come across as insensitive? There is always a good time to market your products or brand but this is certainly not that time. We have to be sensitive towards the situation and that is why we as a brand took a call to not advertise our products or campaigns. The main aim of all our campaigns or communications has been to stay relevant to the audience, to motivate and empower them to help others during such times. ASICS is the acronym for Anima Sana in Corpore Sano, which means a Sound Mind in a Sound Body and hence we look to keep this communication going through all our communications. During such times, we would like to be present for our patrons and not be assertive.

Marketing in the times of Covid-19: ASICS

<ul><li>ASICS entered India in 2015 and since then has managed to build a loyal consumer base.</li><li>With 41 stores in India currently, including four <keyword id="1982901" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Concept-stores">concept stores</keyword> in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Goa, ASICS is aiming at opening at least 14-15 new stores every year, including a few in Tier II and Tier III towns.</li><li>The brand has recorded revenues close to Rs 138 crore for the year ending March 2019, growing at a CAGR of 30-40% since 2015. </li><li><keyword id="2705770" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajat-Khurana">Rajat Khurana</keyword>, Managing Director, ASICS shares that he is optimistic that the brand will continue to grow at a similar rate for the next 2-3 years.</li></ul>It has been barely four years since Japanese sports brand ASICS launched in India. However, its continued focus to break clutter by associating with running, instead of focusing on popular sports like cricket, has helped it gain a loyal following. India is one of the top markets the brand is focusing on globally and is looking at expanding its presence in the market substantially. With 41 stores in India currently, including four concept stores in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Goa, ASICS is aiming at opening at least 14-15 new stores every year, including a few in Tier II and Tier III towns. The brand will increase the number of its concept stores in India and most of its upcoming stores will follow its new global format. The brand has also had a good run financially, shares Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS. “We have recorded revenues close to Rs 138 crore for the year ending March 2019, growing at a CAGR of 30-40% since 2015. We aim to grow at a similar rate for the next 2-3 years too,” he shares, his optimism palpable. ASICS’ India story ASICS as a brand has a long heritage in sports, based on the founding philosophy of the company instituted by its founder Kihachiro Onitsuka in 1949. It launched in India in 2015, and has, over the years, partnered with athletes across the spectrum of sports, many of whom have represented India at various events. Despite entering the country in 2015, ASICS has associated with the Tata <keyword id="45545" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Marathon">Mumbai Marathon</keyword> for over a decade now, primarily to show its commitment towards running as a sport. The brand recently roped in actor <keyword id="133664" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tiger-Shroff">Tiger Shroff</keyword> as its brand ambassador, marking its foray into the athleisure category with SportStyle. Khurana is confident that this segment will continue to see healthy growth in India, considering the consumer’s tastes are evolving, and fitness is becoming a way of life for most. “We have seen the athleisure category grow at a rate of 20-25% annually, and according to me it is only going to go bullish. The athleisure trend is here to stay, and with fitness becoming such an integral part of everyone's lives, people are opting for athleisure wear rather than the mundane clothing. The upcoming trend in the category will focus on performance technology and iconic style aesthetics. The design fusion will be more authentic to its heritage moving forward which will be optimized to deliver in performance technology and style,” shares Khurana. With a good growth in the Indian market, the brand is also serious about expanding its presence in the country. Khurana shares the roadmap ahead for the brand. “We have 41 stores in the country and out of those we have four concept stores in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Goa. With our exclusive stores, we want to introduce the consumers to highly technical aspects of the brand’s products to create a powerful brand experience. The store immerses consumers in a world where both the mind and body are stimulated and offers a wide variety of running, training and SportStyle inspired shoes and apparels for men and women. Most of our upcoming stores will follow the new global format and you will see an increase in the number of concept stores across the country by next year. Over the next three years, ASICS will open at least 14-15 new stores every year, including a few in Tier II and Tier III towns,” he explains. The brand’s marketing game ASICS has been really smart about how it has marketed itself in India. Over the years, it has associated with various athletes and celebrities that helped it gain word-of-mouth. While it stayed away from Television advertising, using other mediums like Digital, Print and Outdoor effectively to spread its message, this year, for the first time, it collaborated with the movie The Zoya Factor and used TV as a medium to promote the association. “We have a 360-degree marketing approach to all our key campaigns and media planning. Digital is key for us along with traditional channels like print, outdoor advertising and radio across key metro cities. Our aim is to keep identifying new age platforms that amplify our brand messaging and create the right kind of awareness in Tier II and Tier III cities too,” says Khurana. It also recently launched a campaign, Joy for Running, which is in tune with its focus on running. The campaign called for people to get inspired to run without a finish line and propagate the habit, for the joy of running itself. Speaking about the campaign, Khurana says, “The brand aims to promote this ideology by engaging with their in-house coaches, fitness influencers and nutrition experts of the ASICS Running Club in different cities across India. We believe that sport has the power to change lives and our association with the Mumbai Marathon for over 10 years has demonstrated our commitment towards it. It’s our constant endeavor to curate a fun and motivational running culture by building communities across India. Through the ‘Joy of Running’ campaign, we want to promote the message that anyone can run, you just need the right shoes and spirit; ASICS is providing you both.” Plans for 2020 With Olympics 2020 happening in Tokyo, ASICS’ home turf, Khurana shares that the brand will try to make the most of the opportunity. Sharing some of the brand’s plans, Khurana says, “With the prestigious event happening where our headquarters are, the brand will surely be a leading investor at the event among many other participants. However, it’s integral to our philosophy to collaborate with the Indian athletes and bring them top class products, which improve their medal prospects for the country at the marquee event. We want to be sure that our fans and consumers have a greater insight of how the brand functions and the innovative technologies involved in producing our marquee products. We are working on our ‘I Move Me’ campaign for the next year, which shall give a strong message to our consumers on a global scale.”

ASICS is amping up presence in India, plans to open 14-15 new stores every year, over the next three years

<ul><li>ASICS and Ravindra will work together to inspire young athletes to achieve a lifestyle centered around ‘Sound Mind in a Sound Body.’</li><li>The brand aims to connect with technologically and momentum-driven consumers.</li></ul>ASICS welcomed <keyword id="6359948" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ravindra-jadeja">Ravindra Jadeja</keyword>, the leading all-rounder of the Indian cricket team and <keyword id="13886" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai-Super-Kings">Chennai Super Kings</keyword> into the ASICS family. The effervescent player who is revered by the younger generation of the country is known for his passion, pace, and performance, resonating well with the AISCS brand’s motive. The brand catapults its performance outlook by joining hands with the much-admired sportsman whose game and playing style aim is all about seamless time, pace, and rhythm. With ASICS’ brand philosophy of enabling A Sound Mind in a Sound Body, this partnership lends itself naturally to propagate a healthier lifestyle in order to connect with the technologically and momentum-driven consumers. Known for his swashbuckling batting, wicket taking abilities and agility on the field, Ravindra Jadeja has picked up over 425 wickets and scored over 4000 runs in the international cricket games. Jadeja is regarded as one of India’s top athlete as he played his debut game at the age of 16 in the world of cricket. He was first- lined in the Indian squad for the 2006 U/19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka and was the vice-captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup. Also, he was awarded as the bowler of the tournament at the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2013, Ravindra Jadeja has exhibited his ability in the game at an express pace. Commenting on the association Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS India and South Asia said “We are elated to announce our association with the stellar Ravindra Jadeja from the Indian cricket fraternity with ASICS India. We deeply admire and respect the consistency and commitment with which he has played on the field, demonstrating the core spirit and essence of any tough sport – determination and versatility. Ravindra’s limitless energy &amp; inspiring potential weave seamlessly with our brand ethos to encourage people experience the transformative power of sport, not just on the body but on the mind. Through this wonderful partnership, we endeavor to both support and encourage people to experience the transformative power sports has to change one’s life in a positive and immensely meaningful way” Delighted about his association with ASICS, Ravindra Jadeja said “I am absolutely thrilled to be associated with the world’s leading performance brand. ASICS has an incredible track record for helping athletes across sports and enabling them to reach the peak of their sport. I deeply cohere with their vision and philosophy and hope that together we are able to drive a more relevant and meaningful change in the minds and lives of young athletes. Our aim is to improve participation of Indian youth in sports and I am confident of catalyzing a positive change in this direction with ASICS. I am excited to begin this journey with the brand and working towards unlocking the unique power of sport to uplift our minds and bodies.”

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Marketing in the times of Covid-19: ASICS

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ASICS is amping up presence in India, plans to open 14-15 new stores every year, over the next three years

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ASICS onboards Ravindra Jadeja as its brand ambassador

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