Asics campaign highlights technology in running shoes

Sports brand Asics is to launch a campaign for its running shoes that aims to highlight their technological superiority. The effects-heavy online ad shows the components that make up one of the shoes suspended mid-air in a forest before they coalesce on to the foot of a man trotting along a path. Arty shots of an awestruck stag and a butterfly complement the visuals, while an ambient soundtrack suggests the stillness of the morning. The video ends with the strapline "Sound mind, sound body", aiming to underline the therapeutic benefits of sport. The commercial is part of a pan-European campaign, "Running Expansions", created by the ad agency Amsterdam Worldwide. The 60-second ad will debut on the Asics website before appearing on video-sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Print ads will also appear in sports, running and lifestyle magazines such as Runner's World. Brian Elliott, the founder and chief executive of Amsterdam Worldwide, said the ad illustrated the technical detail contained within the shoes. "The use of an expanded visual explores the shoe's advanced technologies, and perpetuates the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," he added. Maximilian A Keen, the Asics marketing manager, said: "We wanted to share with our runners the attention to detail that we put into each and every element of shoe design." • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".