Amsterdam-based ad agency Strawberry Frog devised the campaign, which pushes Asics premium heritage sports shoe, the Onitsuka Tiger, which has also been popularised by Uma Thurman wearing them in Quentin Tarantino's film 'Kill Bill'.
The campaign invites consumers to view the world's first upside-down , which features different films about Kenshi, a fish gutter, following him as he prepares to run in every Olympic Games for the past 30 years, but ultimately failing along the way.
Kenshi runs on his hands, hence the upside-down website. The Running Fish Gutter tells the story that if you dedicate your entire existence to achieving your goal, all expectations will eventually be exceeded. The message is that you too can be a winner -- even if you're a loser.
The campaign also features a mail-out of a drinks can containing "Hero Breath" -- the genuine breath of Japan's gold medal-winning squad from the 1964 Olympics.
The cans are supported by print ads which feature the message: "The only legal performance enhancing drug at this year's Games", alongside an image of the Hero Breath can and a tagline that reads "Genuine Hero Breath from Onitsuka Tiger". The press ads will run in a number of international style titles such as 34 magazine, created by the founders of Wallpaper.
Asics claims it is sending the Hero Breath cans to "sneaker heads" -- sneaker collectors and fashionistas who influence what is cool in the sneaker world. They will also be sent to sports shoe stores throughout Europe.
Mark Chalmers, creative director at Strawberry Frog, said: "Onitsuka Tiger is a challenger brand in a market dominated by multimillion-dollar sports marketing. All executions tap into the Japanese heritage of the brand, while demonstrating the product benefits in a memorable way."
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